How The Google Model Leads To Socialism

There has been a lot of concern about a resurgence of socialism lately, and understandably so. But there is one aspect of it, and perhaps an important one, that I haven’t seen elsewhere. Here it is.

Some Basics

The socialists, we must admit, have two big things going for them:

  1. They are excellent at complaining.
  2. They are able to convince people their system will solve every problem.

What that means, of course, is that they’re selling magic to people who want magic to be real((And for the sake of empathy, please remember that most of us, at one time or another, also wanted magic to be real.)). 

Socialism, then, is a religion. And it is operated by a clergy that habitually becomes so disconnected from feeling that it sends its flocks into torture and death.

It should also be noted that the present rise of socialism, particularly among the young, is a stunning condemnation of government schools. That socialism, the deadliest ideology in all of human history, could find such a toe-hold a mere thirty years after it’s fall… In a more honest world, government-operated schools would be consigned to the trash heap of history.

Let’s Get Back To Google

Having made our introductory points, let’s look at how Google can honestly be blamed for this.

I’ve described the surveillance capitalism model of Google and Facebook as parasitic, and I stand behind that description. It’s a dishonest and ultimately destructive model of organization((You may wish to read Life After Google, by George Gilder.)). And its application is leading people to socialism.

To be specific, what leads people to socialism is a belief, based upon observation, that magic works. And Google has clearly taught the young that they can get something for nothing, which is pretty close to a definition of magic.

What Google, Facebook and their acolytes have done is to create the illusion of free stuff. Free email, free search, free storage, free translation and the rest are not really free, but they appear that way.

Google promotes the “free” side of the exchange at the center of the stage under bright lighting. The other side of the exchange, however, takes place behind curtains and in the shadows, just out of view. That’s where they gather oceans of data that are used for personalized manipulation.

We can’t honestly believe that Google takes in well over a hundred billion dollars per year by giving things away, can we? And in fact we know that they manipulate their users and want to manipulate them more: Why else would they make sure you have no choice but to give them so much personal information?

Billions of dollars worth of manipulation aside, the reason Google leads millions toward socialism is because they teach people that the unreal can indeed be real.

There is no such thing as a free service. Someone, somewhere is always paying. But Google has convinced the world that free is real… that magic can be real. And that plays directly into the hands of the socialists.

When Your Hear “Social”…

One of my little sayings is, “When you hear the word ‘social,’ put your hand on your wallet, because it’s even money that someone’s trying to snooker you.” Hearing “social” is a good indication that you’re about to encounter a clever bypass of reality.

Social justice, for example, is payback based upon the assertions of propagandists. There are reasons why we’ve held trials (“trying the facts”) before assigning penalties, but social justice leaps right past them.

Socialized medicine is another example. It involves a belief that economics won’t apply to a large enough group.

I could go on, but there’s no point. All of these revolve around magical imaginings, and while we’d all like things to be easier, socialist dreams end in starvation.

(At this point, those who are unfamiliar may wish to inquire about the millions of people who were knowingly starved or otherwise murdered by Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Pot and other sellers of this particular belief in magic.)

The Bottom Line

The “free stuff” providers, Google and Facebook leading the way, have taught the young that free is possible; that magic is real. And after being trained in that – day in and day out over nearly all their conscious lives – should we really be shocked that socialism’s appeals to magic have found new ground in which to grow?

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If you want a deeper understanding of these issues, see:

FMP issue #102

FMP issue #7

The New Age of Intelligence

Paul Rosenberg
www.freemansperspective.com

Google’s Mendacity: The Selfish Ledger Decyphered

google

Few things repulse me more than someone born with a genius brain who then uses it to befuddle others and turn them into tools.

A leaked video from Google showed up on my screen this morning. At first I was thrilled that we’d have evidence from the inside, showing what’s really happening at the home of “Don’t Be Evil.” But as I watched the video, my emotions changed dramatically.

This video, which was made for Google employees((I do not believe Google’s response that this was merely a tool for generating discussion. That ranks with “the dog ate my homework” for lame excuses after getting caught. I’m flatly ignoring it.)), was designed to confuse them into supporting their employer’s plans and to feel like they were smart for doing so. That pissed me off.

So, I’m going to decipher this video. Please read this brief explanation and then watch the video yourself. They’re admitting to precisely what Jonathan Logan and I wrote in The New Age of Intelligence, but the admission is wrapped in bullshit that makes people feel smart.

So, here’s what was said, all the quotes below are precisely from the video:

  1. The video begins with a lesson on biology. Then (1:20) they jump from epigenetic theory (interesting stuff, though not precisely understood) to data produced by a girl on a smart phone… data that Google sucks from her, mainly without her realizing it.

  2. They rightly say that the data taken from this girl (or anyone using such phones) “describes our actions, decisions, preferences, movement, and relationships,” then compares this data to a “ledger,” being “a constantly evolving representation of who we are.”

  3. Next, the video goes into more biology, saying that “the driving force behind evolution was not the individual but the gene.” It goes on (2:52) to say that “the individual organism is a transient carrier, a survival machine for the gene.”

  4. Now comes a big jump: While showing us the ledger book (and remember, that’s essentially you) they talk about making it “richer… by introducing more sources of information.” (3:12) Then they ask, “What if we thought of ourselves not as owners of our information… but as transient carriers?” So, you are a “transient carrier” of data, like a hard drive, and the ledger is, for lack of a better work, a precise copy of your soul (or psyche or whatever).

  5. They further say that this digitized soul should be given “more inputs.” (3:15) That means that they want to add things to your life and mind. They’re not explaining what or how yet, but they’ve got their foot in the door.

  6. Now (3:40) comes another leap: “Google would be responsible for offering suitable targets for a user’s ledger… topics would likely focus on health or environmental impact, to reflect Google’s values as an organization.” As the discourse continues, it says (4:01), “… if one of these options allows the ledger to move closer to the user’s goal, it is offered up to the user. Over time… the user’s behavior may be modified.”

  7. Then (4:40) the video jumps to what might happen when “the notion of a goal-driven ledger becomes more palatable….” Here they’re admitting that people would be repulsed to know what’s being done to them. And so, it will take time before this becomes “palatable.” This is an echo of a comment from Eric Schmidt (a top-level Google boss), who said he wanted to get Google’s policy “as close as possible to the creepy line.” Here, however, they expect us to get used to creepy, after which they can get what they really want.

  8. The video then describes what happens if you’re not sucking up the right information for Google’s goal. In that case (4:50), they’ll custom design a device for you, according to your “taste and aesthetic sensibility.” This results in “a custom object to trigger the user’s interest.”

  9. At 8:39 the video moves forward into “behavior sequencing,” a reference to sequencing DNA. What they’re talking about is identifying every single thing, internal or external, that drives your behavior. This sequencing ends (7:50) with a system, “which not only tracks our behavior but offers direction toward the desired result.”

  10. The video concludes with a Do it for the children narrative but with college-level vocabulary and sympathetic images.

So, let’s recap:

  • Google sees you as a “transient carrier.” (#3 above.) That is, the data you produce is the essential being, and you’re a mere “container.”

You, robot.

  • You shouldn’t really own your ledger (your most essential self), and they should insert information into your life. (#4, #6)

We’ll tell you what to think.

  • Google will choose what you should want and will modify your behavior accordingly (#5). How? By offering you new options or even designing custom devices that you won’t be able to resist (#8). They will make sure “your behavior” is “modified.”

Look at this shiny gadget you really need… and it’s free if you take a short quiz!

  • If this seems creepy to you, don’t worry; you’ll warm up to it over time. (#7)

It’s okay; you’ll come to love Big Brother.

  • Google will guide you to what’s best for you (#9). You can trust them; they love us and know what’s best for us all.

Look little girl; I have candy in the car.

This is how Google sees you, and whether you want to believe me or not, this has already begun. And please understand that Facebook does the same… and that the NSA sucks it all in.

But, hey, the accounts are free! Right?

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Paul Rosenberg
www.freemansperspective.com