Honestly, I have no idea. You can make a good case for the Rothschild, 'Saxe-Coburg and Gotha/Windsor' and Rockefeller families, the Vatican too. Traditionally the monetary elite are 10 steps ahead of the rest of the world and they have no interest in helping us play catch up, that's why you have to reach back over 100 years to be able to make any definitive claims.
I do know Forbes deliberately omits the old money families from their 'wealthiest in the world' lists on the basis that it is so difficult to get a comprehensive understanding of their finances and who's actually pulling the purse strings. Also, Forbes lists are meant more to recognize entrepreneurial success rather than who's actually the wealthiest.
Learning about these families has reinforced to me that 'money' is the one true god of this world, all morality and justice bow to the dollar. The best way to understand any situation is to follow the money.
This is probably the best comprehensive video I've seen on the Rothschild house (please ignore the ridiculous thumbnail, the analysis itself is much more level headed than the thumbnail implies):
e: I welcome criticism and doubt, I'm still dipping my toes into this world and appreciate opposing viewpoints.
I wouldn't say money is the only true religion. I have studied religion and philosophy for close to a decade now and the elite definitely have their own religion and philosophy that few people are aware of. The secret rituals and initiations point to a vastly different kind of worldview, yeah money has incredible power but there's more to it for sure.
I'm not talking about hearsay, but rituals and religious practices I've seen video of that are definitely not just about money. The kind of thing that people snap judge as conspiracy theory even though it's documented. It points towards the ancient mystery schools and esoteric symbolism.
Talking to a retired military guy today he thinks it'll take a world war to reset society and sees no other way, when you look at it there seems to be nothing positive on a world scale happening.
- ISIS in the middle east
- Russia trying to take Ukraine and maybe more
- Saudi's screwing up oil prices
- Euro country's on the brink of bankruptcy
- Iran trying to build a bomb (to end Israel)
- mass shootings in the USA
It goes on and on, the world is truly crap
People have said for a few years now it would take WWIII to fix global economy but would it fix global ######ation as well.?
All I can say is thank ###### for hockey!
Yeah WW2 really fixed things for Eastern Europe for generations.
What polak doesn't understand, and that is an understatement, is that all technology has good things, and bad things.
EDIT: One of my favourite writers, Peter Lawler, has a great essay on one of my favourite, and indeed, greatest, comedians, Louis C.K. Keep in mind, Lawler is also a CATHOLIC.
As we gain more, we also lose some things. The point of being an intelligent person is to understand both sides.
Look at the Hikikomori in Japan, a phenomenon spreading across the world, as more and more young people CHOOSE a life of alienation and diversion through technology. Look at the rise in ED in men under 25 that is almost certainly linked to the absolute immersive presence of pornography.
As for religion, no that did not cause the Dark Ages. That would be the collapse of the Roman Empire, an irreducibly complex event that was the result of massive waves of immigration, corruption, spiritual loss...
Religion was omnipresent during medieval times, but there was never an "Age of Faith," nor did the Church form anything close to a political entity. Mainly because Christianity doesn't really mesh to well with politics.
You seem to be convinced that the negatives that come from technology are more prevalent than the positives but the flaw in your logic is right there in what you typed. Yes, there is a minuscule percentage of people who might be turning to these technologies to isolate themselves from society but you're also ignoring the vast majority that are using social networking, the internet and video games in a healthy manner and increasing their quality of life. It's like saying we should no longer report the news cause people like T&T freak out and want to start a world war, despite all of the good that has come from breaking news coverage.
Also, a quick google search spit out these three "main contributors" to your hikikomori tendencies:
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Middle class affluence in a post-industrial society such as Japan allows parents to support and feed an adult child in the home indefinitely. Lower-income families do not have hikikomori children because a socially withdrawing youth is forced to work outside the home.[15]
The inability of Japanese parents to recognize and act upon the youth's slide into isolation; soft parenting; or even a codependent collusion between mother and son, known as amae in Japanese.[16]
A decade of flat economic indicators and a shaky job market in Japan makes the pre-existing system requiring years of competitive schooling for elite jobs appear like a pointless effort to many.[17] While Japanese fathers of the current generation of youth still enjoy lifetime employment at multinational corporations, incoming employees in Japan enjoy no such guarantees in today's job market.[18] (See Freeters and NEET for more on this.) Some younger Japanese people begin to suspect that the system put in place for their grandfathers and fathers no longer works,[19] and for some, the lack of a clear life goal makes them susceptible to social withdrawal as a hikikomori.
All from wiki with cited sources. Nothing about blaming technology. It might be an enabler for such a lifestyle, but it's not the cause.
Also the definition of the Dark Ages may refer to the period after the fall of the Roman Empire but the period is known for its lack of literature and written history, general demographic decline, limited building activity and material cultural achievements in general which ended with the enlightenment, which is known for its questioning of the church and the ushering of the age of reason. You're kidding yourself if you think Religion has done anything but stifle the advancement of civilization after ancient times (I'll admit it had its purposes earlier).
Well, I get in trouble for this all the time here because I talk about book-learning, but, there is a great author and thinker, Pierre Manent, who basically says something like "no, they tried at times, but were more like a mediator between the different warring factions of the Middle Ages, and Early Modern Period."
They were a political entity by literally every definition. At many times they failed to affect other political systems, but they were mostly political. In fact, in feudal England they were basically the government
Nothing about blaming technology. It might be an enabler for such a lifestyle, but it's not the cause.
You aren't taking a subtle enough view of the problem. The screen is the great democratic portal. We all see the same things on it. Great books, great films, great porn. It is also a limitless diversion.
Quote:
Also the definition of the Dark Ages may refer to the period after the fall of the Roman Empire but the period is known for its lack of literature and written history, general demographic decline, limited building activity and material cultural achievements in general which ended with the enlightenment, which is known for its questioning of the church and the ushering of the age of reason. You're kidding yourself if you think Religion has done anything but stifle the advancement of civilization after ancient times (I'll admit it had its purposes earlier).
The Middle Ages were a time of great disorder, but to say that there was a lack of ltierature, or building activity or material cultural achievements is false. Like stupidly false.
If I was to play this out, and this is probably incorrect at best.
But if you were going to have a war, you would have the Eastern powers of Russia, China, India on one side. You would have the Western nuclear powers and Pakistan on the other side. You would have a third side in the Middle East and Isis in the middle.
If the Eastern powers were the aggressors.
1) China would surge their submarines and navy to protect their backdoor, they would have to patrol the China seas and the Sea of Japan.
While the Chinese navy is improved they still lag behind the American's The Russian Pacific Navy isn't huge, and most of their submarines are of the SSBN platform, however they do have quite a few of the Oscar class upgrades which were designed around carrying large complements of advanced anti-shipping missiles, they would be tasked with attacking American carrier groups. On top of that the Russians would use their naval aviation to go after convoys. Russia would have to threaten Japan to prevent its usage. China would threaten Taiwan to prevent its usage.
If things escalated this would be a nuclear flashpoint if American Navy Assets gain a foothold and create a naval interdiction against China.
China would also heavily support a North Korean attack on South Korea to pin down American ground assets. I don't doubt that North Korea would fire ballistic missiles at Japan as well.
China would probably also be tasked with eliminating Pakistan as a threat and a airbase for the allies.
2) India and Pakistan would go to war, and this would be a major nuclear flashpoint as they try to settle an age old grudge.
3) In Europe. the Russians would mass their Western Assets, which I believe would be 5 armies with a few thousand main battle tanks a massive amount of artillary, a few thousand strike planes and a short logistical line. Russian doctine would basically call for the nuking of allied logistics centers, ports, key strategic road routes. Russia would rather strip down and decapitate the Nato alliance and then fight a mobility war against a confused and under supplied enemy then slug through Europe.
4) In the Atlantic, The Russians would surge their submarine force and naval aviation and go after convoys. The smart move would be to remove Iceland and Greenland from the map completely so that the American's couldn't extend their air patrols and cut off Soviet Naval Aviation attacks against the convoys, this would also degrade the ability for Nato to go after Russian subs before they get into the deep waters in the Atlantic.
5) The nuclear conversation - Basically the Russians if they went this route would put in a call to the existing president and basically state that if a nuke goes off on Russian home soil, that the Russians would respond with strategic city busting nukes across Europe and the states. America could try a quick strike but detection is to good now and at the first sign of launches from American subs or American silos the Russians would got after American cities.
If the West started this, the scenario would be basically the same except that the allies would probably attack China first by attacking through Korea, with holding actions from india and probably a minor amphibious and air assault out of Taiwan. In Europe the American's would not have the strength to attack into greater Russia, but would threaten it to hold the Russians from re-enforcing their allies.
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My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
I wouldn't say money is the only true religion. I have studied religion and philosophy for close to a decade now and the elite definitely have their own religion and philosophy that few people are aware of. The secret rituals and initiations point to a vastly different kind of worldview, yeah money has incredible power but there's more to it for sure.
I'm not talking about hearsay, but rituals and religious practices I've seen video of that are definitely not just about money. The kind of thing that people snap judge as conspiracy theory even though it's documented. It points towards the ancient mystery schools and esoteric symbolism.
I've looked into those rituals a little bit and they freak me right out. I see it as going one of two ways: 1) They still practice these ancient rituals because they are just tried and true methods of asserting their control, regardless of how ridiculous they seem in a modern context, or 2) They actually gain power and influence by communicating with ancient spiritual entities, which makes me think I'm crazy. Either way, money is a device they use to impose their secret religion onto the whole of mankind, essentially making money god to the rest of us.
You aren't taking a subtle enough view of the problem. The screen is the great democratic portal. We all see the same things on it. Great books, great films, great porn. It is also a limitless diversion.
So in your eyes, access to information, literature, media and knowledge is a diversion? A diversion from what? The Church? The Nuclear Family?
Quote:
Originally Posted by peter12
The Middle Ages were a time of great disorder, but to say that there was a lack of ltierature, or building activity or material cultural achievements is false. Like stupidly false.
Do you really want to get into the advancements made between the two periods? Yes lots of Cathedrals were built in the dark ages, owing to the dominance of the church at the time. However, the enlightenment gave birth to you know... some of the greatest scientific and cultural triumphs of all time.
I read somewhere once that Edmonton was a very real target during the Cold War, and that if it came down to nuclear war, Edmonton was likely to be hit first given it's proximity to northern Russian silos. Since we're discussing WWIII.
I've looked into those rituals a little bit and they freak me right out. I see it as going one of two ways: 1) They still practice these ancient rituals because they are just tried and true methods of asserting their control, regardless of how ridiculous they seem in a modern context, or 2) They actually gain power and influence by communicating with ancient spiritual entities, which makes me think I'm crazy. Either way, money is a device they use to impose their secret religion onto the whole of mankind, essentially making money god to the rest of us.
Totally agree with the last part, the majority of the population spend their lives devoted to earning a fiat currency that could dissolve into thin air tomorrow.
Of the rituals that I've actually seen whether there is a true spiritual aspect I don't know but there is most definitely a utilitarian aspect to them e.g. absolving ones conscience, binding of members through esoteric oaths (that the initiates probably don't even understand)
People talk about the elite and wealthy like they are members of the general public when they most definitely are not and are motivated by these secret initiations and memberships.
I read somewhere once that Edmonton was a very real target during the Cold War, and that if it came down to nuclear war, Edmonton was likely to be hit first given it's proximity to northern Russian silos. Since we're discussing WWIII.
Wait, Edmonton wasn't hit by a nuke?
Then why is it like that?
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I read somewhere once that Edmonton was a very real target during the Cold War, and that if it came down to nuclear war, Edmonton was likely to be hit first given it's proximity to northern Russian silos. Since we're discussing WWIII.
Edmonton was a major government hub during the Cold War. It was a major transport Hub, the Provincial Goverment was located there, it was a major communications sphere for Western Command Canada..
Nuking a city isn't about destroying a city, anyone can do that. its about what you take out when you nuke it. If you take out Edmonton, beyond the supposed horror of the act, government, communications both have a rather large hole punched in them. It causes confusion and leadership loss and it would take some hours to reroute strategic communication.
If you look back on the cold war there were some really interesting places in Olds under the college there and in Penhold.
The idea was to scramble the government to one of those locations which also featured at the time fairly sophisticated communications rebroadcast centers,
__________________
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Edmonton was a major government hub during the Cold War. It was a major transport Hub, the Provincial Goverment was located there, it was a major communications sphere for Western Command Canada..
Nuking a city isn't about destroying a city, anyone can do that. its about what you take out when you nuke it. If you take out Edmonton, beyond the supposed horror of the act, government, communications both have a rather large hole punched in them. It causes confusion and leadership loss and it would take some hours to reroute strategic communication.
If you look back on the cold war there were some really interesting places in Olds under the college there and in Penhold.
The idea was to scramble the government to one of those locations which also featured at the time fairly sophisticated communications rebroadcast centers,
Totally agree with the last part, the majority of the population spend their lives devoted to earning a fiat currency that could dissolve into thin air tomorrow.
Of the rituals that I've actually seen whether there is a true spiritual aspect I don't know but there is most definitely a utilitarian aspect to them e.g. absolving ones conscience, binding of members through esoteric oaths (that the initiates probably don't even understand)
People talk about the elite and wealthy like they are members of the general public when they most definitely are not and are motivated by these secret initiations and memberships.
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A new world war would be a slaughter. after watching the movie "Good Kill" I cannot fathom the horror of air to ground drone strikes.
Not only do drones have crazy kill numbers from afar but the psychological terror they impose on those in their patrol area is unparalleled.
Old school war won't happen anymore unless the warring sides wipe out the technological edges either side may have. Even then you're going to have to take the war to orbit and wipe out satellites. A new world war is going to be gross.
Besides, why would our corporate overlords want to wipe out any percentage of the population, our debt based incomes keep them fat and rich and the more people they have under their thumbs the more profit they make. Now excuse me while i go fashion my new tin foil hat.
A new world war would be a slaughter. after watching the movie "Good Kill" I cannot fathom the horror of air to ground drone strikes.
Not only do drones have crazy kill numbers from afar but the psychological terror they impose on those in their patrol area is unparalleled.
Old school war won't happen anymore unless the warring sides wipe out the technological edges either side may have. Even then you're going to have to take the war to orbit and wipe out satellites. A new world war is going to be gross.
Besides, why would our corporate overlords want to wipe out any percentage of the population, our debt based incomes keep them fat and rich and the more people they have under their thumbs the more profit they make. Now excuse me while i go fashion my new tin foil hat.
Tin foil hat not necessary. And it's not a conspiracy. It makes sense, and that's why I said before that I doubt conventional or nuclear war ever happens between nation-states.
Corporations and the extremely wealthy have too much to lose. They would influence governments as much as possible not to go to war if it meant destabilizing their wealth or income. They care more about money/profit than they do about what flag flies in the capital city.
Weimar Germany was a disaster, and folks weren't happy. War was almost inevitable.
Folks in developed countries are happy for the most part nowadays. Americans are still addicted to military spending, but what else is new?
