Letters to the Editor: Tech bros buying into Mussolini's philosophy
Italy's fascist leader Benito Mussolini (1883-1945). Picture: Topical Press Agency/Getty
Mark Zuckerberg has been talking about masculine energy which appears to be attaching itself to the subject of wellness in America, where we seem to have this overtaking of self-optimisation, strength, vitality, and success.
When people look at their Instagram feeds, it’s full of men and women who appear to be putting themselves through all kinds of deprivations in order to be fitter, better, and more successful.
I think that the ‘manosphere’ — promoting masculinity and misogyny — is couched in self-improvement, which spans across a whole bunch of other communities, particularly if you look at some online wellness platforms.
I believe that this is one of those rabbit holes that leads us into conspiracy theories. Robert F Kennedy Jr, the new US health secretary in the Trump administration, is someone who was originally a liberal politician who has now railed against the expertise on science.
I am worried about these rabbit holes and where such beliefs will take people. These rabbit holes appear to be based on strength and vitality, which is the myth that leads one to their masculine energy. I believe there are various trapdoors to such an ideology.
It could be argued that there is a new kind of political movement emerging where the emphasis is on perfecting one’s level of fitness.
I believe there are many other trap doors in this counterculture of ours that leads one to having very extreme political positions. It’s my assertion that counterculture itself is much deeper and wider than we think, and could outlast Donald Trump if the tower of his contradictions collapses politically, socially, and culturally.
One gets a feeling that there’s something here that’s going to be longer-lasting. There is a deep philosophical belief among the ‘tech bros’ in what they call futurism — which actually commenced in the 1920s.
It’s the philosophy that leads intellectuals to buy into Mussolini’s ideals because it’s about the notion that only an elite can really govern. This suggests to me that democracy doesn’t really matter to these people.
It’s my view that Maga is part of the counterculture, but the counterculture is not necessarily Maga.
I believe that the global political tectonic plates are shifting.
Under no circumstances should anyone be abused by another person or have their dignity taken away by them. There should be appropriate support mechanisms in place that are acceptable to all.
We urgently need to educate children from an early age, starting at home and in school. We should be given the right people who can assist and help; particularly people who have been working in this area, who are educated and know how to behave in a respectful, dignified manner.
We have to stop bullying, end of story, from the moment it starts, and stop accepting it as part of life in our homes, schools, workplaces, churches, and relationships. If we don’t seriously correct it, we give more control to the perpetrators.
Bullying is not acceptable. It can start at the tender age of children in kindergarten and if the reins are not put on, it becomes a power game and can continue to fester throughout life.
Don’t forget we who were educated by some of the nuns, brothers, and priests belonging to religious organisations were certainly taught well, but thank God some of us had enough sense to see through it. We have a lot to learn and answer to.
We seem to accept every kind of behaviour now as if there is no such thing as right or wrong anymore. There appears to be very little by way of values — it’s a case of ‘if I want it, it’s mine’.
But how can parents teach proper respect and dignity when they don’t know themselves?
There is a certain legitimacy to any broadcaster airing older films and Christmas perennials. It would be unfair to suggest RTÉ’s sole output for children and young people is just Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (which I believe achieved an audience of 130,000 this Christmas).
At what point do films go out of fashion? Should the annual repeat of Home Alone be removed from the Christmas schedule or any number of adaptations of Dicken’s classic A Christmas Carol? For that matter, should TG4 drop their Western on a Friday night?
There are wider problems with RTÉ’s output, and it would be unfair to suggest that RTÉ have Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on constant repeat.
Sadly, Patrick O’Donovan, the new media minister, is correct: RTÉ have let down children and young people over the last decade — ‘RTÉ in need of ‘radical shift’ to entice young audiences back’ (Irish Examiner, January 27). They have ultimately let everyone down.
In 2016, RTÉ made the decision to cut funding to young people’s programming by 25%, and the following year slashed it by another 50%. RTÉ have yet to return funding to pre-2016, yet continue to boast they are “our public service media”, while funding 2FM via the licence fee.
This is coupled with reductions in funding to drama, while comedy is almost non-existent — two areas which will attract young people.
If the minister is to get to grips with his new portfolio he needs to realise that the issue of a two-hour film costing €1,000 to broadcast is far from the €25,000 in car allowances given to senior executives at RTÉ that might be better used for content.
With Ireland’s increasing reliance on renewable energy, perhaps, just perhaps, an increasing number might agree that it is time for public discussion of a small proportion of reliable nuclear energy on the grid in support of vulnerable wind and wave supplies.
Calling Gaza a real mess and demolition site, US president Donald Trump proposes relocating rightful residents to other countries as part of the clean-up.
This has a strong whiff of the 17th-century British injunction, to hell or to Connacht (poor land west of the Shannon) referring to native Irish survivors following brutal Cromwellian massacres to prepare good land in the east for plantations.
In 1840, Lord Palmerston forced trade deals on the Middle East by invading Palestine, purportedly inspired by the success of similar policies where depredations led to lucrative appropriations in Ireland: aka, genocide.
Now Michael Hudson concludes that America has been crippling the political leadership of former labour and social democratic parties in Europe and other countries so roundly that what voters want doesn’t matter anymore. And that not only is its unipolar Western dominance and sphere of influence gaining ground, but globally, institutions of international trade, financial relations, military relations, and alliances are also being upended.
Is it time for Ireland to think about joining BRICS?
I don’t care how glowing a reference Joe Brolly gives to the new rules in Gaelic football, it is still a dismal, unwatchable gallimaufry of other codes. It has borrowed the defensive systems from soccer completely going to and fro across the pitch, and as for the ineffable fist pass, this is neither basketball, nor netball, nor handball.
I played Gaelic football for Cork in all grades from minor to senior, against the great exponents of the old game: Mick O’Connell, Colm McAlarney, Jimmy Barry-Murphy. In our time, players were not as fit as today, but exhibited the true delights of the game, high fielding and long, accurate kicking.
There was no soloing the length of the field and then turning back and sideways and across in a stupefying series of moves that put everybody to sleep.
Unless Gaelic football bans any backward kicks or hand passes and drives relentlessly forward like in the old days and like rugby nowadays, people (already disillusioned) will discontinue watching it completely.
At least hurling, which alas, has also adopted the plague of hand passing, at least retains some of its other sublime skills which makes it unique and a vastly greater spectacle than ‘Gaelic handball’.
