Oldness

If I was old, which I ain’t, but if I was I’d probably say something an Old Person would say and make a point about how the now fully institutionalized and systemic cultural zeitgeist devalues critical thinking in favor of emotional advocacy.

Thanks to The Zucks and the echo-chamber-rally-‘round-the flagpole-Group-Think social media operationally and financially depends upon, Critical Thinking—or “thinking for one’s-self” isn’t really A Thing anymore.

Instead, the 2025 version of Making Up One’s Mind involves consulting one’s algorithmically composed Colosseum of adoring / hateful subjects—complete with Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down metaphor.

The Art of the Emperor is in not determining anything at all. Instead, the required talent is identifying, not the intent and will of the worshiping/subjugated, but the key fear(s) in maintaining their worship/subjugation, while positioning oneself—The Emperor/King/Prophet/Monotheistic Savior—enter alternative synonym here—as the exclusive remedy to quell the threat that worship/subjugation promises to quell.
(Mic Drop).

There’s a reason why political scientists recognize that early phases of authoritarianism—particularly fascism—begin with “Populism,” an innocuous sounding label; in fact populism sounds pretty democratic at Face Value (which as an amazing album by Phil Collins—check out The Roof is Leaking).

And here’s where Critical Thinking either shows up or doesn’t.

This is the point at which The Populace makes up its collective mind based on a social construct that depends on The Populace determining its own way forward. The experiment the Founding Fathers initiated utterly depends on the sophistication of the multivariable constituencies within The Populace. Without such intentional, critical engagement, the experiment loses one of its primary elements. Like trying to make coffee without water.

While there has always been a significant role for demagoguery in politics, today it is our sole (soul?) and steady diet.

Cuz it works.

We are hard-wired to rank Fear pretty high on the Must React/Fight/Flight priority list. Say something fearful (“FIRE!”) and, without critical thinking, fear takes root and triggers varying degrees of rational/irrational moves made to avoid the danger, ie: When there’s a fire in the house, you jump out the window. Deal with the broken leg later.

But if there’s a housefire every day and you end up with lots of broken legs… Eventually, after a season of broken legs, pain, immobility and losing countless wooden rulers down the length of your cast trying to scratch your entombed and shriveled leg, one turns and faces the fire. And when it is learned—after all this time, energy, blood, sweat and tears—that there was only smoke after all…well…

That’s called Revolution.

Ask Lenin. I mean Lennon.

…As kids when we cried about the monster beneath our beds, some of us had parents engaged enough to ensure us that, in fact, we were safe and that no monster was actually under the bed. They’d crouch down and peek under—encourage us to do so as well—and thereby “prove” via “science” that there is no monster. Not under the bed, anyway.

Critical Thinking.

Look under the bed for yourself.

And, make up your own damn mind. Which is why you own one.

And, that, my friends, is how Old People talk, even though I ain’t old.

-parnell