AI Snips
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Central Theme: Control System vs. Human-Scale Living
- Paul Kingsnorth has been writing about the same theme for 25 years: a growing system of technological and state control versus traditional human-scale living.
- This "machine" is accelerating, evident in the COVID-19 pandemic response, the Ukraine conflict, and the rapid rollout of a technologically advanced surveillance society.
System of the Beast and the Tension Between Freedom and Security
- Jonathan Pageau connects the "machine" to the biblical "system of the beast," rooted in technology, control, and civilization's inherent inclusion/exclusion problem.
- This system creates a tension between individual freedom and the need for security, demanding safety for extreme self-expression.
Shortsightedness of Supporting Authoritarian Power
- Paul Kingsnorth observes friends on the liberal left supporting Trudeau's actions against protestors, highlighting the shortsightedness of accepting authoritarian power.
- He questions their trust in authority and the potential for such power to be used elsewhere.