Discussion of "Is freedom real?" by DwayneHoover

I must admit , I am about to start the same discussion from a slightly different angle. Also, I must confess, I practically do not read stories on StoryMash. This I have read in its entirety. Take it as a compliment.

I wrote a ten page comment, then deleted it. This isn't the best place for a political discussion. But suffice it to say, that most humans are genetically pre-disposed towards drone-like behavior, where they need and accept authority figures beyond all reason. People without this gene, like George Carlin for example, find it hard to understand why a person will literally kill themselves just because an authority figure tells them to.

I've seen three kind of people in my life. Drones, Free-thinkers, and the people who want to be better than everyone else and control other people. There seems to be no other linked factor, like age, intelligence, so I assume its genetic. You either need authority figures, don't need them, or want to be them. Like alcoholics need alcohol, or some people go bald.

Once you understand this... you begin to see the root of all of America's problems. We were a country designed for free thinkers by free thinkers- people who wanted to be free, a live and let live attitude. But now we're a country full of drones, run by self-serving authority figures who laugh at the foolish drones and eleminate and imprison free thinkers.
You seem like a free-thinker. My advice is to identify what category a person falls in when you first meet them.

If its a drone, don't waste your time trying to inform them. They understand their leaders are corrupt. They just don't care. They just want a leader. But, interestingly enough, they won't admit this, even to themselves.. because this is America, a free-thinker country supposedly, so the drones want to pretend to be like everyone else, therefore, a free thinker.

If its one of the power hungry people, avoid them. They will just spend all of their time trying to use you in one way or the other, even though they may be very likeable. They tend towards sociopathic behavior. Manson, Hitler, etc.

If they are a free thinker... you'll probably have a great discussion, a lot of laughs, and get along great.

And people seem to be on a sliding scale, that goes from pure drone to total sociopath politician, that may drift a bit during life, but never that much.

Okay, that was only like a three page comment. lol

In my opinion on our present level it is virtually impossible to be a ''free thinker.'' This is because we cannot simply detach ourselves from all the bombardment around us - we can try but it will never be total. Maybe, just maybe, if additional methods are involved - it just might change. It is a very strenuous process, I'd imagine. Psychopaths lack focus. They need excitement. They understand the rules behind society and use them mercilessly for their benefit. They are capable of identifying what you want before you even know it - and then they play upon that sentiment. They love the drones because the drones have exactly what they lack - focus and obedience. The drone is their tool, if you will.

I guess this is because I am partly like that lol. Just partly. I can detach myself from feeling anything if I really want to.

Remember what Ted Bundy said : guilt is just a mechanism to control people. SOB as he was, it is true to the core.

good observations guys.
Q, everyone can be emotionless. For instance, soldiers are trained to see the enemy as nonhuman. The enemy is dehumanized through racial slurs, like "gook" or "towelhead." Once a group is dehumanized, the soldier can kill with impunity. But a genetic sociopath never experiences any form of guilt or empathy whatsoever. It's like the difference between a man who used to be able to see and went blind, and a man who was born blind.
That's my opinion at least. I used to think that all sociopaths were just traumatized people, then I met a badseed, and it changed my life. I finally realized some people are born bad.

Hoov I like what you did with this!
And my answer is simply NO!

The question remains : is the current world situation a result of happenstance or a coldly calculated plan ?

If it is calculated, then who is behind it and to what end ?

Terrific chapter. Interesting and thought provoking. I enjoyed the comments as well.

They hate if you are clever and despise a fool . Whoever sang it, was a genius. Despite all career-mongering we see every day all around us, it is still mediocrity that is celebrated. If you are intellectually sharp, you inspire awe,jealousy, and so much more. Point being, all emotions seem to be on the extreme. The sharpness is relative of course. To some, facetious is going to be a fancy word. To others, it is going to be something tedious. How do we define ''sharp ?'' In my short experience, it is true giftedness that is ignored. Not always but generally speaking. I am yet to find anything in the mainstream worth reading / watching. Perhaps the first Matrix in terms of its underlying idea. Forget the boy-girl part. Truly intelligent people have it more difficult in this human interpretation of life. They have to operate on two layers : one consensual, the other one as they truly see it. Still, truly does not mean ''freely'' does it. Why is there a correlation between mental illness and intelligence ? Simple. The more you see, the worse it is for you in this particular environment. Why ? Because one can question this entire edifice, yes, but there is still the intellectual threshold to which people gravitate. If you go beyond this threshold then you become a target. I daresay I have met a few geniuses in my life so I know what I am talking about. Fantastic people , by the way. You just need to understand them that their supposed ''arrogance'' is actually a defense mechanism ; that their ''withdrawal'' from society is not because they want to - they are forced into it. This is because as soon as their mind goes off on a tangent, people around them start scratching their heads because the limit - for them - has been reached. So many times people ask the question
''But he/she was so bright, why would they do that ?''
Because not everything is black and white, my dear friend. Life can end any second as there is an infinite number of factors present this very second. Should one be concerned ? Not at all. It would be stupid to be.

The most important question remains : what does someone highly intelligent do, and I mean highly, when faced with the catch-22 situation ? Their mind can picture so much but the powers that bind them limit it mercilessly..what happens then ? Either a single gunshot aimed at the person in question or others. Sad, but true.

Actually not sad..if there is oblivion / infinity option then who gives a damn about this tiny planet in the middle of nowhere.

This would mean that by condemning someone's actions we do not understand them - point being, if we did understand every single factor influencing someone's action, would we still consider it ''wrong'' no matter how despicable it might seem to us ?

"They, hate you if your clever, and they despise a fool;" John Lennon, working class hero. Great song.
There are so many good sources of escape besides just the Matrix. Bob Dylan's songs are great stories, along with the beatles, and many others.
Movies; A clock work orange, the original three starwars, mullhuland drive, donnie darko, blade runner, contact, the battle star galactica series.

I think that life cannot be encompassed by a single series, no matter how great it is.

Very good, it reads like a prologue to an epic modern story.

5 stars man.