“I blame shadowy figures rather than my politicians”
The anti-Lockdowner obsession with Gates, the WHO, etc is exactly the human impulse to find witches responsible
If you have insufficiently rich notions of causality and moral responsibility, you’ll forever be searching for the shadowy puppeteers (today’s witches) who did this so as to have someone to blame, when those who are blameworthy are out there in plain sight.
Three Moments:
~ Are they not culpable because they were in a mass hysteria?
~ Are only shadowy engineers of mass hysteria culpable?
~ Is the first stone who shifted to blame for the avalanche?
As someone who once worked professionally in politics I have a different insight than most about blaming"shadowy figures" vs. politicians. As a former lobbyist and campaign consultant, who for two decades lived, slept, breathed politics, who's professional and often social network included politicians, judges, lawyers, large corporate and philanthropic donors, institutional and regulatory leaders, special interest group leaders, other professional campaign consultants, and media leaders and reporters, I'd attend my share of galas, fundraisers, holiday parties, receptions, etc, clinking glasses with and sharing hors d'oeuvres and banquet dinner conversations with, in the homes of US Senators and Congressmen, happy hours with Governors - and their mistresses.
And it isn't an either/or proposition as you frame it. Both shadowy figures and politicians are roles in a system that has been constructed in the world around us that serves itself, not the people. Those in positions of power and influence are no different than all man in positions of power and influence throughout history. The adage "power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely" holds true eternally. One only need look as far as their own HOA governing board to see how even positions of limited power can become corrupt and abusive. Individual and small coalition agendas can supersede the concerns of the community. When you increase the power and authority and scope of issues to state and federal levels the corruption and abuses become greater. The agendas of individuals and large coalitions supersede the concerns of the citizens.
Which brings us to the system. My experience informs me that our governance today now serves The System. Not We The People. It became crystal clear to me at a point later in my career when I was drawn into a minor scandal where I was scheduled to testify publicly about my first-hand knowledge of it. I was approached by leaders within both parties I had considered friends who told me to watch what I said in the hearing. They knew what I knew, what I wanted to say. They knew the bad conduct and corruption at issue, my insights had merit. But told me I couldn't say what they knew I wanted to say. Both R's and D's in leadership said, "the public already doesn't trust us, we can't give them more reasons not to trust us, and we needed to protect The System." I was pressed to lie by omission. With other parties involved physically threatened. Seriously and unambiguously threatened.
Had I told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth I'd have been sanctioned, run out of the profession. The System is built on and sustained by lies. Politicians lie. The public doesn't trust them because they know they're being lied to. So politicians believe they need to lie even more so the public doesn't trust them even less. Because they see it as their job to protect The System, first and foremost. That system is where the influence of shadowy figures becomes public policy. Including abusive, freedom and liberty-diminishing public policy. Media, the Fourth Estate often acting as official scribes of The System, not doggedly protecting We The People. Over the objections of the people the politicians are elected to represent. And The System, as I experienced it, is not above exacting its influence in threatening ways, threatening both the economic and personal safety of those in a position to challenge their power and influence. The System is where the shadowy figures are. The System isn't witches. The System is real. Politicians are often just actors in a play being directed and produced by the biggest studio on earth. That views We The People as mere extras on the set of. Perspective shared by someone who's been behind the scenes, for what it's worth.
Mark, first I have to disagree that Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, et al are “shadowy figures operating behind the scenes.” Gates for example has been openly experimenting on people with his vaccine initiatives all over the world for over 20 years. He’s appeared in almost every elite forum giving speeches about his obsession with “hacking the genome” and “mass vaccination” publicly and without any secret agenda. The WEF and it’s agenda have been publicized widely and their placement and propping up of cabinet and administrative officials is no smoke-filled room conspiracy. The green agenda that is leading to the collapse of agricultural markets from Sri Lanka to Holland is not a manifestation of mysterious witchcraft. And, obviously, the Covid lockdown strategy and vaccination mandates were publicly advertised as an opportunity for a “great reset” and the hive mind of weak-brained academics took it and ran with it in every corner of the global bureaucracy.