"capitalism just doesn’t have the ability to give them the things they are asking for." The rich could pay their fair share of taxes.That could help. I was at a silent vigil for Palestine today and it was scary how many people walked or drove by and yelled at us that it is Hamas killing Palestinians. After over 2 years of destroying hospitals, shooting starving people, stopping food from getting in, destroying all infrastructure, these people STILL think that people with few weapons, little money, little global support are the ones responsible for killing Palestinians, their own people. We can try to "awaken as many of our fellow humans as possible", but there are many days that I really do not see this happening. I wish I did.
Friday evening, my daughter and I went to the showing of "No Other Land", organised by ActionAid Australia at Nova Carlton, Melbourne. It was great to see a packed house. When one cinema in th US tried to show it, zionist Jews lobbied to have it shut down, and once again their lobbying won. How no pro-zionists turned up to chant their lying nonsense was a surprise, but good one.
As for the people shouting at your silent vigil, apart from being rude, they tend to view only media that supports their view, if they had to face upbto the truth it would mean they would be forced to turn against their own stupidity.
One other ridiculous point about zionists and Israeli zionist Jews in particular is: while they falsely used biblical script to lay false claim to Palestine. There is also the ignoring of the commandments, such as: thou shall not steal. Thou shall not kill. Though shall not bear false witness. Thou shall not covet thy neighbours property -- which apparently include, his land, his home, his animals, his wife, and his money. All of which the Israelis have not only coveted but have stolen to get, killed to get, lied to get, and also demolished then replaced them with little ticky tacky boxes all the same.
Israelis would do well to read: Proverbs 6:16-19 to find out what they are doing is an abomination to God.
The Jews were specifically expelled from their land by the Creator Himself for killing prophets and charging interest when it was forbidden to them. God told Abraham, the covenant does not extend to wrongdoers.
Agreed Susan. If the wealthiest paid their fair share of taxes, I think the money could be allocated to the very things Ms. Johnstone talked about, like affordable housing, good health, fast and efficient public transportation etc. And that's really disappointing to hear how many people, after seeing the horror of the genocide the last 2 years live streamed, still hold that view
Thank you. And I hate f ing AI and all it represents. Leaves a bad feeling of foreboding for the future. Because you are right, people are getting stupider every day. Or lazier. Or more susceptible. Or whatever.
Yes. Exactly. If 'the world' can't stop an ongoing genocide despite thousands and thousands of ongoing protests virtually worldwide, enriching the arms manufacturers etc etc, does anyone really think we can stop AI? Its on another level entirely. How are we going to stop it? By marching? Its unstop-able. The elusive non visible genie is out of the bottle and mutating rapidly whilst we twiddle our thumbs thinking of rules and regulations - and that's if there was agreement by all that it needs to be stopped - and of course there isn't.
Exactly. Capitalism is the least democratic system on Earth. It allows a tiny handful of narcissists to tell us all what to do, what to buy, how to think, what is the latest thing we must have even if it kills us... If we don't rid ourselves of the worldwide oligarchy that regularly commits genocide to gain resources and institute a culture of mutual aid and acceptance of all peoples, we will soon cease to exist.
True CA, it is a system that enables the rich to get richer, while the rest of us have to pay the price. It furthers inequalities and disparities, and rewards with influence those who have more wealth. Not to mention, the oligarchs try to get legislation passed to further benefit themselves, while making things more difficult for everyone else.
Capitalism can't give us what we need, but AI can help Capitalism locate us at any time, reveal what we spend our money on, how much of it we have or can get our hands on, where we are when we spend it, and what we are likely to buy if it is shoved down our throats often enough.
So glad I switched to Linux 3 yrs ago. Apparently Microsoft is really pushing their AI "assistant" on Windows users. This "assistant" will see what a user sees, read what a user writes, have access to all sensitive personal info, banking details, and so on. That's a hard no to AI "shopping buddies" and "search assistants" from this user.
History is replete with examples of capitalism/imperialism ruining the world. Colonialism, World Wars and Zionism are but three examples within collective memory. The mutant offspring of capitalism/imperialism, the threat of nuclear war, remains close. AI is the latest example of technology being used in pursuit of profit in total disregard for humanity. What is next ? I shudder to think.
I don’t understand why people think that making us more stupid and poorer while the wage thieves steal even the pittance they allow us now, is a good thing. Please let the bubble burst and bankrupt the idiots that are selling the snake oil.
Here's the simple answer -> because people are stupid. To expand, people have been fooled/brainwashed by 'narratives of capitalism' for centuries (just like Israelis have been fooled/brainwashed by their own Zionist/Jewish narratives). Similar to cults and cult psychology. Capitalism is a cult, a drug, a hallucinogen - and people are hooked/addicted/blinded and don't know/see a way out.
"a move from a model that is driven by competition to one that is driven by collaboration."
That really is the test right now. If the human species is going to move forward at all, it will have to prioritize collaboration over competition. Over a system that ruthlessly allows a handful of people to become obscenely rich and powerful at the expense of everyone else, and the planet to boot. If the human race fails to pass this test, we're done son.
The definition of AI is one word. "manipulation" the future generations will not be able to think, have reason, be able to debate, and without any social skills.
My son, who has an online business selling electric scooter and bike parts, used to spend hours coding but now AI does what took him 2 hrs in 20 seconds, freeing him for more creative things.
I use AI as a search engine on steroids: if I ask, What is the fertility rate of Gazans compared to Israel and the West bank and has it change, it would take me a long time of mechanical operations to get the information, but AI can find it all in 5 seconds, saving me time to write and be creative.
This is not to deny its potential, like any tool, to be used for evil, as a hammer, designed to build vcan be used to tear down or kill. It is not the tool that is evil but the moral deficiencies of those using it. The more of us use this tool to fight our fights, deepen our knowledge, widen our perspective, the more we will be preventing the evil uses from prevailing.
Books, by some, were once though evil........as was knowledge or right and wrong. AI ain't going away so if we want to help make it a positive tool, we need to stop condemning it and start using it to help us fight our fights for justice and truth.
dale Ruff, didn't the NRA popularise the saying that "Guns don't kill people, people kill people... "? The gun is lethal in the hands of American psychopaths, as is evidenced by the rampage of killings. It is naive to think that AI won't be abused. Specially at a time when the USA is totally unhinged...
AI has been far more useful than search engines for my study of economics and math. I'm also finding it far better than search engines for assorted general questions, like about per capita GDP and populations of countries and currencies used in international trade.
I accidentally clicked something that gave me an AI result to a simple search I was conducting... It gives credence to the old adage "Shit in, shit out." You only have to look at the AI on social media platforms such as X and how it will only give pro-Israel/pro-genocide answers to questions about Palestine. AI is just another propaganda tool.
It also brings dumbing down of critical thinking, any thinking really. I'd rather rack my brain to find an answer to a problem than get some AI thing to do it for me. My brain functions well, whereas we are seeing so-called dementia happening earlier and earlier in people who have become so used to the computer working things out for them that the brain atrophied through lack if use.
An aside - but not too far aside - it reminds me of the way governments are trying to stream more and more people into STEM subjects, and away from the social sciences. Because they want a certain kind of thinker and because another kind of thinker is seen as dangerous. History, politics, theology, psychology, anthropology, sociology are subjects where you critique and think about 'how the world is' and 'why is it this way'. STEM is about a completely different sort of thinking. I drove past Canberra University the other day and there was a sign outside, advertising the uni that said "degrees that get you a job". Many years ago when I lived in Perth and was going to UWA I passed a sign that was written in big, bold letters: "work! consume! die!"
Was there ever a time when capitalism provided what people need - affordable housing, healthcare, peace, etc? It was always about maximizing profit for the capital owners
Pathocracy now rules across all domains—politics, tech, economy, culture, education. It doesn’t chain bodies; it reprograms minds. Obedience is engineered. Dissent is pathologized. This is a new slavery, hidden in plain sight. Wake up before autonomy is erased.
The New Slavery: Pathocracy Unmasked
We are living under a system that doesn’t declare war—it declares reality. Pathocracy, rule by the morally diseased, has metastasized beyond politics. It infects economics, technology, media, culture, and most crucially—education. The goal isn’t governance; it’s domination of perception, belief, and behavior.
This is not slavery of the past. There are no chains, no plantations. Instead, it enslaves through data extraction, digital surveillance, emotional manipulation, and psychological conditioning. You are not shackled—but you are being shaped.
Technology numbs. Media distracts. Debt imprisons. Education programs. We are taught obedience as virtue, compliance as intelligence, and apathy as normalcy. Critical thinking is discouraged. History is rewritten. Morality is relativized. And dissent is rebranded as extremism.
In this system, education is the first battlefield. Not to liberate, but to indoctrinate. To erase independent thought before it emerges. To reward those who fit—and discard those who question.
This is the new slavery: clean, digital, algorithmic. You are monitored, nudged, and sold. You are told you're free—while your will is being quietly outsourced to systems that do not serve you.
But there is hope.
Freedom begins with awareness. It grows through courage. It becomes real when we reclaim the power to think, to speak, to refuse.
This is your wake-up call. See the system. Name it. Break it.
AI has become the poster child for the old expression "Why do it? ... Because I can!" Now we have the very recent spectre of a widely disseminated fake AI generated video monologue by "Warren Buffet" advising the general public not to buy gold. This is a criminal act of deception by the originators of that video which undoubtedly fooled many mom and dad investors who put much stock in every utterance of the great man. But nothing will be done about this because to do so would interfere with the wholly unregulated and wild west inspired roll out of this anti-human technology that very few of us need or want!
There's NOTHING different about what you describe. It was always 'caveat emptor' (let the buyer beware) regardless of whether AI technology existed or not. And your opinion on 'whether or not to buy gold' is just that - your opinion. It is not an objective evaluation of the future price of gold (if that is even possible).
Regardless of whatever ads are used, it is the responsibility of each individual to use their 'critical thinking' to make decisions - whether we live in a world with AI or without AI.
I agree with your evokation of the caveat emptor thing. However never before in human hsitory has the public at large been assailed by waves of fake yet extraordinarily realistic representations of actual celebrities recommending cartain courses of action. Opinions about purchases of no matter what are generally the outcome of an individual's thoughtful assessments of negative and positive factors, however you seem to be advocating for those who would deliberately and illegitimately confound such assessments. Let's allow individuals to apply their critical thinking without having to run the gauntlet of the new horde of such self serving AI protagonists who are nothing other than modern day parasitic carpet baggers. Plenty of great applications for AI without it being deliberately applied to deceiving humanity....!
There will always be scammers, defrauders, conmen, charlatans, etc. regardless of AI or not. Social media made it easier for such people to reach/target others to exploit. AI adds yet another dimension to it. But nothing (at the base level) has fundamentally changed. New technologies/methods/strategies will always be employed to exploit others. Just as Social Media was used to fool/cheat/scam people (and before that there were other technologies that enabled this), so to with AI.
Yes, AI will make it much easier for such behavior to happen, but cryptocurrencies did the same thing (dark web, laundering, ransomware, etc., and before that there were other technologies like the internet that made it easier to scam/fool people). Every technology is used (by some people) to fool others. In that regard, AI is no different.
Though I do agree that AI will pose an interesting challenge (i.e. if fake AI images/videos can look/feel as real as the real thing, then that will make it that much more challenging for people to separate fact from fiction).
While it is so easy to blame the people for the mess we are in, apathetic, stupid, biased, over-consumers, and so forth, this is shortsighted and misleading. Empire loves when attention is diverted from the real culprits, and the people point fingers at each other, scapegoating, discriminating, terrorizing our fellow citizens. Look up, the enemy is hiding in the fog of lies and deception, the ultra rich and powerful, the oligarchs, the corporate masters, the propaganda spread by our government and misguided corporate media. People are hungry, feel unsafe, poorly paid, bankrupted, and now as Empire is faltering, its engines of war are turning inward to suppress any dissent. Our system of government has been broken, corrupted, we no longer live in a Democracy. Capitalism must be abandoned as it is all-devouring and destructive to our home planet, our environment, all of nature. The toxins are killing us. Along with the threat of nuclear annihilation and the 6th Extinction cycle, we now more than ever need to realize we are all in this mess together, and yes, total collaboration is essential. Unfortunately I and many others do not have the answers, the solutions, but what is needed more than ever is to support your local communities, respect nature-our lifeline, fight the oppression however you can, and don’t give up.
Well said Ms. Johnstone as always. I think AI's potential for misinformation and deception is frightening, as is its' potential to be used as a tool of mass surveillance ala Big Brother in 1984 (that book proves more and more prescient). Not to mention, it is diminishing our capacity for critical thinking and I worry for future generations growing up with ChatGPT and such being readily available that they will have a reduced or nonexistent capacity to read, evaluate critically and formulate arguments. Sure, I guess it has benefits in that it automates time-intensive processes and frees people up for more creative things, but the trade-off is that it can be used as an agent of social control, generating harmful and inaccurate videos and text to push certain narratives.
"capitalism just doesn’t have the ability to give them the things they are asking for." The rich could pay their fair share of taxes.That could help. I was at a silent vigil for Palestine today and it was scary how many people walked or drove by and yelled at us that it is Hamas killing Palestinians. After over 2 years of destroying hospitals, shooting starving people, stopping food from getting in, destroying all infrastructure, these people STILL think that people with few weapons, little money, little global support are the ones responsible for killing Palestinians, their own people. We can try to "awaken as many of our fellow humans as possible", but there are many days that I really do not see this happening. I wish I did.
Friday evening, my daughter and I went to the showing of "No Other Land", organised by ActionAid Australia at Nova Carlton, Melbourne. It was great to see a packed house. When one cinema in th US tried to show it, zionist Jews lobbied to have it shut down, and once again their lobbying won. How no pro-zionists turned up to chant their lying nonsense was a surprise, but good one.
As for the people shouting at your silent vigil, apart from being rude, they tend to view only media that supports their view, if they had to face upbto the truth it would mean they would be forced to turn against their own stupidity.
One other ridiculous point about zionists and Israeli zionist Jews in particular is: while they falsely used biblical script to lay false claim to Palestine. There is also the ignoring of the commandments, such as: thou shall not steal. Thou shall not kill. Though shall not bear false witness. Thou shall not covet thy neighbours property -- which apparently include, his land, his home, his animals, his wife, and his money. All of which the Israelis have not only coveted but have stolen to get, killed to get, lied to get, and also demolished then replaced them with little ticky tacky boxes all the same.
Israelis would do well to read: Proverbs 6:16-19 to find out what they are doing is an abomination to God.
The Jews were specifically expelled from their land by the Creator Himself for killing prophets and charging interest when it was forbidden to them. God told Abraham, the covenant does not extend to wrongdoers.
Less likely then to extend to the whole bunch of wrongdoers causing a genocide in Palestine, while calling themselves israelis.
Agreed Susan. If the wealthiest paid their fair share of taxes, I think the money could be allocated to the very things Ms. Johnstone talked about, like affordable housing, good health, fast and efficient public transportation etc. And that's really disappointing to hear how many people, after seeing the horror of the genocide the last 2 years live streamed, still hold that view
No. They mechanisms which allow them to get so wealthy in the first place need to be dismantled, i.e. interest and limited liability.
Thank you. And I hate f ing AI and all it represents. Leaves a bad feeling of foreboding for the future. Because you are right, people are getting stupider every day. Or lazier. Or more susceptible. Or whatever.
🤯🤯🤯
Yes. Exactly. If 'the world' can't stop an ongoing genocide despite thousands and thousands of ongoing protests virtually worldwide, enriching the arms manufacturers etc etc, does anyone really think we can stop AI? Its on another level entirely. How are we going to stop it? By marching? Its unstop-able. The elusive non visible genie is out of the bottle and mutating rapidly whilst we twiddle our thumbs thinking of rules and regulations - and that's if there was agreement by all that it needs to be stopped - and of course there isn't.
"Nobody asked for this."
Exactly. Capitalism is the least democratic system on Earth. It allows a tiny handful of narcissists to tell us all what to do, what to buy, how to think, what is the latest thing we must have even if it kills us... If we don't rid ourselves of the worldwide oligarchy that regularly commits genocide to gain resources and institute a culture of mutual aid and acceptance of all peoples, we will soon cease to exist.
True CA, it is a system that enables the rich to get richer, while the rest of us have to pay the price. It furthers inequalities and disparities, and rewards with influence those who have more wealth. Not to mention, the oligarchs try to get legislation passed to further benefit themselves, while making things more difficult for everyone else.
Capitalism can't give us what we need, but AI can help Capitalism locate us at any time, reveal what we spend our money on, how much of it we have or can get our hands on, where we are when we spend it, and what we are likely to buy if it is shoved down our throats often enough.
So glad I switched to Linux 3 yrs ago. Apparently Microsoft is really pushing their AI "assistant" on Windows users. This "assistant" will see what a user sees, read what a user writes, have access to all sensitive personal info, banking details, and so on. That's a hard no to AI "shopping buddies" and "search assistants" from this user.
Yep,,my new laptop now linux, just changn e addresses now as I shall JETTISON Goolag & MicroShit. 👏
Wish I was more tech savvy and I'd change to Linux too.....
Yes, the Orwellian potential of AI is frightening. 1984 was so prescient
Oh, well said.
History is replete with examples of capitalism/imperialism ruining the world. Colonialism, World Wars and Zionism are but three examples within collective memory. The mutant offspring of capitalism/imperialism, the threat of nuclear war, remains close. AI is the latest example of technology being used in pursuit of profit in total disregard for humanity. What is next ? I shudder to think.
I don’t understand why people think that making us more stupid and poorer while the wage thieves steal even the pittance they allow us now, is a good thing. Please let the bubble burst and bankrupt the idiots that are selling the snake oil.
>>"I don’t understand why people think that..."
Here's the simple answer -> because people are stupid. To expand, people have been fooled/brainwashed by 'narratives of capitalism' for centuries (just like Israelis have been fooled/brainwashed by their own Zionist/Jewish narratives). Similar to cults and cult psychology. Capitalism is a cult, a drug, a hallucinogen - and people are hooked/addicted/blinded and don't know/see a way out.
Brilliant ... and devastatingly accurate.
"a move from a model that is driven by competition to one that is driven by collaboration."
That really is the test right now. If the human species is going to move forward at all, it will have to prioritize collaboration over competition. Over a system that ruthlessly allows a handful of people to become obscenely rich and powerful at the expense of everyone else, and the planet to boot. If the human race fails to pass this test, we're done son.
jamenta, I think it comes down to "socialism or death" like the great Fidel Castro said.
The definition of AI is one word. "manipulation" the future generations will not be able to think, have reason, be able to debate, and without any social skills.
Oh them new fangled gadgets.....
My son, who has an online business selling electric scooter and bike parts, used to spend hours coding but now AI does what took him 2 hrs in 20 seconds, freeing him for more creative things.
I use AI as a search engine on steroids: if I ask, What is the fertility rate of Gazans compared to Israel and the West bank and has it change, it would take me a long time of mechanical operations to get the information, but AI can find it all in 5 seconds, saving me time to write and be creative.
This is not to deny its potential, like any tool, to be used for evil, as a hammer, designed to build vcan be used to tear down or kill. It is not the tool that is evil but the moral deficiencies of those using it. The more of us use this tool to fight our fights, deepen our knowledge, widen our perspective, the more we will be preventing the evil uses from prevailing.
Books, by some, were once though evil........as was knowledge or right and wrong. AI ain't going away so if we want to help make it a positive tool, we need to stop condemning it and start using it to help us fight our fights for justice and truth.
dale Ruff, didn't the NRA popularise the saying that "Guns don't kill people, people kill people... "? The gun is lethal in the hands of American psychopaths, as is evidenced by the rampage of killings. It is naive to think that AI won't be abused. Specially at a time when the USA is totally unhinged...
AI has been far more useful than search engines for my study of economics and math. I'm also finding it far better than search engines for assorted general questions, like about per capita GDP and populations of countries and currencies used in international trade.
I would contend that that discrepancy may have less to do with the usefulness of AI than with the enshittification of search engines in recent years.
I accidentally clicked something that gave me an AI result to a simple search I was conducting... It gives credence to the old adage "Shit in, shit out." You only have to look at the AI on social media platforms such as X and how it will only give pro-Israel/pro-genocide answers to questions about Palestine. AI is just another propaganda tool.
It also brings dumbing down of critical thinking, any thinking really. I'd rather rack my brain to find an answer to a problem than get some AI thing to do it for me. My brain functions well, whereas we are seeing so-called dementia happening earlier and earlier in people who have become so used to the computer working things out for them that the brain atrophied through lack if use.
An aside - but not too far aside - it reminds me of the way governments are trying to stream more and more people into STEM subjects, and away from the social sciences. Because they want a certain kind of thinker and because another kind of thinker is seen as dangerous. History, politics, theology, psychology, anthropology, sociology are subjects where you critique and think about 'how the world is' and 'why is it this way'. STEM is about a completely different sort of thinking. I drove past Canberra University the other day and there was a sign outside, advertising the uni that said "degrees that get you a job". Many years ago when I lived in Perth and was going to UWA I passed a sign that was written in big, bold letters: "work! consume! die!"
Was there ever a time when capitalism provided what people need - affordable housing, healthcare, peace, etc? It was always about maximizing profit for the capital owners
Reposted:
ChatGPT said:
Pathocracy now rules across all domains—politics, tech, economy, culture, education. It doesn’t chain bodies; it reprograms minds. Obedience is engineered. Dissent is pathologized. This is a new slavery, hidden in plain sight. Wake up before autonomy is erased.
The New Slavery: Pathocracy Unmasked
We are living under a system that doesn’t declare war—it declares reality. Pathocracy, rule by the morally diseased, has metastasized beyond politics. It infects economics, technology, media, culture, and most crucially—education. The goal isn’t governance; it’s domination of perception, belief, and behavior.
This is not slavery of the past. There are no chains, no plantations. Instead, it enslaves through data extraction, digital surveillance, emotional manipulation, and psychological conditioning. You are not shackled—but you are being shaped.
Technology numbs. Media distracts. Debt imprisons. Education programs. We are taught obedience as virtue, compliance as intelligence, and apathy as normalcy. Critical thinking is discouraged. History is rewritten. Morality is relativized. And dissent is rebranded as extremism.
In this system, education is the first battlefield. Not to liberate, but to indoctrinate. To erase independent thought before it emerges. To reward those who fit—and discard those who question.
This is the new slavery: clean, digital, algorithmic. You are monitored, nudged, and sold. You are told you're free—while your will is being quietly outsourced to systems that do not serve you.
But there is hope.
Freedom begins with awareness. It grows through courage. It becomes real when we reclaim the power to think, to speak, to refuse.
This is your wake-up call. See the system. Name it. Break it.
AI has become the poster child for the old expression "Why do it? ... Because I can!" Now we have the very recent spectre of a widely disseminated fake AI generated video monologue by "Warren Buffet" advising the general public not to buy gold. This is a criminal act of deception by the originators of that video which undoubtedly fooled many mom and dad investors who put much stock in every utterance of the great man. But nothing will be done about this because to do so would interfere with the wholly unregulated and wild west inspired roll out of this anti-human technology that very few of us need or want!
There's NOTHING different about what you describe. It was always 'caveat emptor' (let the buyer beware) regardless of whether AI technology existed or not. And your opinion on 'whether or not to buy gold' is just that - your opinion. It is not an objective evaluation of the future price of gold (if that is even possible).
Regardless of whatever ads are used, it is the responsibility of each individual to use their 'critical thinking' to make decisions - whether we live in a world with AI or without AI.
I agree with your evokation of the caveat emptor thing. However never before in human hsitory has the public at large been assailed by waves of fake yet extraordinarily realistic representations of actual celebrities recommending cartain courses of action. Opinions about purchases of no matter what are generally the outcome of an individual's thoughtful assessments of negative and positive factors, however you seem to be advocating for those who would deliberately and illegitimately confound such assessments. Let's allow individuals to apply their critical thinking without having to run the gauntlet of the new horde of such self serving AI protagonists who are nothing other than modern day parasitic carpet baggers. Plenty of great applications for AI without it being deliberately applied to deceiving humanity....!
There will always be scammers, defrauders, conmen, charlatans, etc. regardless of AI or not. Social media made it easier for such people to reach/target others to exploit. AI adds yet another dimension to it. But nothing (at the base level) has fundamentally changed. New technologies/methods/strategies will always be employed to exploit others. Just as Social Media was used to fool/cheat/scam people (and before that there were other technologies that enabled this), so to with AI.
Yes, AI will make it much easier for such behavior to happen, but cryptocurrencies did the same thing (dark web, laundering, ransomware, etc., and before that there were other technologies like the internet that made it easier to scam/fool people). Every technology is used (by some people) to fool others. In that regard, AI is no different.
Though I do agree that AI will pose an interesting challenge (i.e. if fake AI images/videos can look/feel as real as the real thing, then that will make it that much more challenging for people to separate fact from fiction).
While it is so easy to blame the people for the mess we are in, apathetic, stupid, biased, over-consumers, and so forth, this is shortsighted and misleading. Empire loves when attention is diverted from the real culprits, and the people point fingers at each other, scapegoating, discriminating, terrorizing our fellow citizens. Look up, the enemy is hiding in the fog of lies and deception, the ultra rich and powerful, the oligarchs, the corporate masters, the propaganda spread by our government and misguided corporate media. People are hungry, feel unsafe, poorly paid, bankrupted, and now as Empire is faltering, its engines of war are turning inward to suppress any dissent. Our system of government has been broken, corrupted, we no longer live in a Democracy. Capitalism must be abandoned as it is all-devouring and destructive to our home planet, our environment, all of nature. The toxins are killing us. Along with the threat of nuclear annihilation and the 6th Extinction cycle, we now more than ever need to realize we are all in this mess together, and yes, total collaboration is essential. Unfortunately I and many others do not have the answers, the solutions, but what is needed more than ever is to support your local communities, respect nature-our lifeline, fight the oppression however you can, and don’t give up.
Well said Ms. Johnstone as always. I think AI's potential for misinformation and deception is frightening, as is its' potential to be used as a tool of mass surveillance ala Big Brother in 1984 (that book proves more and more prescient). Not to mention, it is diminishing our capacity for critical thinking and I worry for future generations growing up with ChatGPT and such being readily available that they will have a reduced or nonexistent capacity to read, evaluate critically and formulate arguments. Sure, I guess it has benefits in that it automates time-intensive processes and frees people up for more creative things, but the trade-off is that it can be used as an agent of social control, generating harmful and inaccurate videos and text to push certain narratives.