Post: #1

Interesting vid on power and how incentives determine government action:






Leave your comments below.

Post: #2

With its use of animation, this video makes what might otherwise be considered convoluted concepts more easily understood by the masses. It's a basic, easy-to-follow introduction to the philosophy behind power structures and corruption.

I've not read "The Dictator's Handbook" referenced at the end of the clip, but would be curious to check it out after watching. I can see many ideas discussed in the works of Niccolo Machiavelli and Robert Greene represented here, which for anyone reading this who hasn't already read any of the aforementioned authors' work, do yourself a favor and check them out.

Thanks for posting.

Post: #3

Mandatory viewing for politics posters.

Post: #4

Good video, particularly explaining the "resource curse," but does not explore non-economic issues, e.g. religious fanaticism, racism. Those sometimes overcome economic interests.

An aspiring ruler can use religion or racism to mobilize followers, even to their economic detriment.

Post: #5

^ Yes, the "ingroup/outgroup" strategy, perhaps better known as "us versus them". You find a way to unite people against a common enemy (even if there's no real reason to go after them) to prevent them from focusing on internal problems, and from destroying their own group from within.

I don't know how many of you guys watched the Putin video, "You're All Being Distracted" but he mentions something very similar to this idea. The United States has such massive problems, the Democrats are trying to utilize a smoke and mirrors/blame Russia strategy to unite people behind Crooked Hillary. I don't think most people are buying it, though.

https://infogalactic.com/info/Ingroups_and_outgroups

Post: #6

(10-25-2016 08:49 AM)Sp5 Wrote:  Good video, particularly explaining the "resource curse," but does not explore non-economic issues, e.g. religious fanaticism, racism. Those sometimes overcome economic interests.

An aspiring ruler can use religion or racism to mobilize followers, even to their economic detriment.

True. Although the video is excellent in the macroview of power. It is still a simplification of the nuanced nature of power that can be influenced by non-material as well as material means.

Nonetheless it covers many important bases.

As to the use of religion or racism to mobilize followers there are limitations to those methods. With Venezuela a current example of what happens when ideology contradicts reality and in doing so causing many people to starve as well as die which makes such non-material ways of mobilizing followers less effective except among the fanatical few. Plus propaganda is not as effective in the age of the internet as it used to be in the 20th century.

Post: #7

My gut feeling is that this video presents a grossly simplistic view of power. It's just way too correct to be true. But it was interesting and deserves some thought. I'm going to track the book down.