Hot Air


Chaos can provide an environment for increased creativity. Or more chaos.

During the 2016 Bernie campaign we opened a campaign office and people showed up. It was chaotic and there was a sense of urgency. Things were moving fast. The California primary was late in the game then, and people from all over the US showed up at our door, willing to work. We found beds and food for them. People showed up at the office with snacks, rides, paper, packs of voter reg whatever. It just happened. Things got done.

~
.

People bubbled up and took control of what they were naturally good at. I was dubbed the office manager because I showed up every morning at 8 am and am a natural at telling people what to do. Ginny came in at 2 pm every day and relieved me. Stoner cut turfs. Danny ran trainings twice a day. People crowded into our 25’ x 25’ foot space around the tables, chairs and computers, to receive their turf, snacks, training if necessary, and left raring to go door to door. It was chaotically beautiful.

The thing about chaotic situations is that there is little time for hierarchy to develop. Leaders lead and if challenged consider the options and can change quickly. There is little time for interpersonal bickering and no time for empire building. (Maybe we were just lucky. Some of us are still working together eight years later.)

I have been told that this dynamic is similar in the midst of natural disasters and wars. It certainly happened during the protests. I experienced it in the early days of the computer industry. Things moved so fast that the sales guys (yes, they were guys then) kept orders in shoe boxes on their desks. It was competitive and people were there to win. Software development did not go through pre or post reviews. If the compiler did not work you talked to the person who wrote the compiler. Issue resolved. No riffraff, just straight up.

Now, not so much. All things bow to the bottom line. The industry is now hierarchical, top down, run by MBAs, Marketing and Sales without input from engineers. Products are sold based on ‘who do you play golf with’ (although now golf has been replaced by bicycling). Developers work on an ‘assembly-line’ basis to implement products. It is all about who you know with a lot of high-level posturing rather than product quality, features, and performance. Capitalism at its best.

The political system is similar. Oligarchs and the corporate entities operate for their personal gain.

Useless eaters be damned. And to this end the corporatists and elites serve up Chaos on Steroids daily. This functions, it seems, to obfuscate the movement of resources upwards. The ptb are taking advantage of the chaos to benefit themselves.

And of course, we are still ignoring the climate crisis and the destruction of our one and only biosphere, all while ignoring racial injustice and exacerbating the pandemic.

~
The thread is open

~

This is to say that this very thread is open for any and all comments about anything and everything. It is your Open Thread. It is a vessel from which your wisdom can spring forth, or some such.

Share
up
22 users have voted.

Comments

usefewersyllables's picture

"High-level posturing", indeed.

Chaos. The current state of affairs reminds me of a line from the old Thomas Dolby tune "Budapest by Blimp":

They say travel broadens the mind
So I went over the falls in a barrel...

So are we all, Mr. Dolby. So are we all. It remains to be seen if our minds get broadened by "learning something life-changing", or by "being dashed into bits on the rocks"...

up
10 users have voted.

Twice bitten, permanently shy.

Creosote.'s picture

up
4 users have voted.
Lookout's picture

Made a run to town this morning to recycle and pick up a few groceries. They are finally requiring masks in the grocery store, but some folks still are not wearing them. After all, this is the district which just elected Marjorie Greene who ran on a Stop Socialism platform.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/11/us/politics/marjorie-taylor-greene-qa...

The weather out west looks HOT. Ironically we've had the nicest summer so far...65 F this AM and 80's for highs. It is indeed climate chaos because 100's are common here in August. We've also been getting regular rain, another oddity here in August. Things are looking bad for the ice and now they are saying Greenland's ice is past the tipping point.
https://www.spacedaily.com/afp/200817174806.hrdp1l19.html

Nice story of folks filling needs in your community. I find in blizzards, fires, and calamities people tend to do what we should be doing all the time...helping each other.

Well take care of yourselves and other out there. Be well. Live well. Love a lot.

up
12 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

enhydra lutris's picture

@Lookout
which is significant cooling relative to recent past of 90s to 100s.

up
7 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Azazello's picture

@Lookout
I'll believe it when I feel it. Record high temperatures have been recorded on 6 of the last 7 days. Temperatures, both daytime highs and morning lows, have been 10 degrees above normal for 3 weeks. Our summer rains have not happened. Historically, we get 12 inches of rain each year, 6 in the winter and 6 in the summer. Usually by this date we will have had 3 inches of rain, less than 1 inch received so far this year. This is depressing. I fear that this will be the new normal.

up
9 users have voted.

We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.

Lookout's picture

@Azazello
will be best described as chaotic. In other words no weather pattern or reliable pattern. The jet stream is coming apart.

Hope y'all cool off and get some rain soon!

up
6 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Azazello's picture

@Lookout
Low of 77 this a.m., double-digit high, 99, is forecast today for the first time this month.
Global Warming Is Accelerating. (In Other News, Democrats Reverse Platform, Won't End Fossil Fuel Subsidies)

up
5 users have voted.

We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.

Lookout's picture

@Azazello

Glad to hear of the weather break.

Jimmy had a good rant about Perez DNC subsidy reversal.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOwwuQXx7Cc]

up
6 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Raggedy Ann's picture

It is time for creativity to kick into high gear! What are your dreams? What are your goals? Set your intention and get creative. The time is NOW!

We are in record high temperatures, and like Azazello, drought persists. We have not had our summer rains either. We have had a 20% chance for 7 days with zero result. The Santa Fe forest is on fire and the smoke-filled skies are difficult to take. The sun is a red ball in the sky. Rain would be a relief. Temperatures in the 90's. Supposed to cool next week, we'll see. Fingers are crossed.

Live in the present, be grateful, and live spreading love to all.

Enjoy the day! Pleasantry

up
10 users have voted.

"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

enhydra lutris's picture

arguably, the state of nature, yet organization and especially self organization persists.Spontaneous organization, imho, is the correct organization, especially in human endeavors. A task, chore, project or process need doing and people group up to do it. Some analysis and discussion and, if none of those oppressive "here, let me take chrge" types emerges, then people divide it into the natural component sub-tasks and activities that comprise it and assorted participants attack various pieces depending upon their skills and understanding and it gets done. Efficiency experts, project/process engineers and management experts will just fuck it up and delay everything if they get involved. They will also fracture and fragment the ongoing teams and teamwork. Pretty soon you will have flow charts for every process, an org chart so big that somebody's only job is to maintain it, 5 layers of management and a lot of bickering, animosity and dissatisfaction.

be well and have a good one.

up
6 users have voted.

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

snoopydawg's picture

DNC mocked for failing to find 30 people to cheer for Kamala Harris as duplicates spotted on live feed

5f3e831220302738695891eb.jpg

When Kamala Harris was receiving applause at the end of her DNC speech, it became apparent that some of the virtual clappers seemed just to have been duplicated images of the same audience members, leading to a laugh riot online.

Comedically minded netizens could not let go of this incident, and found much mirth riffing on the idea that the Democratic Party was unable to “find enough [people] that like Kamala.”

up
12 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

magiamma's picture

Now Scotts Valley and some of East Santa Cruz are being evacuated. UCSC is on notification. Pasatiempo south of Highway 17 is being evacuated. More expected to come.

Zero containment. No attempt to contain. Only to move people out of the way. 45K acres and counting. Too many fires to count.

I am just so weary. Here we are okay with a fire wall of greater Santa Cruz between the fire and here.

More fires to the south. I already know of several people who have lost their homes. And many who have evacuated.

And then there will be such a great loss of lives in the forest - all the little beings that live there. There is not enough fire crew to even make a dent.

Thanks for you comments people. Be well, take good care.

up
9 users have voted.

Stop Climate Change Silence - Start the Conversation

Hot Air Website, Twitter, Facebook

snoopydawg's picture

@magiamma

but I didn’t understand where it was coming from. Then I read about how California is burning and I did. The lightening storm you guys had started a lot of them, but is there any word of PG&E involvement? My thoughts are with everyone affected by this. Big Basin is a truly sad story. I have very fond memories of spending time there. Lots of the original buildings have been destroyed. Very sad.

up
9 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

magiamma's picture

@snoopydawg
They have been doing rolling blackouts and gotten taken to task for it by newsom. All fires I know of are from lightning.

If the winds pick up we are fucked. They use prisoners for firefighters and the have been impacted by covid19 due to over crowding and not taking precautions. Capitalism at its best.

I have spent my afternoon on the phone to people trying to help figure out game plans.

No end in sight at this moment. Trying to keep a good face on this. ‘Pray’ for gentle rain in whatever manner you do that kind of thing.

up
11 users have voted.

Stop Climate Change Silence - Start the Conversation

Hot Air Website, Twitter, Facebook

lotlizard's picture

@magiamma  
it’s only good for spreading destruction and death to those the 1% deems enemies, rather than being able to preserve and defend anything at home.

up
8 users have voted.

@snoopydawg can convey how unusual the CA weather has been for the past week. Hotter than a usual annual hot day but it cools down within forty-eight hours. Summer lightning storms are equally rate. As a native Californian, can't recall ever seeing one like the two in the past week. (Got used to them during the few years I lived in PA.) Very little rain came with those storms, but summer rain is also rare.

Residents are currently being reminded to have a "to go" bag ready and know your evacuation route. However, the evacuation centers that were at capacity during the 2017 and 2019 fires won't do at all because of COVID-19, and the numbers on that have been rising for the past two months. Then there's also the uncertainty of PG&E power cuts. I tend to be complacent about weather related stuff, but now emergency vehicle sirens have me checking Nixle.

up
8 users have voted.

I really love your fractal zoom.
It is a good representation of this secret
theory I have had since the awakening
on the coast of northern cali many moons ago

the absolute tiniest representation of nature
is a mirror of the vast grasp of major macro
representations of our observable universe

the micro looks the same as the the macro
given the limits of our awareness

thanks for this and that Wink

up
7 users have voted.

Here in the land of Hecate, just down the hill a bit, ash falls on the pepper plants. Friends in the woods have evacuated. All this just less than 2 yrs since the camp fire. My lungs once again feel tight. It does not bode well in these parts.

up
8 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

@Tipper

I can not imagine how bad it is there and that so many people are affected by the fires. Stay safe.

up
7 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

lotlizard's picture

@Tipper  
and spare community and health and land, where peregrinate Hecate and Tipper among the multitudes of sentient souls of all species.

up
5 users have voted.

@lotlizard thank you

up
2 users have voted.
travelerxxx's picture

@Tipper

Thank you for bringing to mind our friend Hecate. I'm sure many kind thoughts moved in your direction when you brought up that name.

up
1 user has voted.
mimi's picture

is to be taken literally?

WhaddoIno.

up
3 users have voted.

about the CA fires this morning. I'm thinking about you all out there. I have family in the Bay Area and they have given me some idea about the situation. I'm so very sorry to hear how bad it is. It is yet (another) tragedy. When snoopy says there is grief in the air, she is right.
Please stay safe everyone, keep us informed if you can.

up
4 users have voted.