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Steve Marshank's avatar

Wow Jamie. You drove the final crooked nail into the splintered coffin of what little hope I was still clutching like a madman gripping a burning fuse. I’d been scanning the wreckage for even the faintest flicker — some weak-ass light at the end of this long, rattling tunnel. But no. Instead, you delivered a cold, surgical dose of logic that triggered a full-blown cave-in right where I thought salvation might be scratching at the rocks. Now it’s just rubble and static — no light, no air, just the echo of my own delusion ricocheting off the walls while I try to find a way to crawl out. Thanks. I think...

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Jamie Wheal's avatar

disillusioning people at a rate they can handle since 1971 ;)

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Sara Stibitz's avatar

Sometimes I cannot handle the rate! 🤯

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jim loving's avatar

Or as a friend replied to me who I forwarded this to - "this is so depressing." History does rhyme and too bad we do not have too many people that have studied it with "low information voters" driving this home. Jamie does have a pithy way of bringing it home and putting it right in our faces.

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Dr. Jenny Martin's avatar

I can't help but wondering if Silicon Valley's finding religion is a calculated move to win over those who would naturally be most resistant to a society run by AI.

It is the Christians who would have spoken out most loudly against anything that would become 'god' such as AI is getting set to do...

I recently watched a video by the Hoover Institute where Peter Thiel was talking all about the Book of Revelations. During that interview, Thiel stated: "The implicit solution to existential risks is to lean into a very non-democratic one-world state...."

It's easy to miss this statement, but neither the interviewer challenged him on this nor any of the commenters on the video. Thiel is masterful at deception. He sounds believable with all his religious talk.

But where in scripture does it say that removing free will through a totalitarian state is part of the divine vision for humanity? By using the language of scripture and sounding believable in his sincerity, Thiel has effectively appealed to a vast religious audience that otherwise would never sign up for an AI-run state.

Now that Thiel sounds like one of them, Christians are eager to embrace his ideas - just as those who see Musk as an icon - without deeply understanding what these tech billionaires are doing under our noses. It's psychological manipulation on another level, and the deception seems to be working.

It's Orwellian to the core- 'they don't want to take your soul; they want you to willingly give it to them.'

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Jamie Wheal's avatar

seems about right

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Lila Tresemer's avatar

Parker and Steve sum up the first wave for sure, Jamie! Between your research and your wordsmithing, it's one of the most challenging thing I've read in many days!! Then the second wave hits for me, and I want to arc to Lysistrata and believe the Feminine principle will get a hold of these characters...and remind them how it is that their hearts still beat.

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jim loving's avatar

Jamie touches all around the White Christian Nationalist component of the Cult that has assumed power, but he does not go into a big component of Christianity - the pre-Christ Jewish movement of the 1st century, and in multiple centuries along the way - the notion of an eschatological component of it, namely prophesies (The New Testament book of Revelations) and the coming of the "End times."

This cult is not of the "ethical cult" variety Jamie has spoken of, this is a true "culty cult." If you believe that the end of the world is your salvation, and you are member of a cult of belief, then you will do what you can to bring about this end, to accelerate it to happen sooner.

Dave Troy is an independent journalist that has been writing about this, along with the Neoreactionary movement of Silicon Valley that Jamie covers here in his "America 2.0" substack for some time and his most recent fleshes this out a bit. I just want to hammer another crooked nail into Steve's two wrists and feet and hang him upside down, Roman style.

https://america2.news/why-signalgate-marks-our-official-descent-into-end-times-ideology/?ref=america-2-0-newsletter

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Jamie Wheal's avatar

wrote all about Christian Zionism and its parallels to ISIS end time prophecies in last book. Making the case that we're entering the Intertwingularity where everyone's end times end games are smashing and crashing into each other. Wont likely play out like anyone's singular story suggests--will come down to fear or love. All of us, or only some of us.

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jim loving's avatar

Correct, we get to choose our own apocalypse, I still have your charts released with the book. But not all of us are currently in charge of making it happen!

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Margarita M. Carlés's avatar

Wow, Jamie thanks, (Margarita here ..you know, Argentina, shrinks, land of Trump and Elon´s lunatic chainsaw addict friend, President Milei, reads as ´my law´ in Spanish, and homeland of Pope Francis.... I enjoyed all this info, thanks..need a lot of time to digest and re read, guess I ll use some AI app to give me a summary, ha!!! In my shrink driven view, humanity creates over and over the same deamons with different marketing and costumes, to revise and heal past wounds both individual and collective.. the industry that surely grows is that of shrinks and all the spectrum of trauma healing professionals, cheers from shrink land!! ha!!!

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James Wvinner's avatar

Lots of scary info. Please get into politics Jamie. Run for office. It's one thing to talk about all the evil and another to do something about it. I'm not sure sharing the info does more than divert us for a little.

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jim loving's avatar

James, I have not met Jamie, only having read his stuff. He is doing something by developing leaders and informing others of what is coming and how to best prepare for it.

This is cinematic, and unfortunately, an appropriate movie title for the moment has already been taken - "Reality Bites."

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James Wvinner's avatar

Jim, I value Jamie's insights and I'm sure he's inspiring some leaders. That is a great point. On another level wouldn't his being a leader be a gift. We need coaches, it would be great to have him on the field. So many smart people tied up as influencers and artists. I feel we need them making laws and leading more than our thoughts.

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jim loving's avatar

James (nice name!) - everyone will find their own voice using their skills to participate in the best way possible. Courage is missing in leadership, but as Protect Democracy's latest "if you can keep it" blog noted, when leaders fail people have to step up. https://www.ifyoucankeepit.org/p/when-leaders-fail-people-step-up

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ReligiousWar4GodWealth4Elites's avatar

Brilliant post Jamie. Just one off-topic thing - you wrote "China-like social credit scores" when describing Oracle.. There is NO social credit acore in China. I know this from good friends who live there, and later also confirmed by further investigation. I wish you had done your reaearch on that and not just repeat the slogans of the same right-wing nuts and warmongers that you're exposing here.. This is one of their favorite myths that they love to repeat to generate the hostility they need towards the "evil enemy", the fuel that drives their xenophobic mentality and the militarized attack they're pushing for. Let us not play into their hands by repeating their deceptive lies.

I was about to share your excellent post, but this sentence is the reason i will not do so. I don't wish to spread this right-wing propaganda

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Christiane's avatar

yikes, man, how devastating can it get...but no need to answer...isn't there anything positive and pro environment going on anywhere?

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Jason's avatar

Amazing stuff Jamie. Appreciating your coherence of our current mess.

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Parker Johnson's avatar

Oof. My brain is scrambling for a retort. And coming up empty.

“The final crooked nail into the splintered coffin of what little hope I was still clutching like a madman gripping a burning fuse.” Ouch.

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Jess Stoner's avatar

I mean if we want to get into the framework of the Christian’s mindset, the answer is actually pretty simple. No man’s schemes trump God’s divine plan. But this is only solace to those who truly believe. Even if they see it, recognize it, and embrace it. Ironically, I guess this is in itself true faith.

The question then is, can the ones who believe they can trump the simple minds of the Christian’s, ever truly know who or what they are battling.

It’s a great conundrum! Or maybe it’s a simple answer.

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Diana van Eyk's avatar

Yikes!

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Rose Abrusci's avatar

To the last point, if the left says they all like this path towards AI God, maybe the right will choose the tech is the antichrist option, because they love to hate the libs most of all.

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Zagreus's avatar

Was somehow expecting to see the phrase biblical autism . . .

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Corrie's avatar

Happy Spring, Jamie! There’s a t-shirt that I keep meaning to buy and I think I’m really gonna now. Can’t share a pic of it so here’s the link, sorry if links are gross. But this thing cracks me up so much.

https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/69778295-omg-you-guys-thats-not-what-i-said-vintage

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Jamie Wheal's avatar

stealing

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Corrie's avatar

It’s great right?? The eye roll slays me 🤣

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Jess Stoner's avatar

I’d also like to direct you to the DOE. It feels like a great place to dig.

0010110

“FOR MORE THAN SIXTY YEARS, NO ONE HAS THOUGHT OF LOOKING AT THE ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION TO SOLVE THE RIDDLE OF AREA 51.”

Annie Jacobsen

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Laurie O'Byrne's avatar

What is happening on a societal level is similar to the personal process as we explore our consciousness and realize there is “no self to be found”. Nothing to hold onto, but everything, everywhere, all at once. The truth is both troubling and awe inspiring! As someone worth quoting said “societies problems aren’t political but philosophical”. We unify through crisis and violence or through consensus. Yah seems like crisis right now. Take a deep breath and be kind.

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