Friday, April 27, 2018
"Wealth Determines Consciousness, Alas." - Tariq Ali
A quote from the 1960's. I think Tariq Ali was saying that $ stick with $. I suppose sometimes it's true, sometimes not. That particular quote came out of a discussion of the Rolling Stones "Street Fighting Man," and Mick Jagger's political consciousness back in 1968.
Can we transcend the influence of $? When, for instance, Kanye West on Twitter tells us he "loves" Donald Trump, that they are "brothers," and they share "Dragon Energy," do we think it's just one Wealthy Kook embracing another Wealthy Kook? Or is it obviously a case of two sort of whack, extraordinary self-promoters who have much more in common than we all realized?
Kanye West: "I am Picasso. I’m Walt Disney, I’m Steve Jobs.”
Trump: "With the exception of the late, great Abraham Lincoln, I can be more presidential than any president that's ever held this office."
Two rich guys. Bonded by stocks and bonds? Bonded by overconfidence, massive ego, ostentatious displays, delusions of grandeur, married to Stepford-like wives, constantly displaying Tourettes-like behavior on Twitter, TV and stages across the land. Yeah, so maybe the accumulation of $ is just one of the things these guys have in common.
Kanye & Trump, the Ebony and Ivory of our cultural/political/social zeitgeist & sickness...