From: "Alan Cook" <alangregorycook-AT-msn.com> To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org Date: Sun, 23 Nov 2008 05:06:31 GMT Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] The down-side of storytellers Now we know how Heaven was invented. Puppet shows are the next-best thing. -----Original Message----- From: malgosia askanas Sent: Saturday, November 22, 2008 3:50 PM To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] The down-side of storytellers Alan wrote: >What helped bring us to this lowpoint? Lee Atwater, Rush Limbaugh >and other story tellers of that ilk, the talented "spinners" of >swift boat stories and character assasinations made it all possible. According to the theories of the great anthropologist Pierre Clastres, the origin of the State can be traced, in large part, to the spinning of swift boat stories on the part of the shaman-become-leader-of-people. The shaman would seduce part of the tribe with stories of a "land without evil", a "land of peace" and "of plenty", which only he knew how to reach and which could only be attained by following him. In this land, everybody would have to work together, abandoning their tribal ways, under the despotic direction of a new "knowing" caste, a caste of priests, who had the monopoly of knowledge and the sole ability to organize large-scale agriculture and trade. It is by the agency (or with the help) of these idea, argues Clastres, that we transitioned from "savage culture" to the early State society. And it seems that to this day, like good children the the State, we still spin, and fall prey to, the same tales - the tiger will lie down with the lamb, all differences will be erased, "altruism" will prevail over "selfishness", milk and honey will flow in the rivers, evereything will be plentiful and free - if only we subject ourselves to one "leader" or another, one "re-education" or another, one "for our own good" or another. And if the promised land somehow doesn't come on this earth, then that must be because the earth is essentially evil, but we can certainly look forward to achieving the promised land in the (eternal, of course) life-after-life - if only we.... -m _______________________________________________ List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit Archives: http://www.driftline.org _______________________________________________ List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit Archives: http://www.driftline.org
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