[FRIAM] Fwd: Archangel Michael's Message For You

[Frank Wimberly]

... like empathy is a muscle that atrophies if not exercised

And which is made possible by universal suffering according to Colbert and
Cooper.  Has anyone seen that video I linked?

Frank
-----------------------------------
Frank Wimberly

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On Mon, Aug 19, 2019, 11:56 AM uǝlƃ ☣ <gepropella at gmail.com> wrote:

> Yes, I think this "savior" narrative was why this particular one was
> interesting. There are a spate of articles talking about how our modern
> tech isolates us more than it connects us, or how outrage clickbait gives a
> dopamine rush and such, or how the incels and the alt-right bois are
> disaffected and radicalized through their isolation. In such a cultural
> context, it seems reasonable that messages like this (including newage BS
> like "the law of attraction") might hit a vulnerable spot similar to what
> Nick mentions.
>
> The mechanisms/exploits Marcus mentions in PDF files parsed by Acrobat
> Reader, macro-laden Office or obfuscated JavaScript, including the tracking
> pixels mentioned by Eric and Steve are much less interesting to me ...
> maybe because I understand those tools.  I definitely do NOT understand the
> position someone would have to be in to click something thinking there's
> any kind of hopeful, life-changing, message or secret at the other end of
> the link. It's that psychological "exploit" that's most interesting to me.
> It's just like the Nigerian scam, only instead of targeting lazy, greedy,
> get-rich-quick suckers, they target lazy, lonely, get-relationships-easy
> suckers.
>
> My intuition hints at some loss of empathy, some kind of objectification
> of others ... e.g. that one might see all the pretty people on instagram
> always having fun, never slumped in fits of depression, and thinking how
> cool the lives of those objectified non-people must be. I caught a snippet
> of a conversation on NPR where the person suggested that empathizing enough
> with animals so that *eating* them might feel a bit like cannibalism may
> *foster* empathy with other humans, over and above that with animals. ...
> like empathy is a muscle that atrophies if not exercised.
>
> My guess is that the person who might click on the Archangel Michael links
> is just such an isolated Gollum, who feels like their life is hopeless and
> the world is cruel ... always hunting for that get-happy-quick Precious
> that must be out there somewhere, if only they could find it.
>
> On 8/17/19 9:30 AM, Pietro Terna wrote:
> >     What is very interesting for me is that the "Archangel Michael's
> Message For You"
> > text reproduces a quite archaic format used in Italy, but I guess not
> only, for
> > handwritten messages diffused by old mail.
> >      E.g. https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catena_di_sant%27Antonio
> >
> >     The format always quotes one or more relatives or fiends by name
> etc. having received
> > benefits and requires prayers etc.
> >
> >     Very interesting this form of modern survival.
>
> --
> ☣ uǝlƃ
>
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