Alarmism clock

And yet, I ask you, is not an alien force already among us? What could be more alien to the universal aspirations of our peoples than war and the threat of war?

Many have analysed the true meaning behind this specific quote made during a speech to the UN, by the deceased actor (and President of the USA) Ronald Reagan. The low hanging fruit pickers generally fixate on the extra terrestrial implication and leverage subsequent pop-sci narratives with it. Those more concerned with the pursuit of world peace focus primarily on the literal references to threats of mechanised warfare. Given the USA's lengthy involvement in conflict, which has in fact been consistent since the late 1700's, it could be argued that this conspicuous quote represents some form of high level whistle blowing.

Obviously the 'leader of the free world' is not in the best place to be openly expressing grave concerns regarding the shadowy constructs behind the maintenance of 'the free world'. Anyone inhabiting the post is actually compelled to reflect the universal aspirations of war-hawks. The massive economic input to the GDP resulting from the manufacture of weapons has facilitated the livelihoods of tens of millions of citizens in NATO member states and beyond. The military industrial complex has also driven countless advances in consumer technology. Were it not for the marriage of convenience between the academic computer networks and Arpanet, you'd probably have to dial into some heinous bulletin board in order to even read this crap.

Editors note: The tcp/ip protocol was designed to protect missile launch infrastructure such as the Atlas and Titan facilities. It is somewhat ironic that the widespread usage of this protocol would become the single greatest threat to state hegemony.

Nonetheless, numerous public speakers in political roles have made fairly anomalous statements on subjects which they would be expected to pander to. With advancing years, many seek to address the plight of their fellow humans by speaking out in any way they can. When Ronald Reagan made this quote, it raised a lot of eyebrows and caused a considerable amount of speculation among supporters and detractors alike. But what was he really saying?

Abandoning images of little green men and interstellar colonies, there remains an idea of a philosophically alien presence. A way of thinking which is divergent from the common goals of mankind. As Mr Reagan said, what could be more alien to the universal aspirations of our peoples than war? Human nature is a complex system, it does not adhere to the methods that humans themselves have developed to categorise and pigeonhole their reality. Historically there have been great efforts to accurately define all personality traits by groups including (but not limited to) the behavioural and psychological analysis communities. Unsurprisingly the complex system of humanity regularly produces examples that defy classification. As we're all told by benevolent authority figures during childhood "we're all individuals". The ubiquitous concept of competition relies entirely on this individuality. Were it not for the massive variances in the human condition, there would be no scope for notable accomplishment or inspirational achievement. Competition is generally considered to be a driving force in the evolutionary process and competing on an even playing field is of paramount importance. Exactly how level the playing fields have been during competitive human behaviour has regularly been influenced by those pursuing a successful outcome at any cost. Possibly the greatest tenet of Sun Tzu's literary work is

Choose your battles.

There really is little to be gained from entering into conflict which has an unclear outcome and is essentially based on a gamble. Admittedly Sun Tzu was writing "The Art of War" as opposed to "The Art of Bullshit" and as such would be unlikely to consider his art to be anti-humanity.

Where the hell are you going with this?

Well, in a nutshell; the alien presence among us is self delusion and the espousing of self delusion as a positive personality trait, or even more inappropriately; a "skill".

There is an argument to say that self delusion is mankind's greatest achievement and simultaneously our greatest weakness. However, there is little in the way of evidence to confirm the former. Clearly there have been many success stories in the field of mass perception management. But this approach relies on the principle that the majority of people simply can't handle the truth. Again, there is very little to support this claim and it appears to be an incredibly convenient trope for those who seek to profit from the disparity between reality and illusory narratives.

When it comes to applying the concept of competition in regards to mass perception management, there seems to be an overbearing attitude of "queering the pitch". In fact it would probably be more appropriate to say that it's gone way beyond the pitch and actually represents the rigging of the entire sporting industry. Even the idea of sport as we know it has been abandoned in favour of some kind of medieval football approach. Fute-the-ball is / was less of a sport and more of a way for neighbouring communities to engage in mildly sanitised warfare. In the remaining instances of this free-for-all perpetuation of vendettas, the rules and regulations are often distilled to fairly simplistic concepts like

Anything goes - just don't deliberately kill anyone

The evolution of this community activity into what we consider today to be a recreational pastime has been comprehensive, but still bears the hallmarks of it's origins. Referees and linesmen still wear black attire for the duration of the match. Just as the priests did while attempting to promote mercy and tolerance. Their presence was considered righteous and appropriate while they actively pacified berserkers in the muddy fields surrounding their respective parishes.

Entire communities still react in enthusiastic and jubilant ways when the ball is propelled into the goal area. Likewise when the opposition scores, the bitter recrimination and depression sweeps players and supporters alike.

While it clearly facilitates a win, rigging a game denies everyone the evolutionary and educational benefits of competition. It really says something when even the notoriously conservative Ronald Reagan considered it alien.