Wakanda and Current Events
One of the lovely things about Black Panther is the way Killmonger takes down Wakanda. He knows he isn't strong enough to do it directly, so he uses his CIA training to divide and conquer, flattering and encouraging the perceived grievances of various groups until he can make wild promises that are believed by unwise people, and take the throne, largely because T'Challa thinks they are having a RITUAL combat, while Killmonger knows he's playing for blood. Oops.
I can tell you some of the things I would do if I had intelligence training and wanted to cripple the U.S., or at least diminish its influence and power on the world stage.
I'd study its weaknesses. I think it reasonable to consider empathy would seem a weakness to an autocrat. Is it possible to attack on that level? Look at the issues where people are opening their hearts wide, and see if they can be exploited. There are issues of race and gender that are causing pain for various reasons. I'd sure pay attention.
Look at the other side of the equation. People who feel that government is a bad thing, especially those who would like to "tear it all down." Freedom patriots, in their own minds. But boy oh boy, is THAT ever a field to plow.
I'd get an Asset. Someone who can rise to power, but is NOT committed to the security of the country as much as their own glory. A con man great at MARKETING but not good at DELIVERING would be about perfect. Influence them passively through flattery and nudging, or actively through personal threats leveraged to intelligence indiscretions. Someone with a grandiose vision but no real ability to make it happen.
On the one side, play to the "open, accepting" types to create extreme platforms that will turn off the center.
On the other side, play to the "America First" types to justify withdrawing from a position of world leadership.
Play to the "Government is bad" types by promising to burn it all down and start over, knowing that many of them will never admit to having gone too far until it is too damaged to be an effective opposition on the world stage.
Yeah, I'd play the weaknesses of each side against each other, knowing that emotionalized, politicized people will not see each other as human beings, and therefore not communicate with each other effectively and efficiently. Screaming and pointing and taking pleasure in ripping each other apart even if it isn't the most effective way to get their logical adult outcomes.
THAT'S what I'd do. And use targeted 'bots to seek out extreme people on either side (largely people who "other" along lines of class, race, or gender) and parrot back their extreme positions to increase perceived support, encouraging their extremism. The goal being chaos of course. Can't beat them head on. CAN coax them into beating themselves.
Just thoughts. But I see so many people who, from this frame of reference, would make Putin smile, letting their tribalism along lines of rich/poor, black/white (for instance. Brown works too), or male/female (both traits and persons) erupt into little border wars.
Really is interesting. ANYTHING to stop people from actually extending their own humanity to others. Especially if you can get them to pat themselves on the backs and say that THEY are the real Americans, the real humans, while sneering and externalizing all their fears onto the Other.
If I was to look at the situation with as much non-dualistic thought as I could muster, that's how it would look to me.
Its just the world, being what the world has always been. And humans, being what humans have always been. And possibly an excellent chess player who devised a general strategy then refined tactics until he got the effect he wanted.
What happens now? Well, I personally have faith in human beings. I see their beauty as well as their folly, because I can see it in my own life.
Thank goodness it won't require a majority to "wake up." Most of us are so mired in the muck and meat of our lives that we can't always look two steps ahead, let alone three or four.
But some of us can. Or, we can simply have faith in each other and stop playing political games. PHILOSOPHY is "what is true?" POLITICS is "how can we win."
Unless you figure out what is true FIRST, you will aim at winning a prize not worth having. One that doesn't actually serve you, no matter what would be comfortable to believe.
I'd figure that…5% of people waking up in that sense, on either side, would really do it.
Namaste
Steve
(we don't talk politics on Lifewriting. But we do discuss philosophy of life, and success, and action. As long as people respect the Three Gates, their politics don't matter as much as their character. www.lifewrite.com)
