The Liminalist # 194: The Many Cults of Culture (with Gib Strange)

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One more casual conversation with Gib Strange, on cults, autonomy, and enlightenment,

Part One: Mimesis Good & Bad (0 – 28 mins)

Energetic experiences of Dave, the context of “enlightenment,” the theory of collective mind, defining the inexpressible, what’s different about Dave, accidentally being somebody you’re not, under the laser-beam, mannerisms exposed, actors as people who master the observer effect, lack of self-consciousness & extroversion, deficits of extroversion, reducing inhibitions, eliminating social anxiety, a world of diversions, mimesis good & bad, mindfulness, giving up drinking, the c-word, a natural tendency to seek out kindred.

Part Two: An Uncontrolled Opposition  (28 – 58 mins)

AA cult, the cult of culture, Jordan Peterson cult followers, the upsides and down sides of cults, giving up autonomy, proxies for higher authority, fake role models, unavoidable imitation, stuck in addiction, psychedelics, leaving John de Ruiter, getting disillusionment, autonomy via rebellion, individuating from the mother, killing the father, the world of competitive drinking, whatever gets you through the night, the world as satanic cult, disgruntled fan, offering a way out, what would an alternative look like, a resistance to Empire, reaching people, victims of the 1%, an uncontrolled opposition, appearances are everything, an ironic double-bind, pseudo gurus, energetic protocol, sympathy for the wrong people.

Part Three: An Athlete’s Paradox (58 mins to end)

No way out, a covert strategy & a virtual revolution, seeking form, Gnosticism & gospel, disgruntled paranoids, rats on a sinking ship, sleeping through the nightmare of history, smoking as medication, dropping coping mechanisms, a true escape party, the internal guardian, sobriety & enlightenment as boring, JdR’s secret life, the persona-shadow dynamic, pressure from drinkers, resistance to sacrifice, a reaction against giving up autonomy, the Fuck no feeling, converting teenage friends to atheism, exposing inherited beliefs, a desire vacuum, a feeling of being lost, letting go of false autonomy, doing nothing, a period of R & R, disassembling dependencies, remembering to relax, an athlete’s paradox.

Gib’s site: https://notesfromtheuncannyvalley.com/

Songs: “Knob Wobbler,” by Gib Strange; “Washed Out” by Monkey Warhol; “Shaman” by by The Vivisectors; “These Words Are Yours,” by Hazelwood Motel