Postmodern Trendoid III wrote on Aug 13^th, 2016 at 10:55pm:


How do you feel about capitalism's impact on culture, Mistie? In your case, you left the West to live and work in a Muslim country. You moved there for economic reasons.

I'm curious because your posts are highly critical of Muslims and Islam, but you live in a Muslim country. You regularly support bans on Muslim immigration to the West, but in your case, you chose to move in with the Muslims.

Now you did this for economic reasons in a reasonably unrestricted labour market. You like impermeable borders, but you're free to live and work in Turkey. You champion Western culture, but you live and work with Johnny Turk. Capitalism - the free trade of ideas, goods and services - has allowed you to do this, just as it allows the Muselman to join us. This allows for the transmigration of cultures - the very thing you're against.

How do you square these things within your own life?

Sprintcyclist wrote on Aug 13^th, 2016 at 11:44pm:


Which part of the Bible are you quoting, Sprint?

Milton Friedman's neoliberalism (our current economic system) and Karl Marx's communism are two sides of the same coin.

We need a new coin...!

neoliberalism = oligarchies paradise

neoliberalism = pleb's hell

Ajax wrote on Aug 14^th, 2016 at 9:52am:

Karnal wrote on Aug 13^th, 2016 at 11:03pm:


When the commonwealth bank was in public hands it set interest rates. Other banks either competed at that price mark or lost customers.

i.e they followed the government bank owned set rate or there were no profits.

Selling the commonwealth bank has led to greed, high prices, profiteering and driven a lack of integrity in the banking system.

freediver wrote on Aug 14^th, 2016 at 9:35am:


Thanks for contributing to the discussion, FD.

Remember, there are no small parts, .only small actors.

a few impressions.
1. the world is a very paradoxical place, the Buddha and Jesus certainly were amongst the first enlightened people to realise this.
2.  most successful people may be initially motivated by money but eventually become motivated by the journey.
Most successful people eventually become motivated by a sense of contribution, and by the improvement the journey gives them (higher consciousness and inner self development). Most are quite humble and very grounded.
3. We are moving into an era where you will have to harness your creativity to be successful.
4. everyone is either getting a little better each day or a little worse each day.
The default is that you go down a bit each day.

5.  Currently , the cream are becoming better and better and their success and improvement works like a positive feedback loop. our best people are in an upward spiral.
Thanks largely to social media and the death of any sort of religious contemplation, the majority of people are now, not in an upward spiral but are going down.
People are hooked on low consciousness, social pinging and validation hunting often on the internet but also thru low quality reality tv.
combine this with bad food , little exercise and little interaction with nature and you have the Durrr state or as the best seller on the internet say "the shallows".
Much of the low quality reactive posting on ozpolitics is a case in point. it is durr state social pinging.
6. People no longer read. I think because they dont believe value can be obtained in a $15 soft cover book.
some really smart people who have been really successful , have sat down, with editors and , with a sense of contribution presented their very best ideas.
These are shunned because people in low mindfulness and eating bad food,do not have the mental willpower to "read".
7.  meditation and mindfulness will become crucial weapons in propelling people forward.
8.People need to come to the realisation that "no-one owes you sh*t". nothing holds people back more then self pity and a victim mindset which are really low consciousness ways for the ego to feed and grow out of negative thoughts. (thinking negative is bad and pumps egos, this is where gratitude meditation is so useful.
9. Governments cannot and will not solve any of these problems. Governments and the public service are part of "group think " and "social conditioning". they are part of and contribute to the Durr state and lack of mindfulness that is dragging everyone down.
The social narrative of governments is not one of people having to work very deliberately and with will power to bust thru barriers and climb the very narrow road to success. The position of anyone who relies on group think to solve their problems is a position of laziness and a desire to reduce the time and effort needed for mastery. Governments offer to solve problems and remove obstacles. Real growth can only be obtained by manning up and tackling problems yourself and busting thru obstacles.A man is only as big as his problems. If you want to be a better man, you need to get better and bigger problems. This is the exact opposite of what government offers up as salvation. As such, big government is toxic to personal growth as has been witnessed time and time again

Karnal wrote on Aug 13^th, 2016 at 11:03pm:


if the RBA moved interest rates and a govt bank (call it commonwealth Mrk II) moved interest rates in line with the RB, how long do you think before the others follow?