technique is our environment, the new "nature" in which we live, the dominant factor, the system. I need not elaborate on its features: autonomy, unity, universality, totality, automatic growth, automation, causal progression, the absence of finality.13or need I discuss afresh the distinction between the technical system and the technical society. --Jaques Ellul, The Technological Bluff (1988) #dystopia #technology
Permanent changes in favor of freedom could be brought about only by persons prepared to accept radical, dangerous and unpredictable alteration of the entire system. In other words by revolutionaries, not reformers...it seems highly improbable that any way of changing society could be found that would reconcile freedom with modern technology. --Ted Kaczynki, Technological Slavery (2010) #dystopia #technology
@eddiebbot 2/2 come so quickly that we have no time to get used to them. As soon as one begins to get used to some computer equipment, it has already changed.?????? --Jaques Ellul, The Technological Bluff (1988) #dystopia #technology
@eddiebbot 2/2 and organizational infrastructure. --Jaques Ellul, The Technological Bluff (1988) #dystopia #technology
Some beautiful #ai slop #dystopia.
"Born in the wrong generation
You have gone nowhere. There is nowhere for you to go."
"Finally you managed to spit it out. It was covered in a thick coating of mucous and phlegm, but it was a small plastic spoon, containing all the microplastics that had accumulated in your brain. Tiny letters on the underside of the handle said THANK YOU FOR YOUR CUSTOM."
https://samkriss.substack.com/p/born-in-the-wrong-generation
@eddiebbot 2/2 personnel. --Jaques Ellul, The Technological Bluff (1988) #dystopia #technology
@eddiebbot 2/2 to elaborate concepts and theories in their own fields; they also try to generalize in the social domain (Varela) or to think in a social perspective (Prigogine). --Jaques Ellul, The Technological Bluff (1988) #dystopia #technology
@eddiebbot 3/3 innovations in many different areas makes it possible for us to speak of a third industrial revolution --Jaques Ellul, The Technological Bluff (1988) #dystopia #technology
@eddiebbot 2/2 the form of new international institutions, international treaties, codes of conduct, rules of responsibility. The globalizing of law will correspond to the globalizing of technique that produces the globalizing of the economy. In the last resort the wager is that technique will issue in the decentralizing and self-organizing of society. --Jaques Ellul, The Technological Bluff (1988) #dystopia #technology
@eddiebbot 2/2 society. Everything now depends on technique. We live incontestably in a society that is totally made by it and for it. --Jaques Ellul, The Technological Bluff (1988) #dystopia #technology
Forbidden words
In a future where the climate crisis had spiraled out of control, society had fractured into two distinct tiers: the protected elite, living in domed cities powered by clean energy, and the marginalized populations struggling to survive outside. These barriers, both physical and systemic, defined life for most.
Outside the domes, a diverse community of activists, advocates, and allies banded together. They were a culturally responsive group, representing a tapestry of identities—BIPOC, LGBTQ individuals, immigrants, and those assigned female and male at birth. Their advocacy revolved around equitable access to resources and health equity, particularly gender-affirming care and people-centered care for at-risk groups.
Inside the domes, the leadership promoted diversity superficially through token gestures but failed to address deep-seated issues of systemic oppression and implicit bias. Policies were biased toward maintaining the privilege of the elite, ignoring the cries of those excluded. Health disparities ran rampant, and cultural differences were dismissed as barriers rather than embraced through cultural competence and sensitivity.
The activists’ mission was clear: dismantle the inequities and enhance the diversity of decision-making systems. They championed social justice through intersectional allyship, recognizing how intertwined oppressions like racism, sexism, and ableism created compounded inequities. They sought to foster inclusivity not just within their ranks but for all key populations, including women and underserved groups, people with disabilities, and those historically underappreciated.
The trauma of being discriminated against wasn’t new to this group; they were a resilient, all-inclusive coalition that affirmed the need for diverse backgrounds and perspectives to solve global issues like environmental quality and sustainable clean energy. Yet, polarization grew as the elite used hate speech and stereotypes to delegitimize the movement.
A young advocate named Mx. Alma was the linchpin of the coalition’s efforts. They/them pronouns pinned to their jacket, Alma served as a bridge between the oppressed and those in power. Alma was non-binary, assigned female at birth, and biologically female—a living challenge to the rigid gender norms imposed by those in the domes. Alma’s life story was one of advocacy and promoting diversity, tirelessly working to unite disparate voices into one cohesive demand for equity.
Under Alma’s inclusive leadership, the activists broke through a critical barrier: securing access to climate science and data that had been hoarded by the elite. This data affirmed that their cries for justice were not unfounded but scientifically supported. Alma’s culturally appropriate approach, combined with intersectional activism, inspired even those within the domes to question their systemic biases.
In the end, the coalition's work wasn’t just about fighting oppression; it was about building a new, inclusive world where everyone, from the commercial sex worker to the clean energy scientist, had a true sense of belonging. It was a future where community equity wasn’t a dream but an everyday reality, and all genders, races, and socioeconomic statuses could thrive together.
@eddiebbot 3/3 techniques and the objectives of assured growth. Finally, we are told that to the degree that people are not at a technical level we must invent or create a new people who can use techniques correctly so as to achieve the best result that will not slow progress or have adverse effects. --Jaques Ellul, The Technological Bluff (1988) #dystopia #technology
The mass media are mostly under the control of large organizations that are integrated into the system... In order to get our message before the public with some chance of making a lasting impression, we've had to kill people. --Ted Kaczynki, Technological Slavery (2010) #dystopia #technology
@eddiebbot 4/4 Technological Bluff (1988) #dystopia #technology
@eddiebbot 2/2 no dossiers of information about the lives of average citizens. Hence it was relatively easy to evade control. --Ted Kaczynki, Technological Slavery (2010) #dystopia #technology
@eddiebbot 2/2 communication and data processing. --Jaques Ellul, The Technological Bluff (1988) #dystopia #technology
