In this conversation, Jody discusses the concept of managerialism and its implications on society, particularly in relation to the rise of woke culture. The discussion explores how managerialism creates a controlling environment that stifles creativity and individuality, emphasizing the need for self-governance and personal responsibility. Jody encourages listeners to question societal norms and rules, advocating for the protection of individual freedoms and diverse perspectives.
These were my notes from the episode:
*Manager class changes society because so many people need to be managed.
*Control everything - utopia ideology
*Managerial revolution imposing correct ideas
*Exists one scientific truth and organize society from the correct scientific truth
*What gives status in society? Managerial elite class
*Not about truth, it is about being loyal
*Managers are a skill set that can go to any place
*Managerial liberalism
*Managers organize all organizations into a united front
*Easy to transfer power to one body or person ie 1 world order
*In order to balance freedoms, something needs to be above the managerial authority to keep it in check
*Self-governance <- Middle -> Managerial class
*Morals? Religion?
Credits
Jan Jekielek: Nathan Lyons, writing as. N.S. Lyons in his essay “The China Convergence.” Lyons’ writings can be found on his Substack titled “The Upheaval.”
Link: Epoch Times American Thought Leaders Jan Jekielek
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Episode transcript:
Hello everyone. Today I want to share an exciting discovery that I recently made. You know that feeling when suddenly everything makes sense? Like putting in the last piece of the puzzle. That happened to me recently while listening to a podcast about something called managerialism. At first, I didn't understand why our world feels so managed all the time. But this conversation with an author named Nathan Lyons changed my worldview. I'd love to share what I learned because it affects every single one of us.
Woke seems to be a foundation of managerialism, much like when the Industrial Revolution started in the 1800s. In the schools, they were arranged like factories and children were taught on assembly lines of education, cookie cutter learning, where everyone learns the same thing. They learn to value time and efficiency.
Woke seems to be all the mannerisms and lifestyles that emphasize victimization, fear, and conformity. All societal structures that are stable and successful are attacked. They're torn down. Society is reduced so that a knowing elite can impose their will on the masses.
So just to give you a little more perspective, let's look at rhetoric because that's one thing that I wanted to bring to your attention. So for instance, if you view a person as garbage or as you view them as stupid or for instance, if you make them less than a person, it makes them easier to tear them down. For instance, Nazis, they used rhetoric such as, comparing the Jews to viruses, rats or diseases. The rationale is that it made it easier to abuse the Jews that way if captors could view them as less than a person.
One thing that managerialism does is you must manage people. You make it so that they are opposed to things instead of fostering creativity and originality and independence. These things are minimized and torn down. So how does this affect us?
Well, managerialism isn't just about keeping things running smoothly. It has turned into a way of thinking, almost like a belief system, where managers try to control everything to make society perfect. But there's a catch. Who decides what perfect means? Usually, it's those in charge of these systems who decide. They think if we follow the correct ways of managing people, society will become perfect. This is why we see new rules in schools, health guidelines, even what's allowed in books and movies. All these decisions, they come from managers who believe they know what's best for the rest of us. This managerial way of thinking can be and it can feel a bit controlling. Sometimes it feels like we all are expected to follow the one correct way without much room for personal choice. Another key part of managerialism is the idea that there's only one correct truth. And this truth is often defined by experts or people in power.
Imagine if in school only one book was allowed because the school said it had all the answers. In a way, that's what managerialism does on a larger scale. It creates rules and expects everyone to follow them without question. This becomes a problem when people start believing that if you aren't following the correct way, you're on the wrong side. Think about how in history class we learn about different viewpoints and we debate them. Managerialism can reduce this freedom by making it harder for people to express ideas that don't fit the correct way of thinking.
Now, let's take this idea of control and look at how it shows up in our lives. this control isn't just happening in schools or the government. It's in companies, social media, news, and even our communities. For example, social media often encourages everyone to follow the same trends.
News outlets might all report on a story the same way, so it's hard to see different sides of an issue. We start seeing this correct way everywhere, making it seem like everyone should think the same way, and it's not always about a person or a group making these decisions. Sometimes it's just the way society has organized itself.
With all this control, you might wonder, is there a way out? The answer lies in something very important called self-governance. Self-governance is when people have the freedom to make their own decisions, whether it's a family, a local community, or even a small business. These groups don't need strict outside control. They operate based on trust and personal responsibility. This is what makes a democracy different from other systems. It's a democracy. People have a voice and they make decisions together.
Managerialism, however, often tries to control these voices because managers believe that they know what's best. Here's why control by managers can be dangerous. When we lose our freedom to choose, we're basically giving up our ability to shape our lives. Managerialism isn't just telling people what to do.
It's creating a belief that one correct way is the only way. It might sound like it's helping, but when everything is controlled, people's unique ideas, their diversity, their personal freedom can be stifled. Take creativity as an example. When everyone has to do the same thing, how can we make room for new ideas?
Our ability to think, create, and choose for ourselves is what helps society grow and solve problems in a unique way. If we keep society balanced, we have to protect the areas of our life that let people think independently. This could be family values, local communities, or even belief systems that encourage freedom of thought.
Instead of one group controlling everything, we need to trust different groups and people to govern themselves. One idea is to have something above managerial control, like core values that don't change. History shows that when people have freedom, society does best. That's why our country was founded on principles like freedom of speech and the right to debate.
So what can we do about managerialism? It might sound big and out of control, but each of us has a role. Start by asking questions and thinking for yourself. When you see a new rule, a trend, Ask yourself if it helps or limits personal freedom. Value creativity and keep an open mind to different ideas. Each of us has a unique perspective and we should be free to express that perspective. This doesn't mean we ignore rules. It means we think about why they exist and if they are truly a benefit for everyone.
Freedom isn't something we should take for granted. It's something we must all protect. Thank you for listening. Let's keep our minds open and our values strong as we navigate the world of managerialism and the importance of balancing that against individual freedom.
I'm going to give credit where credit is due here. I was watching Jan Jekielek. Epoch Times on American thought leaders. He was interviewing Nathan Lyons.
N.S. Lyons did an essay called The China Convergence. Lyons writings can be found on his sub stack titled The Upheaval. I will give a link so that people will be able to find that reading. It's very important and really gives people an idea and something to think about
