Noah denkt™ - The Power of Balanced Reasoning |
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Don Delillo explains the advent of Western Jihadists, - ... in 1977
Dialogue with the Alter Ego on the literary forecasting prowess of Don Delillo’s novel “Players”, first drafted on
Feb. 6, published on Feb. 20, 2015
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Question by Alter Ego of Noah denkt (AE): At this time, the incredulity abounds among Western observers in
the face of the increasing number of Western born Jihadist. And yet, here we are holding a Delillo novel
(“Players”) in our hands which as far back as 1977 talks about terrorists killing people with machetes for no
apparent reason, about the twin towers and the stock exchange in New York becoming a target, about regular
Western yuppies perpetrating terrorist violence in order to escape the ennui and disconnect they experience in
their regular life. - Let’s repeat this. This book was published in 1977, i.e. long before the appearance of the
Unabomber or Timothy McVeigh; long before the cancellation of Glass-Steagall, or the advent of electronic
trading; and quite a bit before Reagonomics and the big bang whizz kids hit the scene. So if what drives
Western kids to become Islamic terrorists today was already noticeable in 1977, why then do we still have such
hard time to comprehend this phenomenon?
Answer by Noah denkt (Nd): Probably, because we are not honest enough about the disconnect, the fatigue
and the lack of inspiration our system occasionally creates.
AE: How can you say that when the airwaves are full of programs talking about depression, drug abuse and
other types of addiction. Just consider the amount of self-help books that get published very year: Clearly that
doesn't indicate that anything is being swept under the rug?
Nd: Well, all these programs nevertheless suggest that there is a scientific solution for the various ailments.
None of these recommendations actually acknowledges the ultimate existential barrenness in our life which in
the end can only be filled by a piece of hope and projection that is extremely risk-taking in its very nature..
AE: You are talking about a religious or, at least, a metaphysical aspiration here that should in your view be the
subset of the activities we engage in?
Nd: Correct. We are pretty much convinced that a near-suicidal amount of risk-taking is inevitable to find
inspiration and satisfaction. Such an approach to risk-taking however is altogether alien to our standard
procedures of granting credit. To get a credit in a capitalistic society you first have to demonstrate credit
worthiness, i.e. provide a whole lot of evidence, collateral and guarantees to back up your request. And
it is clearly pretty hard to get excited about this institutionalized minimization of risk, isn't it?
AE: We always thought that capitalism is about innovation, entrepreneurial spirit, risk-taking and the like?
Nd: Yes, it is. But at the same time, capitalism also likes to pretend that its risk-taking is not physically harmful,
that there is no near-suicidal challenge involved; that we live in a clean sterile and sedate environment; that
people are happy and things are fine. And if God forbid, they are not then there surely is a scientific solution at
hand that solves all problems considered.
AE: Delillo doesn't put it like that though?
Nd: We think he does: In the "Ruins of the Future" he says: "... the primary target of the men who attacked the
Pentagon and the World Trade Center was not the global economy. It is America that drew their fury. It is the
high gloss of our modernity. It is the thrust of our technology. It is our perceived godlessness..." Harper's
Magazine 303 no. 1819 (2001) (p33). Any additional comments needed?
Dialogue with the Alter Ego on the literary forecasting prowess of Don Delillo’s novel “Players”, first drafted on
Feb. 6, published on Feb. 20, 2015
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question by Alter Ego of Noah denkt (AE): At this time, the incredulity abounds among Western observers in
the face of the increasing number of Western born Jihadist. And yet, here we are holding a Delillo novel
(“Players”) in our hands which as far back as 1977 talks about terrorists killing people with machetes for no
apparent reason, about the twin towers and the stock exchange in New York becoming a target, about regular
Western yuppies perpetrating terrorist violence in order to escape the ennui and disconnect they experience in
their regular life. - Let’s repeat this. This book was published in 1977, i.e. long before the appearance of the
Unabomber or Timothy McVeigh; long before the cancellation of Glass-Steagall, or the advent of electronic
trading; and quite a bit before Reagonomics and the big bang whizz kids hit the scene. So if what drives
Western kids to become Islamic terrorists today was already noticeable in 1977, why then do we still have such
hard time to comprehend this phenomenon?
Answer by Noah denkt (Nd): Probably, because we are not honest enough about the disconnect, the fatigue
and the lack of inspiration our system occasionally creates.
AE: How can you say that when the airwaves are full of programs talking about depression, drug abuse and
other types of addiction. Just consider the amount of self-help books that get published very year: Clearly that
doesn't indicate that anything is being swept under the rug?
Nd: Well, all these programs nevertheless suggest that there is a scientific solution for the various ailments.
None of these recommendations actually acknowledges the ultimate existential barrenness in our life which in
the end can only be filled by a piece of hope and projection that is extremely risk-taking in its very nature..
AE: You are talking about a religious or, at least, a metaphysical aspiration here that should in your view be the
subset of the activities we engage in?
Nd: Correct. We are pretty much convinced that a near-suicidal amount of risk-taking is inevitable to find
inspiration and satisfaction. Such an approach to risk-taking however is altogether alien to our standard
procedures of granting credit. To get a credit in a capitalistic society you first have to demonstrate credit
worthiness, i.e. provide a whole lot of evidence, collateral and guarantees to back up your request. And
it is clearly pretty hard to get excited about this institutionalized minimization of risk, isn't it?
AE: We always thought that capitalism is about innovation, entrepreneurial spirit, risk-taking and the like?
Nd: Yes, it is. But at the same time, capitalism also likes to pretend that its risk-taking is not physically harmful,
that there is no near-suicidal challenge involved; that we live in a clean sterile and sedate environment; that
people are happy and things are fine. And if God forbid, they are not then there surely is a scientific solution at
hand that solves all problems considered.
AE: Delillo doesn't put it like that though?
Nd: We think he does: In the "Ruins of the Future" he says: "... the primary target of the men who attacked the
Pentagon and the World Trade Center was not the global economy. It is America that drew their fury. It is the
high gloss of our modernity. It is the thrust of our technology. It is our perceived godlessness..." Harper's
Magazine 303 no. 1819 (2001) (p33). Any additional comments needed?
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| Keywords: Psychology of Western Jihadists, Western terrorists, Western-born terrorists, capitalism and terrorism, Don Delillo on Western terrorists, causes for the advent of Western terrorists, Don Delillo did forecast the advent of Western terrorists |