Logic misapplied: society as function

‘People often believe two similar things are the same. They equate them. They accept loose comparisons. If someone said, ‘A car is like a plane, so therefore it is a plane,’ he would be judged a fool. But make the comparison a little more subtle, and you can get a whole population to salute, sign up, and go along.’ (The Underground, Jon Rappoport)
The civilization we now inhabit is more and more a system of functions. Person A does B. Person C does E.
People learn to expect functionality. This is important, because if they didn’t the whole apparatus would collapse.
What I’m talking about here goes beyond any rebellions among the disenfranchised. Those rebellions, such as they are, are planned for, and they will be enveloped in the System.
I’m talking about a psychology of acceptance, through which the individual agrees that he is supposed to perform in a way that satisfies a higher overall pattern.
This psychology involves language as well, which more and more becomes utilitarian. Words themselves designate function and ‘what is supposed to happen.’
Look at the literature/fiction of our time. The protagonist faces a problem, a conflict. He strives to solve it. He eventually succeeds. He does what he is supposed to do. The reader is satisfied. The function has been acted out.
Society’s organizations are compartmentalized. In a large corporation, bringing a new product to market means the various sections will do their jobs: R&D, design, packaging, marketing, sales, and so on. What exists in each individual beyond his sub-function is of no concern.

This post was published at Jon Rappoport on July 10, 2015.