behavioural sink in today's world "utopia"?
skip | 2024-11-06 22:09:30 GMT | visitor visitor count | 18 min read
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Welcome back everyone.

Firstly, I would like to begin with an apology. I'm generally a pretty busy person with an organised schedule and I don't really have the time or energy usually to write here since it requires time and thought to express my ideas publicly, although, this doesn't mean I have abandoned this blog fully, I still like to archive my thoughts and all that over time.

Today I had a neuron activation moment after the United States of America (abbr. U.S.A., USA, US) presidential elections where Trump kind of, uh, won, well, is winning I guess since it's on going although even now it's 226:292 Kamala v. Trump1. This upsets me, and made me think about other politics as well as social side of everyone. In this blog post, I will try to explore some of political events as well as current ongoing social and democratic issues from my perspective trying to avoid extreme language and trying to stay calm. Later on, I will tie this back to the concept of a behavioural sink.

Though, before I start, for legal purposes, consider this legal disclaimer: The thoughts and opinions you’re about to read are all mine - just me sharing my perspective. They don’t represent any official stance or organization. While I strive to share accurate information, remember that this is just my take on things. So, if you find yourself agreeing with me or shaking your head in disagreement, that's okay! Just know that any reliance on what I say is at your own risk. I'm not responsible for any consequences that come from reading this post. Now, let’s dive in! Feel free to tweak any part of it to better match your voice!
# Part one: The United States of America presidential elections

Let's begin with the can of worms which even got me into this - the US elections. About the whole day I've been following the presidential elections hoping Kamala Harris would win, since Donald Trump has pretty, err, weird goals, mainly relating to project 20252. Albeit they do claim that this is not a plan by Trump, but rather the Heritage foundation3 it is still a conservative and right-wing set of policies which aim to reform the USA under the condition that Donald Trump will win the 2024 presidential election.

Sadly, Trump is clearly going into the win since at the time of writing this 53/56 states have fully reported and the ratio between Trump's and Kamala's results is clearly in the republican favour. This is very scary to me, even to a person who is Living in Lithuania.

For context, Lithuania is a fairly right-leaning country which means, being a part of the European Union, actions made in the US by republican politicians, will most likely be copied over by the Lithuanian government as well. This always happens from my personal experience - one thing happens in the US lead by republicans, and the whole of EU seems to copy that action, at least partially.

As an example, we can take Rimigijus' Žemaitis views on supporting Ukraine. Pol. Remigijus is known for being a right-wing politician in Lithuania known for this antisemitic comments4, and he, more specifically his new party "The dawn of Nemunas" (Lithuanian: "Nemuno ašra"), endorses the position of US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, advocating that assistance to Ukraine should be structured as loans rather than grants5.

This position, in my opinion is cruel and very unfair, because it shifts the burden of supporting a nation under siege onto the very people who are suffering from the consequences of gruesome attack by Russia. By proposing that aid to Ukraine be provided in the form of loans instead of grants, Žemaitaitis and his party effectively impose a financial burden on a nation already facing significant difficulties. This strategy not only diminishes the critical need for humanitarian support but also threatens to exacerbate Ukraine's economic troubles, in long run impeding its recovery and long-term stability as a sovereign country. This same logic applies to Trump's goals since it is quite literally the same logic.

This whole American politics affecting the world politics since it is a global superpower situation is very stupid, I personally don't believe that we won't have any more major conflict until year 2026 by the direction the world is heading in. The European union in general is going into a far-right direction with parties like AfD (German: Alternative für Deutschland), the dawn of Nemunas, National party of France, the polish PiS, and Hungary's Fidesz6. Clearly the people of the EU are not happy, even clearly demonstrated by recent outrage on EC's Mastodon Fediverse instance after congratulating Donald Trump in (in my opinion) a very non-democratic way7 ("warmly" my ass).

God forbid Americans vote for a female president, rather watch millions get their rights stripped from them, am I right :D (sarcasm)
# Part two: More about European politics

European politics are also not doing too great as I already mentioned transitioning to this section. I mainly want to address 3 main issues relating to current harsh European political climate. These issues include the far-right radicalism problem of EU8, local politics of Lithuania (which I have already mentioned), and how the US is affecting politics are affecting seemingly "opposite" Europe.

Let's begin with the far-right problem of Europe, well, I personally believe it to be a problem considering how extreme the policies tend to be. I believe that the rise of such parties, which, personally, I consider wannabe Nazi, is out of paranoid protectionism9 of culture, tradition, and sovereignty, as well as economic instability8 and "owning the libs" essentially.

This has been a problem before, when in the past historically. Remember the bad party ruled by the guy who hated the Jews? You know, the Nazi party? The history of how it came to rule is a really similar tale.10

In short, National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP), more commonly referred Nazi party, used to be a small party which would only get only about 3% of votes before the onset of Great Depression. During the Great Depression10, Germany was at the rock bottom with a terrible economic, political, and social climate. Millions of people unemployed. Their grim situation was further worsened by the defeat in the World War I experiencing a great political turmoil as well as sovereignty problems when the whole world turned their backs against Germany. Consequently, the Nazis took advantage of this, they promised Germany a world with economic and political stability, and if they give them power - Germany will be a great country with their "superior" Aryan race being accepted as only greatest race. Germans fell for this strategy, and the rest is history, which you can read about in the Holocaust encyclopedia.

Sounds familiar doesn't it? Right-ring politicians like the aforementioned Remigijus Žemaitis and Donald Trump, as well as parties and projects like "Dawn of Nemunas"11 and "Project 2025"2 respectively promising a better world in the current worsening sociopolitical climate.

We're now at the start of something really bad, and I believe we should collectively stop this before it is too late. Like Albert Einstein once said:

    I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.

Considering this, let's take an example of dawn of Nemunas which is very relevant to me since I live in Lithuania, but it also serves as a living ever-developing example of idiocracy in Lithuania and how the EU is going downhill.

The dawn of Nemunas, also known as Nemuno aušra in Lithuanian, is a right-wing nationalist and populist right-wing party12 founded by Remigijus Žemaitis in November 11th, 2023 and officially registered in January 16, 2024. It formed as a result of Pol. Remigijus posting various antisemitic comments on Facebook stating that "the Jews and Russians" oppressed Lithuanians in World War II and they they were responsible of the 1944 massacre in Pirčiupiai4. The comments were bombed with harsh criticism by Lithuanian citizens and politicians and other important figures, finally, in May 19th of 2023, getting his membership at the Freedom and Justice party of Lithuania terminated. One thing led to another, and then he announced his new party, the Dawn of Nemunas, in November 11th of 202313.

Dawn of Nemunas describes itself as centre-left, classic liberal, christian political party14, although by Deutsche Welle15 the party is described as a right-wing nationalist party, which I tend to agree with. The party is also doing aggressive advertisement by billboards and posters around Lithuania, I've noticed they put their posters wherever they can just highlighting their extreme strategy - business buildings, apartment buildings, billboards, political boards, everywhere. You cannot go a day without seeing the faces of the pigs that in purely my opinion are trying to be wannabe Nazis. From my experience, most people with at least one (1) braincell are very dissatisfied with them and consider them a joke, although I tend to treat them more like a danger since they elected 3nd16 in the election of 2024, this is call for awareness and education, since if this party is elected - Lithuania, as we know it, is fucked.

Their goals are not only stupid, but can also be harmful. Here's a few of them17:

    Supports establishing a state-owned bank.
    Taking state control of state-owned energy company Ignitis.
    Rejecting EU's "green" agricultural programmes.
    Supports concessions for small and medium-sized businesses.
    Supports halting reforms in education for 4 years.
    They believe that Lithuania’s foreign politics should first serve Lithuanias's own security and interests of its citizens.
    Supports suspending sanctions on Russia.
    Advocates that assistance to Ukraine should be structured as loans rather than grants. 

This could sound okay at first, but I only see holes and issues in this extremist system:

    Establishing a state-owned bank could lead to inefficient resource allocation and interference in the financial sector.
    Taking state control of Ignitis may reduce operational efficiency and deter private investment in the energy sector.
    Rejecting EU green agricultural programmes could majorly hinder Lithuania's progress towards sustainable farming practices and environmental protection.
    Excessive concessions for small and medium-sized businesses might create an uneven playing field and potentially reduce overall economic competitiveness.
    Halting education reforms for 4 years could impact the development of Lithuania's education system for the worst, potentially leaving students ill-prepared for future challenges, as well as keeping stagnant on an already messy and garbage system.
    Prioritizing Lithuania's interests in foreign policy at the expense of broader international cooperation could isolate the country diplomatically.
    Suspending sanctions on Russia might undermine Lithuania's security and its solidarity with Ukraine and other European partners.
    Restructuring assistance to Ukraine as loans rather than grants could strain Ukraine's future economic recovery and weaken Lithuania's support for its ally. (which I already explained in more detail above). 

And, you know, after all of this, we have also now deal with the straight up stupid things the US is doing. Trump winning will, as it has before in 201618, further accelerate the surge extremist far-right parties and movements. As I explained above - this is terrible for everyone. Project 2025 will not only impact the US but also EU as well as most trumpies, i.e. a lot of right-wing politicians, will most likely try follow Trump's steps19. This will be detrimental to the overall worldwide economy, political climate, and, as mentioned before, will be a breeding ground for dictators and Neonazis. I am not happy with this, in fact, I feel terrible about this, and I wish I had the ability to make a huge change to stop this.

Concluding, the current political landscape in Europe is fraught with challenges that threaten the stability and democratic values of the region. I beg for understanding, education, and for you to vote, and make the right choice, for fucks sake, please, make the right choice. Don't praise or elect wannabe dictators, Nazis, Fascists, or anything of sort. Be human, don't fall for empty claims, stay aware.
# Part three: Behavioural sink

Well, where does this lead us? Behavioural sink.

"Behavioural sink is a term invented by an American ethologist and behavioral researcher John Bumpass Calhoun, which describes the decline in ethical behaviour with overpopulation and an "easy living" lifestyle. This term was invented after conducting an experiment on rats over 4 years when enclosures called "rat utopias" filled with essentially unlimited space, food, and water were created to enable an unlimited environment for population growth20. His findings showed that such environment showed maternal neglect, aggression and violence, social withdrawal, and cannibalism - generally finding that moral behaviours have diminished.

This is very synonymous with today's world and sociopolitical landscape. Today's world is filled with ease when it comes to food, water, and other physical needs. We no longer have to live in families of 50, no longer do we have to socialise with everyone, we don't hunt, we are quite literally the rats that are in this big cage. We kill one another out of boredom seemingly, wars, and whatever the fuck today is. Project 2025 is quite literally a consequence of overpopulation, it is an ever-growing issue which is becoming more and more of a danger - one day, nature will do its thing and we will end up killing ourselves.

People need to learn, sadly, even in the blog post from 7 months ago "history repeats" it seems that no-one will ever learn from mistakes, findings, and research. Academia seems like a status thing at this point, a social marker to get higher up the sociological ladder to gain power, control, and most importantly to them - money.

Moral of the story is that, living a simpler life, being human, moral, ethical, and understanding is key. Don't let materialistic things corrupt you, understand your fellow human, don't support Nazis, and think. You are Homo Sapiens, don't become Homo Sovieticus. I know I sound very demanding right now but I truly believe that the education system is doing nothing but making these people dumb so they vote for whatever. You are stronger and smarter than some old white man telling you that he's going to change and reform the world - remember history, remember Hitler, remember Mussolini, remember history. Don't fall into the dystopia of 1984 or Animal Farm by George Orwell.
# Concluding

Conclusion is simple. The current global political climate is rife with extremism and challenges which post significant threats to democratic values and human rights. The rise of far right-ideologies, as seen in recent US presidential elections and rise of nationalist and populist parties in the EU, is signal towards a more dire fate. These developments underscore the importance of staying informed, engaging in meaningful dialogue, and making educated decisions when voting while you can vote, before you elect a dictator. It’s important that we, as Homo Sapiens, learn from history and remain vigilant against mistakes of the past, working collectively to prevent the societal decay, or, in other words, a behavioural sink. By prioritizing empathy, understanding, and ethical behaviour, we can strive towards a more just and inclusive world, but we can also prevent total and utter destruction. It's crucial to resist the allure of simplistic promises and instead focus on building a future that respects human dignity and global cooperation. Remember, your individual actions and choices have the power to contribute to a larger movement towards positive change, stay mindful.

Good luck. I wish all of you the best and to make the right choice.
# Footnotes

    https://ig.ft.com/us-elections/2024/results/president/↩

    https://www.project2025.org/about/about-project-2025/↩

    https://www.project2025.org/truth/↩

    https://www.lrt.lt/naujienos/lietuvoje/2/2013056/zemaitaitis-toliau-zarstosi-antisemitiniais-pareiskimais-piktinasi-premjeres-vizitu-izraelyje-kalba-apie-lietuviu-holokausta↩

    https://www.intellinews.com/profile-remigijus-zemaitaitis-lithuania-s-new-radical-right-leader-347180/↩

    https://theconversation.com/eu-elections-far-right-parties-surge-but-less-than-had-been-expected-232018↩

    https://ec.social-network.europa.eu/@EUCommission/113435223810157124↩

    https://www.iemed.org/publication/the-rise-of-the-far-right-in-europe/↩

    https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lseupr/2024/02/06/the-creeping-ascent-of-the-far-right-in-mainstream-european-politics-and-how-to-stop-it/↩

    https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-nazi-rise-to-power↩

    https://nemunoausra.eu/↩

    [^13] [^14]↩

    https://www.biciulis.net/k-bilius-kuriamos-partijos-nemuno-ausra-vicepirmininkas/↩

    https://nemunoaušra.lt/partijos-nemuno-ausra-valdyba-apibreze-rinkimu-programos-kryptis-ir-diskutavo-del-koalicijos↩

    https://www.dw.com/en/lithuanian-president-nauseda-a-socialist-and-moralist/a-69182379↩

    https://www.vrk.lt/2024-seimo/rezultatai?srcUrl=/rinkimai/1544/1/2150/rezultatai/lt/rezultataiDaugmVrt.html↩

    https://amp.dw.com/de/kreml-propaganda-bei-den-wahlen-in-litauen/a-70465907↩

    https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/1401027↩

    https://www.eiu.com/n/us-election-its-impact-on-europe/↩

    https://demystifysci.com/blog/2020/7/22/rat-dystopia↩

Ari Archer <<PRESIDIO_ANONYMIZED_EMAIL_ADDRESS>> + GPL-3.0-or-later