The Difference Between Patriotism and Extremism? When we are not aligned to the needs of the nation!

When encouraging misbehaviors and protecting extremism is of higher value than patriotism and the general will of the American people we have a growing problem that shreds our fabric and our future. The following is a discussion on the dangers of extremism and its impact on institutional outcomes. There is a moral, fiscal and legal responsibility to ensure we are not encouraging extremism and corruption by rewarding such behaviors with financial and social incentives. One's belief in their own superiority doesn't give them to right to infringe on the rights of others. Reclaiming Patriotism.   Let us explore the topic....

I have been using a hypothetical example of extremism, corruption, and targeting, racial and religious minorities with few to no backstops to highlight how corruption and extremism can function together. Corrupt officials take from good officials and harm their institutions and should be discouraged so as to protect those who are doing the right things. While good officials have a benefit in squashing these networks internally they sometimes do not have the proper environment to do that effectively. Taking a stand against corruption is important for institutional integrity. We should applaud patriotic officials who understand the needs of the nation and their role in supporting all the people of our great republic.

In sociology patriotism is something that benefits the whole. One can also include the concepts of American values, social contracts, oaths, the Constitution and charters. The totality of our understanding is based in part in all of these ideas being conceptually blended together well. Collectively they help us define how we should perceive our country and the duties we have to maintain our freedoms. Social transitions are impacting perceptions in some groups. There are different forms of patriotism that we can consider. Understanding the Concept of Patriotism

When patriotism and the purpose of institutions becomes comingled with race, religion, ethnicity, and politics we have a dangerous brew where bad acts are fostered through complacency and silence. In this example, when you are in the 1st class citizen crowd (in group) you can do anything you want to the 2nd citizen crowd (out group). In this case the use of threats, stalking/following, manipulation of the sick, hate rumors, witness/statement tampering, etc. we're rewarded financially despite the criminal attempt to harm. Well known, documented, witnessed, bragged about and in some ways encouraged by a few corrupted local officials. The system defaulted in favor of the clan and their promotion of a homogeneous world view.

There are little to no backstops because such hate is seen as justified (i.e. think of how people justified extreme cruelties during slavery.). On Patriotism and Pride. Federal oversite may be necessary to correct what appears to be an intentional misapplication of justice and encouragement of future criminal behaviors. Those who committed the bad behaviors feel no remorse for their actions and received a green light to engage in such actions. Removing additional unsanctioned competing uses of institutional institutional resources would be helpful. 

One might consider a patriot as a person who believes in freedom of speech, freedom of religion, opportunities, civil rights, human rights, strong functioning institutions, etc. In my limited perspective all aspects of our society should be managed for all Americans regardless of superficial differences. The stronger we make our institutions the stronger we become as a nation and better we use our resources (i.e. deficit). That idea of integrity and strong management is seen as radical and not supported as much as it should be in our political arenas. This is where the values of the young are going to decide these issues as to whether shallow in-group patriotism (certain race or religion) is more important than universal patriotism (All Americans). 

The Synopsis of the Present: Based on this learning example we are in a place where perpetrators that manipulated their social network, bullied targets, and manipulated the elderly were rewarded. The extremist network went into the back ground for a short time and then came back out with aggressive behaviors. We have three and now four distinct waves of hate which we can discuss later. A few people may have been held to account semi-related behaviors. Community understands the behaviors were poor but are not enforceable at present. There has been a change in leadership based on community pressure over the past few years of various elected positions. The impact of that is likely to grow. This example is not finished yet but we have learned a lot so far about how domestic extremism, corruption, and protections thereof occur. Tomorrow may be a brighter day in our fight against a backsliding democracy.

Of course men/women are not angles and feel entitled to bad behaviors so they may need help keeping their compass true north. 

"If men were angels, no government would be necessary" James Madison. 

*This is an article for learning purposes and one should take with a grain of salt. A type of thought experiment on freedom of speech, freedom of religion, civil rights, human rights and commitment to the Constitution and good leadership. We are exploring the various facets of dark behaviors like hate, corruption, extremism, and how we bring them back into compliance. It is politically neutral in its approach and can be applied to various situations. The model as it connects to economic concepts and alignment with institutional integrity is being created.

Classical Music at Escanaba Yacht Club

There is classical music concerns in Escanaba that will lighten your summer and allow you to enjoy the public and outdoors. Escanaba Yacht Club

You may also be interested in reading about the Health Benefits of Classical Music

The U.P. Steam & Gas Engine Show at UP State Fair

If you want to know how this country was built and you want to see some of the engines that made the U.S. a powerhouse you will want to check on the U.P. Steam & Gas Engine Show. Walked through the event today and they have some amazing pieces of equipment. Likewise, thrift shopping, food and music. The show is here just for Labor Day weekend. Got to love our farmers and American ingenuity!

The U.P. Steam & Gas Engine Association

The Economic History of the Tractor

Should There Be Oversight for Officials Entitled to Extremism and Corruption?

Entitlement can be a dangerous thing if it includes concepts such as corruption and extremism. One of the worst menaces a society can experience is a group of people who truly believe they are above the law and superior to all their fellow countryman and women. A single entitled person is a personality flaw but a group of entitled people may be more systemic of an environment that lacks checks and balances. Where poor beliefs move into poor actions without recourse victims and good people serving their community are silenced. Their rights and freedoms diminished. Below you will find an essay on entitlement and when oversight may be necessary. The last thing we want is people in a position where they can misuse authority because of feelings of entitlement to extremism and corruption. That is making the assumption that all politicians and people desire to build the strongest nation they can through community by community development.

The Hypothetical Example of Entitlement:

This is a hypothetical example for learning purposes only so take with a grain of salt. A group of bullies spread a hate rumor about a minority that attracted the interest of a corrupted network of officials tied in part to an extremist group. Others came forward with similar allegations, their complaints shared with the perpetrators, and they were quickly retaliated against. Crimes were known for years but protected under immunity and "code of silence". No amount of evidence or complaints deterred a clan based system from rejecting their oaths and missions. The launchers of a hate rumor were rewarded and the extremist network protected. No recourse through local systems can be found. Ideas such as civil rights, human rights, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and the very dignity of humanity are openly mocked with the rolling of eyes. At such point where lawlessness mixed with corruption and extremism are rampant, where justice is absent, and where good officials must stay silent to appease rogue elements we may need oversight. US Courts Federal Oversight

 Explanatory Research:

The following are a few studies that help understand some key factors of corruption.

-One Bad Employee Can Ruin the Bunch: Poor, corrupted, or bigoted behaviors by a few can impact the rest of the team. Such damage may have other ramifications to the health of the institution. The more blind eyes we give and placation of corruption we provide we should expect there to be additional social learning and support for corruption. 

-Power and Corruption: The misuse of power can lead to entitlement as certain beneficiaries warp institutional performance. There has been in this example some discussion by various members of the community that there is entitlement of this group that harms others. One might see this by how quickly the clan is to judge the value of others, escalation to violence, and how positions of authority are an extension of clan needs. Ethnocentrism and sense of superiority in language and behavior anchored in distorted religious and ethnocentric perspectives. 

-IMF Taxpayer and Corruption: Corruption impacts taxpayer value through poor institutional performance  but may have an impact on other institutions like education. In this example there appears to be clan affiliations across institutions but the effect of that might need to be studied more. It appears that there is indication that clan members cover for each other, employ each other, ostracize together, spread rumors together, etc. 

-Corruption, Institutional Trust, and Legitimacy: A Vicious Circle: The more we allow corruption to continue, the more we are likely to create difficulties stamping out corruption in the future. In this example, there seems to be resistance among a few officials of reforming internal mechanisms that would improve the system. Outside intervention is thwarted in the same way that "outsiders" are treated. 

-Anti-Corruption and Extremism: Anti corruption measures help limit the appeal of extremism. One maybe able to make a reverse association so it may be best to go after both and create new policies. Prior in this example the discussion on corruption, partisanship, extremism, threats of violence/intimidation, militias, civil/human rights violations and much more. Local systems maybe be inadequate to deal with embedded networks with close social connections. 

*This is a hypothetical learning example only so take with a grain of salt. A thought experiment on freedom of religion, freedom of speech, human rights, civil rights, and the constitution. In some ways perhaps an exploration of leadership capacity and moral conscious. 

Who Moved My Cheese? A Lesson of Change

Change is a necessity of life and certainly one cannot effectively navigate life or business without being open to change. Sometimes strategies work well but when the market changes we may need to find new strategies. The ability to pay attention to changes in the market, workplace, or even our lives will help us adapt and navigate most effectively to find additional sources of cheese. 

The Concept of GDP, Unemployment, Employment Elasticity and Technological Adaptation

GDP rose but unemployment also rose indicating mixed data. One might wonder if employment elasticity has a factor in such growth with employment softness. A trend of high GDP and higher unemployment could indicate that wealth is being generated but where it goes and how it impacts the economy in the following months will be more telling. In other words, under this idea wealth is being generated but may not impacting the average American as much as would be beneficial. If employment rises next month then it could mean it was more or less just a dip along a typical economic trend line. If GDP continues to go up and unemployment rises that could be an indication of this elasticity but it could also be in part a factor of technological efficiencies and adaptations. One might say that as technology rises there is going to be at least some labor disruptions as jobs transition. The beautiful thing about the confounding variables of economics is that there are multiple explanations that might work but we have to look at many other factors to know that for sure. Let us wait and see what happens..... 

GDP 3% increase Q2, 2024. BEA Q2 2024. Driven by spending. Business and equipment investments.

Unemployment rose to 4.3%. BLS July 2024 Unemployment

Productivity increases 2.3% in Q2 2024; unit labor costs increase 0.9% Second Quarter 2024

Technological Adaptation is Increasing McKinsey Technology Trends 2024

Unemployment is often a sign of a slowing economy but since COVID the economy has provided mixed indications making previous economic research just a little less accurate in prediction. New economic research is needed. As we move more of our economy online we are likely to see new theories and ideas come forward based on the nature by which the economy shifts to this digital transformation. 

If someone comes and says, "I have another explanation!" and puts together some of the puzzle a different way you might say, "Great! I'm open to a better explanation." and that is how knowledge and critical thinking is created. Its not that any explanation is definitive but only through exploring them do we discover new things. Sometimes its just an exercise in understanding. 

A study by Yale indicates that labor flow is negatively associated with growth. Labor Force Flow and Growth Study

Another study indicates that job growth and GDP growth are associated through employment elasticity. Study on Employment Elasticity

BLS Source

The Impact of Corruption and Intimidation/Oppression Through a Learning Example

It is important to further explore the risks and issues as they relate to corruption and general economic performance. However, there are many pieces to the puzzle so it takes a minute to ferret them out. In this particularly hypothetical example we are exploring the concept of corruption and intimidation/oppression as it relates to community impact. The strength of a community is based in part on how well its institutions function around core American principles such as freedom of speech, religion, Constitution, human/civil rights, so on and so forth. What one would hope is that the system adapts upwards to ensure it fully fills the needs of all societal stakeholders. That adaptation should be one of the strategic goals of institutional activities and outcomes to help ensure generation after generation relevance. The positive impact of the proper utilization of societal resources is vitally important to the long term success of the whole.

Utilizing a local hypothetical example to understand the risks of extremism, corruption, and clan based systems present to communities and society at large. The impact reaches beyond misbehaviors and into the very micro transactional activities of a local economy. i.e. economics as choice. The example is meant for illustrative purposes and should be taken with a grain of salt as theoretical exploration. As we continue to explore this idea we often find we can map corruption in the same way we can map a local economy. Each activity and piece is interconnected so corruption in one area might have an impact on other semi confounded areas such as recruitment, business development, employee retention, quality of life, etc. Research often helps determine what that impact looks like and how to restore rogue elements back to the greater good of a community or society if they have been afforded additional rights, rewards, benefits, and outcomes not inherent in their position. 

The Hypothetical Learning Example:

The hypothetical example includes a self-interested well connected clan members who spread a hate rumor for financial and social gain through a network of bullies and a number of corrupted officials with extremist leanings. The issue being that these were long existing patterns as witnessed by others and experienced through the professionalism of targeting. Reports of corruption by various community members were quickly retaliated against and local systems protected and rewarded the perpetrators for their behaviors. Good officials were muted through "codes of silence" as their fellow community members, young ladies, elderly, minorities, and some vets were mistreated. The reverberations of the behavior led to acts of intimidation, corruption, religious based cleansings and more as extremism and some officials shared social and political affiliations (A minority of people but a minority that had influence.). Discussions of militias were common among a number of extremists mixed with a few officials and people complained of being stalked and followed home by such supporters. 

As of date in this learning purpose example, of which the ending hasn't been written, there has been no accountability and it would be within what one may considered a 4th Wave of Hate. Evidence, witnesses, and actions are plentiful but the moral will to stand for the nation's principles lacking among some partisan promoters (The community is standing where others have failed as a potential sign of how deeply rooted freedom and democracy are in the hearts of the common man and woman.). The rest of the system may be struggling to understand and concisely deal with coordinated extremist behaviors and thus the risk continues forward until today based on the broken backs of fortitude. A more concise solution is brewing through natural collective order mechanisms that protect the greater good of society (i.e. the collective subconscious need of societal stakeholders to block out the advantages of corruption and oppression. Selfish People and Game Theory). 

Two kind of interesting studies sort of highly oppression, corruption, and whistleblowing.

1. Oppression and Corruption Connection: Research indicates there are connections between corruption and oppression. If one were to consider acts of intimidation, corruption, and retaliation against legitimate complaints then one might see these as related. The report indicates that oppression and corruption, "... deteriorates people's values of integrity, truthfulness, sacredness, and spiritual faith." (Abdelrahim, 2024, Sec. 3.3). Personal and Economic oppression seem to have a big influence on corruption levels. That would make sense if one considered that in the hypothetical example there has been a decline in economic activity for two decades until the community stood up against corruption and new leadership came forward. Democracy seems to thrive when managed for the average person with their needs coming first (There is a lesson in that as well.)

The study further recommends that policy makers, 

1.reveal corrupt exercises and threats via transparency.
2.maintain the general sector honest, accountable, and transparent.
3.prevent unfair and illegal practices.
4.Confirm that public sector workers function in the public interest.
5.Support educators and psychologists in developing and applying educational programs that prevent oppression, unethical behavior, and corruption. (I thought this one was interesting because it should be more than talk and lip service.)

Corruption and Intimidation and Whistleblowing: The issue that often stops whistleblowers from reporting corruption is a lack of checks and balances on offending officials that in turn allowed multiple reports of retaliation and the squashing of reasonable investigations. While in this example there is hard evidence, witnesses, motives, and bigger data markers such as outcomes, policies, processes, economic performance, social networks, amount of complaints, etc. that would indicate fairly serious problems. This is one reason why nothing happened until the community started standing up for their freedoms and rights using multiple public announcements, videos, information requests, etc. The totality of the information could not continue to be ignored without damaging moral authority. Chaos broke out and that appears to be forming into a newer and stronger order that hopefully leads to a rejuvenation of the area (adaptive evolutionary economics). The people were on their own because a number of connected clan affiliated officials failed to fulfill their duties and decided "protect their own" versus the community and in turn spawned a re-emergence of societal development to overcome. 👆

*This is a thought experiment using a hypothetical example for learning purposes only. It is meant as an exploration of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, The Constitution, Civil/Human Rights.

Abdelrahim Y. The influence of personal and economic oppression on a country's corruption levels worldwide. Heliyon. 2024 Jun 13;10(12):e32691. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e32691. PMID: 38988570; PMCID: PMC11233946.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11233946/

Chassang, S. & Miquel, G (July 2014). Corruption, Intimidation and Whistle-blowing: A theory of inference from unverifiable reports. National Bureau of Economic Research. https://www.nber.org/papers/w20315