Byung Chal Han who I have wanged on about so much recently on here is good on this. He says we have moved from the Foucault punishment society, where everything was "should", to a post technological world of "can". I can do this. I can do this. I can say this. I can get this. I can. Han calls both these modes oppressive, controlling and inauthentic - Foucault's models is terrifying because the human is surveyed and co-erced into inauthenticity and oppression, where as in the "can society", the individual signs up for their own oppression by beliving they have infinite choice and freedom. When they don't. They really don't. And where as before in the Foucault model you would be isolated from say the church, or the village pub, now we have an internal imprisonment because all our "can" desires are never met so therefore...we have internal burnout. Exhaustion. No I can't is actually an age old path to liberation - popular in so many religious and spiritual traditions. The total acceptance of our own inner limitations. A giving up. Han in an interview i saw of him was asked "so what's your soltion?" he answered "any solution i have will lead to more problems. so there is only really salvation." in true buddhist framing.
Never before free speach has been so available, widespread, and - with just a few markers off limit racism, noncery, threats of violence etc - no where in time in my time i don't think i have people whinged and wailed about being so oppressed because they don't have it, when they do, like never before. Human misery at the moment is caused not by lack of free speach but because late stage capitalism is on it's arsed and shafting us all and our communities daily.
