Stewie Griffin Depicts the Winter of Spenglers Discontent

Oswald Spengler predicted a protracted winter in The Decline of The West. Spengler wasn't alone in his depiction of a distopian society where fashion reigns over utility, luck is dominant, bureaucracy squelches progress and the rich have a firm hold on the reigns of an incipient global culture. Spengler was one of the first to be taken seriously.

Stewie's Guide to WORLD DOMINATION [sic] is a ray of sunshine for a winter day of our decline. In Spengler's seasonal taxonomy of decline, winter is the final phase. Spengler writes that one cue of a culture in winter is an increasingly authoritative government. In an authoritarian government, clearly stating your perception is not a fiscally sustainable option.

"?if I were to confess to knowing that the entire enterprise is a sham, then that delicious stream of cold, hard cash that appears under my pillow following the loss of a tooth gets suddenly cut off, doesn't it?" --Stewie Griffin Transcribed by Steve Callaghan

Spengler separates culture from civilization. Yes, the two are intertwined, but culture reflects the people while civilization reflects the aspirations of global domination, requiring increasingly authoritarian leaders who represent power rather than being powerful on their own. A culture of war masks itself in fashion and subverts education into specialized academic philosophy with obvious discrepancies from reality.

Stewie calls out that the basis of American education, the three Rs doesn't represent three Rs: Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic. Stewie suggests that we might be better served by the acronym W.A.R.

"There's no country that likes 'W.A.R. more than our own?blame the Boss Hoggs of the world who got the whole enterprise off on the wrong foot with this 'thre Rs' nonsense." --Stewie Griffin

Spengler predicted a focus on lavish sport entertainment as the final cues of the closing of culture and the domination of civilization, where work looses meaning for the affluent as sports becomes the substitute for meaning in one's life. Stewie deftly reveals both of these cues at once as he discusses a typical civilization workplace.

"you are rotting your brain?find yourself having to alternately ask and then answer the terribly probing and provocative question, 'Did you have a nice weekend?' forty-seven different times. And let's face it: Despite the fact that most of the replies should fall along the lines of, 'Well, I spent most of Saturday and Sunday trying to ignore the loveless marriage and spoiled brats I've surrounded myself with while being tranquilized by the narcotic of back-to-back-to-back NFL football in order to keep myself from pondering the very real possibility that I might be gay.'" --Stewie Griffin

Stewie is a ray of light, warming our winter day. Spengler holds that winter is devoid of symbolic art. In a civilization's winter art is replaced by a meaningless fashion dialogue. Stewie staves off the meaninglessness of our encroaching civilization by disseminating symbolic art about our civilization in Stewie's Guide to WORLD DOMINATION, Helped into print by Steve Callaghan; Perennial Currents, 2006.

Howard Campbell is host of the Poker Without Cards coversation at http://www.intellishit.com

---

Hard Candy, Nobody Ever Flies over the Cuckoo?s Nest; Book Review

HARD CANDY: Nobody Ever Flies over the Cuckoo's Nest; Written... Read More

Book Summary: The Rebel Rules

What does it take to get in touch with your... Read More

Jesus and the Gnostic Cathars

These are some of the highlights of a connected story... Read More

The Southwest Airlines Way - AchieveMax® Top Ten Book Review

Over the years, several books and countless magazine and newspaper... Read More

Health Is Internal Beauty

Excerpted from the book "Your Right to Be Beautiful: How... Read More

Book Summary: Effective Networking For Personal Success

We are all "self-employed" now.Today there is absolutely no job... Read More

Book Review: Money Without Matrimony

MONEY WITHOUT MATRIMONY: The Unmarried Couples Guide to Financial Security,... Read More

Free Ebook Offer: The Story of America: Discovery - Article 3

Quite a lot happened in Europe between 1002AD, when the... Read More

Gilleland Poetry ? Storoems and Poems - Review

"Retired professor of Microbiology, Harry Gilleland certainly has a variety... Read More

Review of Alicia Maldonado: A Mother Lost by Ardain Isma

This modern, aristocratic book portrays real-life events and how hard... Read More

Bury My Heart at Redtree

Title: Bury My Heart at Redtree Author: Patrick Chalfant Genre:... Read More

Going Deeper - Book Review

Going Deeper by Jean-Claude Koven is certainly a nicely presented,... Read More

Druxel Manor - Book Review

"Druxel Manor is a stimulating thriller-mystery-romance novel that keeps the... Read More

Book Summary: First, Break All The Rules

Based on a mammoth research study conducted by the Gallup... Read More

Book Review: Christmas in Dairyland

Author/Publisher Christmas in Dairyland by LeAnn R. Ralph Published by... Read More

Mathew and the Highland Rescue - Book Review

"A stimulating adventure! Sabine Muir has written a wonderful children's... Read More

ARTURO EL REY - Book Review

This large (about 378 pages), fantasy-adventure novel should give best... Read More

Ideas Are Free - A Book Summary

Without great ideas, no organization can stay afloat, much less... Read More

Book Summary: The 17 Indisputable Laws Of Teamwork

To achieve great things, you need a team. Building a... Read More

The Rich Jerk Review: New Agressive and Effective Internet Marketing Methods for All

The Rich Jerk "Making Money on the internet is Easy"... Read More

Book Summary: Networking For Professional Success

Book Summary:This article is based on the following book: ... Read More

Humor Just Got A Whole Lot Funnier With Juggin Joe

Author Joseph Yakel presents his own blend of humor and... Read More

The Red Hourglass: Lives of the Predators, by Gordon Grice

The black widow spider is notorious for eating her mate... Read More

The Road of Silk: Book Review

"The Road of Silk is an adventure fantasy, with mystical... Read More

Why Malta? A Mystery-Thriller Author Tells Why

"Why Malta?" my new Maltese friends kept asking me when... Read More

Book Review: If You Are Over Fifty, You Are Entitled To Some Very Interesting Discounts On Travel:

Title: Unbelievably Good Deals and Great Adventures That You Absolutely... Read More

Empowering Teenagers - A Few Clues About Teens And A New Book

EMPOWERING TEENAGERSFrom a new book: "Adolescence is a difficult period,... Read More

The Isaiah Effect, by Greg Braden

Why do some prayers seem to be answered while others... Read More

Gilleland Poetry: A Book Review

For me, poetry is often too obtuse and difficult for... Read More

72 Hour Hold

Bebe Moore Campbell weaves a tale of unrelenting love and... Read More

Book Summary : The E-Myth Revisited

Ever wonder why most small businesses-- no matter how huge... Read More

Geeks & Geezers - AchieveMax® Top Ten Book Review

Geeks & Geezers: How Era, Values, and Defining Moments Shape... Read More

Dont Eat This Book by Morgan Spurlock: Lightweight But Convincing Expose of the Fast Food Industry

For those of you who've been on another planet for... Read More