The digitization and literal disembodiment [12] of every sphere of human reality advances with terrifying rapidity—from the Social Security system [13] to the New York subway system [14]. Rather than dropping swipe-cards and bringing back tokens [15], returning to what was a manifestly superior and more rational system, New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority [16] moves to a still more dystopian "contactless" credit system. Similarly, rather than phasing out automobiles, our corporate overlords are now imposing driverless cars [17], a further step toward making the human race redundant [18] altogether and portending the ultimate abolition of humanity [19]. In Episode 270 [20] of the CounterVortex podcast [21], Bill Weinberg continues [22] his Spring ritual of reading the George Orwell [23] essay "Some Thoughts on the Common Toad [24]"—which brilliantly critiqued technological hypertrophy, and articulated an imperative for humanistic revolution and scaleback of the mega-machine [25] way back in April 1946.
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Production by Chris Rywalt [30]
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