Red Rock Country: The Enigmas of the Western American Psyche Why do so many Americans live in mythical cowboylands? Why are they uncomfortable without Bibles & double-barrel pistols in their hands? Why are so many Americans stuck at minimum wage? How can a two-class society be democratic if most people are confined to poverty from birth to grave? Riding the red rocks ah America's barren lands shifting through shallow logic & consumer demand it seems like ah gunsmoke showdown aint far out ah han'. Terri: This notion of a western 'show down' doesn't work well in a hyper-surveillance age with algorithms that will spew out enough disinformation to manipulate the populace precisely as leaders wish. Kris: (pretending to chew tobacco, then speaking with a thick cowboy accent) Fer sure, ol' padner! Terri: If male hormones run their natural course, I wonder if humanity has a future . . . . Sam: Armageddon is a scenario that should never be allowed to happen. And perhaps the only way to avoid that is to let ethical AI systems take over because humans have badly fucked up. Also, we must unite and come to recognize how deeply connected we are. Ted: (spitting, then grimacing) Oh yeah! Hee-haw, yack yack! ================================================================================= from _AmeriSong: Poetry, Art, & Dialogs about Amerika_ by T Newfields SUMMARY: Some thoughts about outdated cowboy stereotypes and the power of disinformation. KEYWORDS: American myths, yankee stereotypes, modern cowboys, disinformation directives Author: T Newfields [Nitta Hirou / Huáng Yuèwǔ] (b. 1955) Begun: 2000 in Nagoya, Japan / Finished: 2020 in Yokohama, Japan Creative Commons License: Attribution. {{CC-BY-4.0}} Granted < LAST http://www.tnewfields.info/AmeriSong/do.htm TOC http://www.tnewfields.info/AmeriSong/index.html NEXT > http://www.tnewfields.info/AmeriSong/money.htm