“Smoke, Mirrors & Bad Medicine: The ‘Internal Logic’ That Don’t Make Sense- ” (An Essay)

by Martin Anton Smith

Ok I’m writing this introduction after I’ve already written the body of the essay below. For some reason, I started writing about this thing called “internal logic”. And I might be re-defining the term. I don’t know why I chose this topic – this is the beauty of writing – the words seem to just fall out of the sky. I know that’s cliche – but it is true of the best writing that can be done (or any creative endeavor I guess).

I’m sure the reason is that all that is happening (words/ideas flowing from seemingly nowhere) is that your subconscious has been working on an interesting…let’s call it a ‘proto- thought’…& when your subconscious deems it’s done the neccessary & wants to give birth to the idea to the world – it spews it forward into your executive functioning ‘outside world’ orientated brain – & hopefully onto a page or screen.

[Sidebar: *Psshht* that’s the sound of me opening a beer as I proof read this finished essay. A drink makes all this easier – as does music – I’m listening to ‘Mother Love Bone’ the short lived Seatle grunge/rock fusion band. The lead singer Andy Wood was an amazing talent who tragically had too many drugs – a typically sad rock cliche, but at least in terms of music, one very good if not great album was produced. And on that matter: ‘Escaping’ via easily available illegal drugs is folly – the fact they are so readilly available suggests this is actually a very conformist way to act. if he’d lived longer Andy Wood may have twigged that in an mostly un-free world (like the big music biz), you can’t escape by conforming. This is why when you think about it, all those ‘tragic’ cliche celebrity deaths are semi-planned by the industry & wider culture itself. After all – more records are sold that way. – M.S.]

Anyway I don’t want to get stuck on the mysteries of the ‘writing process’ too much here. It’s not that kind of an essay. So back to the subject matter – ‘internal logic’.

So what I will be talking about with the concept of internal logic, is about how no matter how mad something can be – let’s say the classic example of an organisation bound by paperwork (or nowadays emails & computer word files) & bureacracy. Given that these places essentially exist in what in truth is really a ‘simulated reality’, they can get very irrational. Anything grounded in the real connot go off script too much – that’s impossible by definition. This is more easily noticed by someone who is more connected, or more correctly, wedded to reality by nature of their profession – say a brick layer or a carpenter.

[Sidebar: I’m still proof reading & here is another extra thought: Another more gruesome example of the concept is that of how the Nazi’s increased their efforts – that is their scarce resources – in the extermination of the Jews in the concentration camps. This seems strange given that after 1943 Germany was losing the war, which was now being fought on multiple fronts. Logic said that given Germany wanted to win the war – it would have been wiser to either use the Jews to help the war effort – such as produce weapons in factories etc. But the reality was that to do this Hitler would have been defying his own internal logic. Hitlers ‘prime aim’ was to kill as many Jews as possible – not to win the World War.

I think Hitler knew deep down that he would not win the War from the moment it was declared. . .& as such the main aim was & would always be the extermination of as many Jews as possible in as small amount of time. Thus Hitler’s internal logic was not contridicted at all, even though he diverted core war resources from the front in doing so.

Personally, I don’t think Hitler ever really thought he would win that war, so the gruesome actions I’ve discussed were likely simply his internally logical cold, cost benefit analysis. Yes Evil is real, & Hitler was so evil it makes you think theres a good chance what happened was a supernatural phenomenon. To me it’s almost like how could it not be? – M.S.]

Someone who has a job that is moving & transforming real things can’t by neccessity engage in the madness of the bureau. An builder can’t for example say to the investors “Building has become far too masculine since Ramses the Great, & as such I’m building this 100 floor skyscraper purely out of co-joined daiseys”. But a bureaucrat can entertain the same kind of folly & not only get away with it, but be given a knight or damehood or any number of financial & non financial accolades. They do this by sleight of hand, sophistry & chicanery – of all the different classes bureaucrats, it is naturally the Politicians (govt. & NGO’s) & Mega Corporation CEO’s & their major shareholders (For they are by neccessity, Politicians as well) that are the best at this.

I could list any number of examples of these types – but let’s just list a few (& I have knick-name-ised them to beat the censors, as you do in wartime) names from the post 2020-2022 era: Dr Slouchi – Bill Doors – Jacinda Hardened – Justin Un-Trudeau- Klaus SS Schwab. For these types & their like are our modern comic-book villains who have become all too real. These real-life-comic-villains all got lauded for their total madness, & wrongheadedness & civic destruction edicts.

But why were they so lauded? Well, it was an example of the monster of internal logic. The system that was in place, bolstered by a bought & paid band of crony journalist army had a theoretical framework that had a certain internal logic to it. The internal logic was this false premise:

That thing they created in the lab to combat that thing that was also almost certainly also created in a gain-of-function research lab, was a not a dud & actually worked.

Once they had a commitment to believing this falsity – they built a whole house of cards around propping it up – including lockdowns & attacking free speech. The gang had its own internal logic that informed all the stupid democracy & ecomonically destructive eddicts, no matter how bad things became. As I eluded to with the Bricklayer/Carpenter reference – If viruses were actually as big as marbles, we would be able to see exactly what was happening, & all the wild ideas would never have been able to be foistered by the Politicians onto the mases – they’d be laughed at as much as the builder was who told his investors that he wanted to build a skyscraper made entirely from co-joined daisees.

Internal logic is a funny thing – if you let yourself get too wrapped up in it, pretty soon you too will brainwash yourself into thinking you’re not working in a madhouse. . . & once you’ve crossed that rubicon, that’s when they’ve really got you by the balls. . .pretty soon you’ll even convince yourself if you climb the next rung of the corporate or governmental ladder this time will be different from all the others this time you’ll be happy. Look at the faces of these people that hold these beliefs – they are not happy, & they get much more unhappy & mean looking with age.

These things I talk of have happened a few billion times since the dawn of man – yes there is indeed nothing new under the sun. Everything nowadays just has different veneer painted over it.

Yes, once in the grips of internal logic, pretty soon you’ll be married to a prick, or a bitch, pay forty percent income tax & have a massive mortgage, have assholes for friends & forever be hanging out for the weekend, or your measly two, three, or if your lucky – a massive four weeks holiday. This is just garden variety stuff – we who are lucky enough to have eyes to see, see it everywhere.

Shackled with the high fever of internal logic – you see a mirage of security, yet in truth the generals rank of internal logic global military could fire you tomorrow, in the next few hours, or even in less than three second’s time.

Spend enough time around the Black Widow that spins the web called internal logic, and so they’ve bought your soul. Worse – you’ve agreed to willingly sell it. Then with your weak-to-none defences down, she’s got you straitjacketed in her web. She’s about to sink her fangs into you. She won’t do you a favour & end it all quickly….oh no no no no! – She’ll take a sip of you every night for eternity. You snooze you lose – that’s just the way it goes.

The demons of internal logic will own your very being freehold until someone who saves schmucks like you shows pity on your sorry ass & rips up that life-contract on your behalf.

Yes sir-ee internal logic is the biggest trick of the madhouse. Don’t fall for it before it’s too late. Those slimey guys selling you the internal logic of the madhouse sell billions of souls for a dime a pop. Aren’t you, glorious you worth more than a dime? Even a total asshole is worth a lot more than that, and even then they’d bargain for it.

Internal logic it’s out there hiding in plain sight, convincing everybody it doesn’t exist. This is why people in madhouses & in offices both think they’re sane, despite the madness that surrounds them. At least the literal madhouse kind is more honest, with a higher chance you’ll one day get out – after all madhouses at least all have limited capacities.

It goes without saying that most people will hate to hear these words – they like to pretend that their lives aren’t totally fucked up beyond remit. They’ll get worked up about a tiny stain on a carpet, but for something like sellign their soul to a modern shyster-demon-in-a-suit, they’ll happily look the other way.

And so I leave you with this witty rejoinder which is a twist on an old theme:

People – can’t live with ’em, can’t build a time machine & hand victory to the plucky pragmatic Neanderthals.

But in closing I’ll let in on a little secret that I alluded to earlier: I’m really an optimist. I actually truly believe someone great will break you outa this mess. Call it a hunch. This belief defies logic. I won’t say I feel it to be true – for this will imply I’m an emotion flake. It’s more correct for me to say this:

I envisage this to be true.

So as Chevy Chase once said to his family in that classic 1980’s Xmas movie (that I forget the title to – was it National Lampoons Xmas Vacation?):

“Were gonna be the happiest bunch of assholes that ever lived!

Well at the very least, a few of us might just be.

Ok so at the end of my intro – I said I’d be back for some closing remarks – so here I am. I guess this is a good chance to say why do I think I wrote this? Some (I hope) will call it Revolutionary Writing. Thomas Paine eat your heart out! Well yes these words did just fall out of the sky, like the rain droplets of a sun shower while on an afternoon stroll – BUT to make more concrete guesses , I might say that at my advanced age of forty-six, I’m more interested in Truth, spelt with a capital T.

Perhaps this is just a run-of-the-mill middle age intellectual orientation – but I’m not sure exactly how run-of-the-mill that actually is? Might it not be that most middle aged & above have hemmed themselves into their internal logic of a ‘on paper well organised life’?

If the truth of the madness actually jumped off the paper & into real life – this could lead to a total psycological melt-down. The madness of this kind of life which has been buried in their psyce so heavilly, bolstered by that particulal life’s internal logic system, surely has to stay till death for most people afflicted by the ailment. If all the Truth finally came out like a Yellowstone geyser into the conscious brain It would conjure an epiphany that they’d wasted their best years on a total mirage.

Lets call a spade a spade: Does not the worst of the “Corporate world” – i.e. the “Mega Corporations” rely on the repression of the Truth via the propaganda that is the phenomena of internal logic? Which has particularly taken over the prior world since the 1970s. Priorly the situation was that marked by genuine competition of the millions of small to medium companies. I mean – why else would someone waste their lives creating the unholy, unhalthy crap that is produced by mega corporates?

Basically it’s all about Stockholm Syndrome. Someone working for a Mega-Corporate (or a Monopoly like that thing we call the ‘Government’) or a smaller company that thinks like a Mega Corporate has Stockholm Syndrome – they’ve fallen in love with their captors. The words someone says while living under this ailment are the epitets of what I’m calling internal logic – which is at base just the cultural programming of the captor. The aim is so that the victim doesn’t even know they are held captive, thus they won’t want to actually escape. Then the piramid scheme economy that is created & run by the Mega Corporates stays intact & ideally thrives.

I’ll end with this classic Bukowski quote – which descibes what I’ve been taking about perfectly:

“People are strange: They are constantly angered by trivial things, but on a major matter like totally wasting their lives, they hardly seem to notice.”

― Charles Bukowski

Bukowski was dead right – & the reason no one breaks out of the situation is becasue of the brainwashing that is internal logic as evidenced when the Stocholm Syndrome sufferer says things like “If I work another five years here at this Mega Corporation, I’ll be able to earn X, then I’ll be able to live in Suburb Y, then I’ll be able to hang out with the ‘in crowd’, Z”. When someone says or thinks that, they’ve invariably sacrificed their entire lives to a scammer, as Bukowski astutely summarised in his quote.

So if you ever catch yourself talking like that – you’ll know that you are a prisoner spiting the empty platitudes, which is the embodiment of the internal logic or the programming – of the pirimid scheme that is run for & by the mega corporation economy. Once you realise that you have become a zombie to these crooks – now your first priority is the need to work on breaking free from your captors – to massively understate it – they are not your friends. Don’t ever let yourself demand your own imprisonment again.

For that is why we have the world we have in 2024, most people havent broken free of their captors.

I hope a few people who read this end up being free from their captors.

If you can read it – then we still have that slowly-becoming-extinct thing called free speech. If we don’t wisen up, perhaps in ten years no one will be able to talk or even think about anything freely or independantly. Free speech & thought could be gone forever. Orwells vision of the dystopian future in the book called 1984 (read it while you can) – will have been fully implementated into society.

We’ll know we have collectively broken free of our slavery when the Mega Corporations are no longer running the earth-prison usually just lazily called the “economy”. There will be a lot less badly made useless, easily broken, unhealthy crap on offer. You’ll see a lot more smaller, often owner operated companies pop up, & they won’t be killed off by a mega corporate within a couple of years. Depression & anxiety will plummet, and no one will be chugging those poisonous, mind & body destroying Big-Pharma pills.

[P.s. Like the famous ‘post quantum selection experiment’, I can feel the Patriots of the distant future read these words. This would mean we were ultimately victorious in our efforts. Perhaps I’ll meet a time traveller from the future, disguised badly as someone from my timeline? Or am I just like Corporal Jones in that great Brit comedy of yesteryear called ‘Dad’s Army’ – once again delving into the realms of fantasy. Maybe. Maybe not?.]

The End

“The Rough Sleeper & Me” (A Poem)

by Martin Anton Smith

So I walk down to the New Bridge rest area,

By the mighty Clutha River.

This is a monthly jaunt of mine, give or take.

I go to let loose some of those bastard excess stress molecules.

Sky, Water, Trees, Birdsong & Green – It does us all well.

Even the Grumpiest of assholes will feel better.

That’s right – I am in In small town New Zealand.

I walk down the rocky old alluvial river-track to the destination.

Bounded by willow trees & flowing water on one side & scrub on the other.

After five minutes I get to the rest area.

There he is!

The rough sleeper.

Middle aged.

Dreadlocked.

Face is beaten but not out.

There’s a dormant spark there.

I’m sure most people don’t see it.

They’ll judge immediately & avoid.

I’ve talked to him at least four times before.

He’s witty, & has a hearty laugh.

We are roughly the same generation – Gen X.

We talk of the great days of youth when bars were full & people had fun.

Sure it was all a lazy form of fun,

But at least people knew how to kick up heals back then.

We both agree that the ‘younguns these days’ take themselves way too seriously.

They don’t know how to have fun.

Not like our glorious generation did!

Poor sods those digital natives – born with a trashy computer strapped to their hands.

Nothing good can come of that.

We sound like old timers, which I guess we are becoming.

Call us ‘beginner old-timers’.

This time I have a six pack in hand,

I was going to crack open a few & take some home.

I give him a beer, he cracks it open like it’s the finest Bougelet wine, & so do I.

“There’s two more of those coming too” I say firmly & democratically.

He’s happy.

We spin some more yarns.

The conversation turns a little dark – a habit of mine.

We agree the ‘system’ we’re all born into, is a giant scam of evil genius.

Where the very many slaves think they’re free, or well off even.

You see, it’s all about expert brainwashing & reducing the slave’s options.

He’s like me – he can talk about depressing stuff like this,

And yet really enjoy it on an intellectual level.

It’s a weird happy form of misery –

but I’m probably gilding the lily –

But to be honest it’s probably a main of misery with a side of happiness.

Depressive types tend to be like this – & this includes all intellectuals.

But for now it suits me to pretend I can be happy talking about miserable subjects.

Maybe it’s just a lazy form of escapism.

But there must be some merit in it – Christ himself essentially said ‘The World sucks’.

Too soon, the beers are now all gone.

I say “Hey you hungry, I’ll shout you some fish & chips”?

Yeah “sounds great” he says.

So of we trudge to the chippy.

We arrive, we sit outside as is his choice.

I order two packs – one for him one for me.

Five fish bites & a scoop each – again, it’s democracy in action.

The food comes out & we tuck in.

A guy and his kid come out of the chip shop.

The rough sleeper engages these starngers like they’re old friends.

The dad is friendly & says his boy is autistic.

The boy sits down with us & the rough sleeper offers a chip to the boy.

That will turn out to be unprofitable.

I eat all my food quickly – I wolf it down.

Alas I grew up poor, that’s what people like me will do for life.

The rough sleeper eats very slowly & engages in a long-winded chat with the dad.

I wonder – maybe he grew up in a well off family?

Meanwhile the kid nonchalantly eats half of his chips & three of his alloted five fish bites.

I jump in & eat the fourth fish bite, for some reason this seems logical.

We can’t let the kid eat all of his food!

Oh well, at least my rough sleeper friend had a minor feed.

The kid & his dad leave.

“I hardly got any of those” says Rough Sleeper.

“Tell me about it – I had to eat one of your fish bites”

We laugh.

I get my car & drop him off to his hitchhike spot over the bridge.

he’s gotta go to Dunedin.

He tells me vaguely that somethings going down on Monday.

I don’t press him for details.

Before he gets out, I empty my car’s weighty change jar in his hand.

I’m guessing he would have got at least twenty-five bucks.

I’m thinking that’ll help him get a better feed at the next port.

I’m glad I helped me ol mate the rough sleeper.

I think to myself if he had five to ten people like me, he’d be totally on his feet in no time.

Yes – I’m feeling good that I helped him a little.

But then I would be lying if the two thoughts didn’t cross my mind.

‘Will I live to regret this’

AND

‘Is this guy really a rough sleeper – I wonder if he’s a Govt agent sent to spy on me’.

Then I realise.

New Zealand’s too useless to come up with a potential ‘great spy’ like rough sleeper.

I purged the thought.

I haven’t seen rough sleeper for three weeks now, I’ll be looking out for him.

After all – he’s a bloody great New Zealander!

Well, so far at least.

I really should have remembered his name.

After all, me & him have actually have a lot in common,

I’m probably just five to ten per cent luckier than him.

That’s the slim margin between rough sleeping & somewhat relative comfort.

The snobs of the world that screw their faces up at rough sleepers,

Who are mostly just time poor slaves – should recognise that brute fact.

But then again, he’s probably a lot happier than them anyway.

Their own lives is their own punishment.

After all –

As me & ‘rough sleeper’ contend

It’s all a mega-genius-evil-system – with its own internal logic…

But so long as you know it….

You can still eke out a genuine smile…

Even while under heavy fire from the enemy….

(or was it just the free beer?)

Till our next democratic tutorial ‘slash’ lecture ‘O Rough Sleeper’!

Down by the ‘new bridge’, with the ‘old bridge’s’ pillars looking on.

With the mighty Clutha River just passing though.

“The Canberra Jobseeker Bites Off The Correct Amount He Can Chew” (Political Satire)

by Martin Anton Smith

Jobseeker: I’m looking for a new role

Recruitment Officer: Ham or Cheese

Jobseeker: No I want a job, that’s why I’m here!

Recruitment Officer: But Isn’t eating tasty food better that working?

Jobseeker: How did you get a job as a Recruitment consultant?

Recruitment Officer: I’m moonlighting as a Caterer; we can talk jobs later – so I can sell you a Ham for $5 or a Cheese for $7

Jobseeker: But I have no money – that’s why I need a job!

Recruitment Officer: If you buy a sandwich, I’ll give you a job.

Jobseeker: If you give me a job, I’ll buy a sandwich.

Recruitment Officer: Ok Ok – your job will be in Food Prep

Jobseeker: Ok I’m desperate – I’ll do it – when do I start?

Recruitment Officer: Right now – make a Cheese & then a Ham Sandwich, pay is $1 per sandwich.

Jobseeker: Done can I have my two dollars?

Recruitment officer – yes here it is (pays them).

Jobseeker: Thanks this is a move in the right direction.

Recruitment officer: Ok now to complete our bargain – here are the two sandwich’s, $12 dollars please.

Jobseeker: But I only have the $2 you paid me to make them both!

Recruitment Officer: True – & that’s why I am prepared to offer you a $10 ‘Sandwich Mortgage’ at very reasonable rates!

Jobseeker: This is all just a giant Scam isn’t it! Where are you morals you shyster!

Recruitment Officer: Welcome to the exciting new world of work in 2024! Sorry what’s that word you said – Morals? Is that a new type of sandwhich?

Jobseeker: Man – I’ll never try to get a job for the Australian Treasury again! I never knew this is how you make your surpluses!

Recruitment Officer: Let’s just say “Sandwich-o-nomics” has been a fantastic fiscal policy ever since Keating left office!

Jobseeker: Damn – I should have known we were still stuck in the Howard Years!!

Recruitment Officer: Sadly this is true – & you Australian battlers have been screwed like mad! The good news is “Sandwhich-o-nomics” has allowed Canberra Politicians to cream it!

Jobseeker: You charlatan…you swindler…you…you….snake oil salesman!

Recruitment Officer: Do you need some? We sell it at the Parliament doors 100% quality Snake Oil as pressed by the aging John Howard himself!

Jobseeker: hmmm…desperate time call for desperate measures…Do you have any Keating snake oil – that stuff might actually work!

Jobseeker: Hey hey hey – what do you think this place is? A free market? This is Howard era ‘Sandwhich-O-nomics’ my friend – competition is not needed wanted or desired!

Jobseeker: ok ok – give me the Howard snake oil then.

Recruitment Officer: Ok it’s $10 per bottle

Jobseeker: Do you take sandwiches as currency? Thanks to you, that’s the only way I can pay you.

Recruitment Officer: Man you’re really getting into the swing of Sandwich-o-nomics” – I feel a surplus coming on!

Jobseeker: I would protest but this Aussie Battler has had their life squeezed out of them!

Recruitment Officer: haha Sandwich-o-nomics strikes again!

Jobseeker: Can I have a loan?

Recruitment Officer: Sure first just squeeze this snake’s oil into this bottle & sign this document.

Jobseeker: That better be a real snake.

Recruitment Officer: In Sandwich-O-nomics nothing as guaranteed.

Jobseeker: Oh brother!

Recruitment Officer: Yes we can recruit him too!

Jobseeker: Where is the door?

Recruitment Officer: Under Sandwich-o-nomics there are no doors – only windows.

Jobseeker: So ‘Sandwhich-o-nomics’ has really got me screwed 100% no matter what I do!?

Recruitment: It’s a beautiful system – now excuse me I must pray 3 times on the hour to the grand Poobah of Sandwich-o-nomics

Jobseeker: Is that John Howard?

Recruitment Officer: Are you angling for a promotion?

Jobseeker: Have you got any jobs making antique watches?

Recruitment Officer: Yes – but it’ll cost you 3 months salary.

Jobseeker: Who do you think I am? Paul Keating?

Recruitment Officer: I thought you were him! That’s why made all this crap up!

Jobseeker: Shhh don’t tell anyone….I’m here to secretly scuttle the AUKUS deal

Recruitment Officer: Sorry I don’t sell those deep-sea sardines in brine water.

Jobseeker: Oh good I’ve already won! that was easier than i thought! I retire forthwith!

Recruitment Officer: I will remember you always! Lets celebrate! Ham or Cheese!

Jobseeker: Cheese please – I’m not one to ham it up!

Recruitment Officer: Touche!

“500 All Time Views!” (A Poem)

Poem by Martin Anton Smith martinantonsmith@gmail.com

I Am A Quiet Proclaimer

Of The Written Word True

I Wrote A Few Poems

But It Didn’t make The News

Fame Is Not The Plan

For Who Wants All That Schmooze?

Thank You To My Readers

I’m Glad Your Here At All

A Celebration! – We’ve Got To 500 Views!

Now I’m Sorry To Be A Bore

And I Am A Greedy Oiled Pig

But Please Sir?

Can I Have 500 More?