Saturday 23 December 2023

Keeping Traditions Alive

How often do we hear that the old traditions are dying out?

How often do we say much the same thing?

But what are we doing personally to keep these traditions alive?

Recently I was talking with one of my brothers and I mentioned that I only received one Christmas card this year. He replied he hadn't sent any out and that it seemed that it was a tradition that was dying out. Which made me realise that I was part of the problem as I never send out Christmas cards. If I want this tradition to survive then maybe I should do something to keep it alive. Like telling people that I want Christmas cards sent to me, maybe even going the radical route and sending some out myself.

This week I have been out and about doing Christmas shopping and everywhere I have been I have been wishing people Merry Christmas and people like it. People want to be a part of the festive season and they like it when other people are nice and pleasant to them. I have seen people smile, I have had people then wish me a merry Christmas. What I have not encountered is any pushback. If we want to keep our traditions alive then we need to keep them alive.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!


To Help Support My Work

https://www.subscribestar.com/upon-hope  


Upon Hope - A Traditionalist Future

Another Article You Might Like?

The Death Of Classical Liberalism

Saturday 16 December 2023

Why Aren't We Having More Children?

In the 1990's the Left shared an African proverb, 'it takes a village to raise a child'. They loved that this traditional phrase called upon a collective for child raising. What they failed to notice was that in an African village nearly everyone is likely to be a relative of that child. It is not about a collection of random people or of professionals raising a child, but the importance of the extended family in looking after itself.

From Italy to South Korea there is hardly a country in the developed world that doesn't have a baby shortage. This is even spreading to the third world. Here we are witnesses to a civilizational issue, not simply one restricted to one country or society. Which means that to understand the issue we must look more broadly. 

Men and women want children, but we are not simply creatures of instinct. We think, which means that what we think can be influenced by things other than our instincts. The environment in which we live and the ideas that exist around us also influence us. As does the reality of raising children. They take up time, money and resources. Even though people want children, children come at a cost.

However in the past people seemed to be willing to pay that price and today more and more people seem to be unwilling or unable to. The standard answers as to why are always economic. People moved from the farm to the city and children went from being an asset that could provide labour to a burden that instead cost money. That as women become more educated they wanted less children. Each idea suggests that these things are rational and logical. Even that having a large family is indulgent and selfish.

In 1700 no matter where someone lived they were nearly always surrounded by family. Everyone in the town, village or district is related in some way to the other people who also live in that place. Which means that there was a vast network of people who could help in the day to day raising of children. But when a family moved to the town or city they left behind that support and they disrupted two communities. We are familiar with the idea that the village is disrupted, but so too is the community that someone moves too. A stranger arrives and is now competing against the locals. Ties are broken and that includes those of the extended community. If no one can look after the children then it makes less sense to have more. It is not economics or logic that encourages less children. But instead the reality that it is much harder to look after them. 

There is an old saying, 'many hands make light work', meaning that if a job is done by many people each persons share of the work is reduced. In the past motherhood used this principle, many people other than the mother took some of the burden. Mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, cousin, niece, daughter, all pitched in. When a women is in a new place amongst new people then all of that changes. Motherhood becomes a much bigger and harder part of her live. 

We see this in modern times, a couple have a child together and it is a very trying time for them. The husband feels as if he is doing everything that he can to support his brand new family, working, helping out, providing emotional support for her and often she is frustrated beyond belief, why is he doing so little to help she wonders? 

Which has a big impact on how many children this couple will have. It is an enormous test for their relationship. The answer is other women, specifically her mother, then her aunt, sister and any other women who are related or experienced with children. It is an unfortunate modern trend for the father to take the place of all the women in the village, it's too much.

Then in the middle of the 20th century we had a massive population boom, the rapid growth of population in the third world as it received the benefits of transport, new rapid growth crops and pharmaceuticals. In 1927 the worlds population was around 2 billion, in 2023 it has gone over 8 billion, but nearly everywhere the fertility rate has declined.

In the West we had the babyboom between 1944-1964, but that created it's own problems as new families left older communities and started new lives amongst new people. Those older family ties and formations broke down and today we are seeing that continue although with new challenges. One of those new challenges is how hard it is to get into an economically stable position and then to remain there. In the past a great deal of effort was made to get families to form and to make sure that jobs were available and that prices were kept under control. Today none of that is true.

It is still required for a man to have a stable job and to pay, but permanent employment is harder to obtain. Competition from women, mass immigration all make family formation harder. Marriage has  been made unstable. 

I have mixed feelings about the fertility decline, in 1086 when Willian the Conqueror had the Domesday book compiled there were around 1,700,000 people in England, today there are more than 56,000,000. I can't help feeling that that is insane. Sure about 20% of that is from immigration, but even 45,000,000 is a lot of people. That problem is now all over the Earth. Capitalism, the handmaiden of Liberalism says that a bigger population leads to a bigger economy and thats what really matters. I'm a bit more agnostic on population, I'm not convinced that a smaller population is a bad thing. 

Having said that, if we want people to have more children then we need to make family formation easier. family stability a priority and to make women more important to society than to the economy. Today we are burning the candle at both ends because in theory it increases the economy. But if increasing the economy leads to our extinction then that isn't a good deal at all. 


To Help Support My Work

https://www.subscribestar.com/upon-hope


Upon Hope - A Traditionalist Future

Another Article You Might Like

Debt Is King I



Saturday 14 October 2023

Capitalism Or Socialism?

Liberalism puts forward the idea that we must choose between two extremes, if you don't support free speech then you support all speech being controlled. If you don't support free trade then you don't believe in trade. The choice between Capitalism and Socialism is one of those extreme positions, because like most people I actually think that a good economy has a bit of both, but not too much of either.

But to understand this better we must define what is meant by Capitalism and Socialism, because one thing that allows Liberalism to continue this absurd idea is that the terms are not defined. People are left to argue without any agreement about what they are arguing about.

Strictly speaking Capitalism only means collecting money (capital) for investment. That is what Capitalists do, they collect money so that they can use that money to invest. However many people also use the word Capitalism to mean the ownership of private property or the ability to make money from your own labour or endeavours. 

The rise of Communism in the 20th century encouraged this idea as they were against all of these things. But Socialism and Communism, while related, are not the same thing. Both say that the economy should be controlled by the government, but the degree to which that government should control the economy differs greatly. For Socialists the degree is astonishing, some are very light and others go all the way to Communism. For the 'light' it might mean that extreme poverty is the enemy, so no one should go hungry or be homeless. For others it might mean that the government makes decisions on how the economy is run. Others don't like excess and rich people offend their sensibilities. But most Socialists believe that Socialism can exist in nearly any political system. Communists do not believe that, they believe that anything less than a Communist government is just not good enough. 

When I write about Capitalism I mean the strict version and about Socialism the 'light' version. 

The problem with big business is that it seeks to be richer and more powerful, which means that it destroys competition. Which it claims to love, but doesn't. Instead it seeks a big slice of the pie, whether that pie is bigger, small or stable in size. That includes in power, it sucks power away from other areas, just as it does the same to finance. Unless some limit is placed upon big business it will destroy the economy, including itself.

Certainly there are some companies that do need to be big, just as some industries should be controlled by the Government, but they should be exceptions. 

But to give that power to the Government is also destructive, of course the Government needs power. But everything needs limits, everything needs to be kept under watch and nothing should be allowed to get out of control. An economy that allows small and medium companies to predominate is an economy that serves the most people and at the same time allows people to make the decisions about that economy. 


To Help Support My Work

https://www.subscribestar.com/upon-hope


Upon Hope - A Traditionalist Future

Another Article You Might Like?

Who Owns Australia

Sunday 1 October 2023

50 Movies For Traditionalists To Watch

Like many of you I avoid movies or TV programs that I think are going to have too much of 'the message', or race swapping, or feminism or you get the point. But I still own a large collection of DVD's and the like and I still find good movies, old and new. Sometimes I'm asked for recommendations and I decided that I should put together a list of movies that others could watch. Of course we should remember that interests differ, tastes differ and our tolerance for nonsense differs, so just because I like something doesn't mean that you will. Having said that I still think that you will find movies to enjoy on this list.

Rather than having an impossibly long list I decided to limit this to 50 movies. These are not necessarily my favourites, but I have enjoyed them all.

All links go to IMBD. TS means True Story


1. Citizen Kane (1941) Drama

A good story, well acted and important in the history of cinema. 

2. The Song of Bernadette (1943) Mystery/Biography TS

A young women has a vision of the Virgin Mary. Treats religion with respect.  

3. Sunset Blvd. (1950) Drama

Was surprised that I liked this one. The movie asks what happens when you are no longer famous?

4. The Desert Rats (1953)War 

A character study set during the siege of Tobruk during WWII.

5. The Silent Enemy (1958) War/Biography TS

A very accurate movie about the underwater battle between Italian and British frogman over Gibraltar during WWII.

6. Cleopatra (1963) Drama/ Biography TS

The movie was so expensive that it put the studio that made it out of business and you can see everything that they spent up on the screen. Long, effectively two movies and spectacular.

7. The Sand Pebbles (1966) Drama/Adventure

In 1926, a U.S. Naval engineer gets assigned to a gunboat on a rescue mission in war torn China.

8. The Producers (1967) Comedy

A movie made by Jews about Jews, with Nazi's. 

9. Easy Rider (1969) Drama

I watched this recently and was surprised that I liked it. Well made, well acted, many don't like this movie and I understand why. The ending is very heavy handed with one of the earliest anti-White endings around.

10. The Wicker Man (1973) Horror/Mystery

The only horror in this movie is at the end, a really great movie.

11. Seven Little Australians (1973) Family Drama Mini-Series

A strict military man marries a much younger women who is now mother to 6 of his children and the seventh between them. A series to watch with the family.

12. Young Frankenstein (1974) Comedy

Very funny parody

13. I, Claudius (1976) Historical/Biography Min-Series TS

The story of the Roman Emperor Claudius, this is clearly filmed on a stage, but the acting and plot are very good. 

14. Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (1980) Drama/Biography Mini-Series TS

The story of how one man created a cult and convinced over 900 people to commit suicide. 

15. Tron (1982) Sci-Fi

This is an important movie because it introduced computer graphics into film and it helps explain the background to the other and I think better TRON: Legacy (2010).

16. Do the Right Thing (1989) Drama

A surprisingly honest look at race relations.

17. Gettysburg (1993) Drama/War TS

One of the best movies about a battle, long but totally worth it.

18. Once Were Warriors (1994) Drama Crime

Very violent New Zealand movie about a Maori family. Not for the faint of heart.

19. Pride and Prejudice (1995) Romance Mini-Series

Classic novel dramatized, a series to watch with the wife or girlfriend.

20. The Day of the Roses (1996) Drama TS

A bridge collapses on a train filled with passengers, very good. 

21. American History X (1998) Drama

I did an entire review of this movie here.

22. The Insider (1999) Drama/Biography TS

Story of a man who decides to make public, insider knowledge of the tobacco industry.

23. Galaxy Quest (1999) Comedy/Sci-Fi

A fictional crew are mistaken for the real thing and hilarity ensures, at least I thought so.

24. The Lost Battalion (2001) War TS

WWI American battalion becomes 'lost', a made for tv movie that is better than it should be.

25. About Schmidt (2002) Drama

A man retires and looks at his life.

26. Panic Room (2002) Thriller

I think this is the only Thriller on the list and it is here because it makes sense. A mother and her daughter move into a house and have to use the panic room. 

27. Wallis & Edward (2005) Drama TS

TV movie on the reason King Edward VIII abdicated in 1936.

28. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) Fantasy

I recommend all of the Narnia movies but I like this one the best, great for family viewing.

29. The Baader Meinhof Complex (2008) Drama TS

German movie on the Left wing terrorist group of the same name

30. Red Cliff (2008) Historical/War TS

Chinese movie about a famous battle in the 200AD's. Sort of historical and sort of fantastical.

31. Generation Kill (2008) War Mini-Series TS

An accurate picture of the invasion of Iraq, 2003.

32. 127 Hours (2010) Drama/Biography TS

Man goes hiking by himself and gets his arm trapped, should be boring, isn't.

33.. TRON: Legacy (2010) Sci-Fi

A man travels into a hidden electronic world.

34. Parer's War (2014) drama TS

TV movie that is good but not great, About an Australian war correspondent in WWII.

35. The Monuments Men (2014) War/Drama TS

An old fashioned war movie about men who were recruited to save art during WWII.

36. Trumbo (2015) Drama/Biography TS

Left wing screen writer blacklisted in the 50's. Well made, acted and as far as I know accurate. Interesting look into how Hollywood and the Left view one of their hero's.

37. Bridge of Spies (2015) Drama TS

During the Cold War a man is sent 'unofficially' to get a pilot back from Communist captivity. A good story that I think you get more out of the more you know.

38. O.J.: Made in America (2016) Documentary/Biography

Nearly 8 hour long documentary on O.J. Simpson. Made by Left Liberals, it definitely has their point of view. However in that time it reveals things about race in America that really highlight points that we make about race. Great footage and interviews, with the highlight being the coverage of the murders and the trial, quite revealing.

39. The Lost City of Z (2016) Drama/Biography TS

A movie that I wish was better than it is, B when it should have been an A. Man explorers the jungles of South America. Worth seeing even though it's not topknot.

40. Arrival (2016) Mystery/Sci-Fi

For some this will have too much diversity, but I thought the story held up well enough for it to not be as bad as some. Aliens arrive and we cannot communicate with each other.

41. Sully (2016) Drama/Biography

Pilot lands plane on a river, the investigation was never the witch hunt shown here, but a good heroic tale none the less. 

42. All the Money in the World (2017) Drama TS

Grandson of the wotlds richest man is kidnapped. Good but it should have been better, still worth watching.

43. The Senator Original title: Chappaquiddick (2017) Drama/ Biography TS

Senator Ted Kennedy and that night at Chappaquiddick.

44. Borg McEnroe Original title: Borg VS McEnroe (2017) Drama/Sport

I'm not much of a sports fan but here the story is really about the rivalry between two men, who happen to be tennis players. 

45. Stan & Ollie (2018) Drama/Biography TS

Laurel and Hardy go on a tour of Britain in the early 1950's, a lovely tribute with superb acting.

46. A Quiet Place (2018) Horror/Sci-Fi

Aliens attack noise and people make noise.

47. First Man (2018) Drama/Biography TS

First man to walk on the moon, slow and there is no American flag on the moon, but apart from that. 

48. Tolkien (2019) Drama/Biography

Story of Tolkien's early life

49. 1917 (2019) War

A bit too much diversity in the background. But other than that this is quite good.

50. Apocalypse Now: Final Cut (2019) War

This movie was released in 1979, then a Redux version was released in 1999, this is the Final Cut which was released in 2019. Watch this version, it is the best.


To Help Support My Work

https://www.subscribestar.com/upon-hope


Upon Hope - A Traditionalist Future

Another Article You Might Like

Marriage - The Second Attack




Sunday 24 September 2023

Politicians And The Rules Of Seduction

It takes a certain type of person to become a politician. It is not just ambition, although that is certainly present. They are a curious mixture of positive and negative attributes. Most have a built in optimism about the world and their role in it. That the world can be a better place than it currently is and that they have the will, the ability and the belief to make a positive change in the world. An idealism that is missing from most people. 

But at the same time they have both a practical and a cynical nature, which can be hard to separate as each lives so close to the other. They believe that betrayal, lies and cynicism are practical things. That they are in fact essential to achieving the things that they believe that they and only they can achieve. Of course not all politicians become involved because they are idealists, but I do think that those who are any good do start from an idealists position. It may wear off, or fade in and out of existence, but rarely is it absent entirely.

At heart politicians are seducers, they whisper sweet lies into people ears and hope that what they have whispered is better then what the other professional liars have whispered. My Mother said that children don't lie, they instead tell you what they want to be true. For example a child will break a vase and then say that they didn't break it, what they mean is that they didn't intend to break it. In their mind it is not a lie but what they wish was true. Politicians are like that, they lie but they wish those lies were true. They wish they could build that hospital they promised, or end war, or cut taxes and increase spending without consequences. Even though they know that the things that they say are lies, a good liar believes in the lies that they tell. Because while children may not lie, politicians most certainly do.

Why do they lie?

Because people insist that they lie, people will tell you that they hate lies but that is itself a lie. The truth is that people love lies because the truth is harsh and we find that we already have enough harshness in our lives. We need the softness of lies to cushion the harshness of truth. The truth is that maybe we can't really afford that hospital, that no one can end war and in fact war loves that you hate it and cutting taxes and increasing spending will have consequences. Instead of dealing with that harshness maybe it is better to live with the promise that maybe things can get better. We want to hear lies and because we want to hear them we are told them. We are being seduced and I know of two rules of seduction.

The first rule of seduction is that you do not tell the person you are seducing the truth, instead you tell them what they want to hear. 

The second rule of seduction is that the easiest person to seduce is the person who wants to be seduced. 

If a politician wants to be successful then they need to learn these rules. Although learning something is different to putting it into practise and we often see them fail. 

Lastly politicians need the practical nature that I wrote about above, they need to be able to deal with people, systems and processes. And they need to be able to change, to go with the flow. It is something that they are criticised for, fairly and unfairly.


To Help support My Work

https://www.subscribestar.com/upon-hope 


Upon Hope - A Traditionalist Future

Another Article You Might Like?

The Future Of The Nation State

Monday 18 September 2023

No To The Voice

Australia's Labor government has decided that they want to change our constitution and to give a 'voice' to Aboriginal people. The argument put forward has been 'go on be nice to Aborigines', of course the other argument is 'if you don't vote yes your a racist, bigot, White supremacist'. 

So what is 'the voice'?

That's a good question that it's proponents cannot agree on. At one extreme are those who state that every law affects Aboriginal people, therefore every law will need to be approved by a consultative body, 'the voice'. In effect it will have veto powers over all Australian laws and it will use this power to push for more radical positions. At the other extreme are those, including the Prime Minister, who insist that this is simply mentioning Aboriginals in the constitution. Along with a consultative body that can offer advice to the government on matters that pertain to matters that overwhelmingly affect Aboriginal people. Constitutional experts claim the proposed amendment is so badly written and confusing that it will lead to decades of legal challenges.

Even simple questions about 'the voice' remain unanswered.

How many members will make up 'the voice'?

Will they be voted for or selected and if so by whom?

Will 'the voice' have a budget?

Will 'the voice' have staff?

Vote yes and only then will we be able to find out if it was all a mistake or not.

I'm not prepared to vote for handing the country over to radicals and I'm also not prepared to recognise Aboriginals in the constitution. Not when the people who actually wrote it aren't recognised in it.  

I cannot think of a single reason to vote yes, which means it's definitely a no from me.

Vote No


To Help Support My Work

https://www.subscribestar.com/upon-hope


Upon Hope - A Traditionalist Future

Another Article You Might Like?

Left Or Social Liberalism


Wednesday 14 June 2023

Can We Ban This Now?

In the past whenever people like myself have wondered why something couldn't be banned we were told that it was against our Liberal traditions. But not now, in fact this surprising article from the Lowy Institute makes exactly this point, Banning nazi salute opens pandoras box.

If we are going to ban things from a regime we defeated 80 years ago, it becomes hard to argue that we should not ban things that insult many of our sensibilities now.

Things such as:

The burka


 Facial tattoos


Drag Time Story Hour


Treason





And so much more.


To Help Support My Work


Upon Hope - A Traditionalist Future
Another Article You Might Like?