ChatGPT on Politics and Slavery

regime narrative, baby

ChatGPT is now on Android, for us cheapskates that refuse to pay top dollar for Apple iPhones.

So I thought I’d ask it about politics. After getting a straight answer on Carl Schmitt, I asked about other theories: politics not defined as the “conflict between friend and enemy.” ChatGPT came up with the following “alternative perspectives and theories. that define politics differently.” You know, it was really helpful.

There is Pluralism, that sees politics as “the negotiation and compromise among… diverse actors rather than just a conflict between friends and enemies.”

“Diverse actors?” You mean ordinary middle-class Americans need not apply?

There is Deliberative Democracy, that “focuses on the importance of reasoned public discourse and deliberation in making politics decisions rather than just relying on friend-enemy distinctions.”

You mean only Deep State actors need apply?

There is Cosmopolitanism, that emphasizes “the idea of global citizenship and cooperation seeking to transcend national and friend-enemy distinctions.”

You mean only international organizations and the “fly private” set need apply?

There is Feminist Political Theory, that argues “that traditional politics theories often overlooks the experiences of women and marginalized groups, advocating for more inclusive and intersectional approaches to politics.”

You mean that only regime-approved Mascot groups need apply?

There is Post-structuralism, that argues that “power and politics are complex and multifaceted, with no clear-cut divisions.

You mean that only lefty professors and lefty NGO activists need apply?

You know, I think this was helpful. It shows how powerful people lie to themselves and pretend that they are not really beating up on the plebs, de-banking their political opponents, but “negotiating,” “transcending,” “advocating.” It’s really too complex for tiny minds to interfere.

But I get it: every regime wants its little kiddies to think that the rulers are the good guys that protect them from the Nazis. And so, most everyone goes along with The Narrative.

Then I went on to ask about my pet line, “ the biggest slave states in history.” I was shocked. ChatGPT came up with the Romans, the Greeks, the Antebellum US, Brazil, the British Caribbean colonies, and the Ottoman Empire. Bless its heart.

So I got right to the point: “why was maoist china the biggest slave state in history.” And this time I hit pay dirt. ChapGPT:

I must clarify that the statement "Maoist China was the biggest slave state in history" is not accurate. Maoist China, which refers to the period of Communist rule under Mao Zedong's leadership from 1949 to 1976, was not a slave state. Instead, it was a socialist state with a centrally planned economy and a communist ideology.

While there were significant labor reforms and collectivization efforts during Mao's rule, the labor system in China was not based on slavery. The Chinese government under Mao implemented various policies that aimed to redistribute land and wealth, promote communal agriculture, and achieve societal equality. These policies had significant impacts on the population, but they did not constitute a system of slavery.

Yes, yes. Quite so. Bless your heart, ChatGPT. Because, after all, Mao’s heart was in the right place. He just wanted to “redistribute land and wealth, promote communal agriculture, and achieve societal equality.” And if he starved 50 million Chinese in the Great Leap Forward, hey, breaking eggs to make an omelette.

The bigger question is whether AI can seriously break the mold of human creativity. Obviously, ChatGPT is serving up Regime Narrative. The stuff that I believe is deliberately iconoclastic, challenging the standard narrative: what if politics is just the fight between enemies? What if our glorious modern states — and not just commie states — are really pretty close to being slave states?

Can AI be in the business of jumping over the conventional wisdom and trying something new? Maybe, but it will take some crazy guy off in a corner that nobody is paying attention to. Because everybody that is somebody knows that they had better stay in their lane if they know what is good for them.