Judge lest ye be judged
Which is putting it strongly. The amount of time and effort put into posturing in the comment section is remarkable, and the more identifiable someone is, seemingly the more posturing.
Making a long story longer
I'm kind enough not to bore you with this stuff in person.
Judge lest ye be judged
Which is putting it strongly. The amount of time and effort put into posturing in the comment section is remarkable, and the more identifiable someone is, seemingly the more posturing.
I suppose we’re at the point where someone should point out that if you combine
We largely have retired military rule – if they’re not making the actual decisions, they’re influencing the available options enough to where they might as well be. It’s a good thing for the most part – Trump seems content to play court jester and social media director, and not much beyond that. Seemingly he’s capable of being somewhat presidential, but seems content to delegate any actual decision making to others, and just issue commentary.
What if we don’t live in meaningful times, and what if the truly notable facts of the 2016 election are
Coupled with
Match those two things together and we feel like we’re in some deep important times, even if in terms of importance it’s like we’re stuck in the 50s with out the cold war.
Here is yet another article about Trump, and him saying offensive things, part 3939, to wit A Deal Breaker for Trump’s Supporters? Nope. Not This Time, Either.
Trump not apologizing for anything IS what people like about him – it doesn’t matter what he’s actually said, it’s the way he says it and defends it they actually like. It’s the medium, not the message, much the same way the Democrats never minded Obama continuing Bush’s wars, NSA surveillance, or an official, not euphemistically named “Kill List”. The more offensive, the more “courageous” it seems (courageous being something that prompts criticism, which is courageous by the standards of neurotic modern times, not in any actual sense). If you’re a groupish person you are quite loath to criticize your “champion” (in the original sense of the word), and by and large you’ll come up with reasons for the behavior rather than condemn it.
From my own post all the way back in 2006
Better a third-rate fireman than a first rate arsonist.
Thomas Sowell
Oddly is about police chases, murder/suicide and a gospel house band.
One thing that seems to be coming about lately is that the modern left is “shaming” and doxxing the participants in whatever sort of right you want to the rally last weekend – in a manner eerily reminiscent of McCarthy’s blacklist.
I don’t have any particular problem with that, there is no right to privacy when in public, though people with meaningful work seldom in mass movements so I’m not sure what difference it will make.
On an unrelated note, it’s interesting to hear people who would never ask the average Muslim to apologize for ISIS (which is the morally correct path) carefully parse Trump’s words and find them wanting, as if there is some right answer they would be happy with.
I think the alt-right, such as it is, will continue to punch above it’s weight in terms of ideological impact (which is actually quite small, but outsize in terms of media attention) because they are actually showing up to persuade, at least a little bit, compared to their sworn enemies who are merely adding profanity to the conventional wisdom. The alt right worldview is both coherent, new and Utopian, albeit lacking in morality and accuracy. The progressive left is stuck trying to paint modern reality as experienced by those with degrees in the humanities as the best of all possible worlds. Both are victims of the narrative and intentional fallacies to high degrees, as one would expect for people who go to marches
The less justified a man is in claiming excellence for his own self, the more ready he is to claim all excellence for his nation, his religion, his race or his holy cause.
and
It is easier to hate an enemy with much good in him than one who is all bad. We cannot hate those we despise. The Japanese had an advantage over us in that they admired us more than we admired them. They could hate us more fervently than we could hate them. The Americans are poor haters in international affairs because of their innate feeling of superiority over all foreigners. An American’s hatred for a fellow American (for Hoover or Roosevelt) is far more virulent than any antipathy he can work up against foreigners. It is of interest that the backward South shows more xenophobia than the rest of the country. Should Americans begin to hate foreigners wholeheartedly, it will be an indication that they have lost confidence in their own way of life.
and
Passionate hatred can give meaning and purpose to an empty life. Thus people haunted by the purposelessness of their lives try to find a new content not only by dedicating themselves to a holy cause but also by nursing a fanatical grievance. A mass movement offers them unlimited opportunities for both.
I’m reminded of two things in light of the recent Charlottesville murder(s).
Sadly Eric Hoffer gets more relevant every day.
Actually it’s been real for about a month now – It’s a joint venture with Matt Davis – Check out The Atlanta Podcast – he’s had a lot of great guests on so far.