Reading this LibCon post and the long comment thread reminds me of how much I (often) despise politics. Playground insults. Can I comment without becoming one of them?
The self-labelled 'Left', as represented by LibCon, seems to hate the concept of libertarianism. I believe this is because they have a guilty conscience. Many of them (of my vintage or older) remember the rotten old tories, and one of the reasons the tories were hated was because of their authoritarianism. Now these liberal lefties have a choice: they can face up to the reality of how authoritarian their own beliefs and, more importantly, policies are, and reassess their fundamental attitudes, or they can retreat into the cosy world of left vs right certainties.
The former requires thought. All the latter needs is a few targets for ad hominem abuse.
The self-labelled 'Left', as represented by LibCon, seems to hate the concept of libertarianism. I believe this is because they have a guilty conscience. Many of them (of my vintage or older) remember the rotten old tories, and one of the reasons the tories were hated was because of their authoritarianism. Now these liberal lefties have a choice: they can face up to the reality of how authoritarian their own beliefs and, more importantly, policies are, and reassess their fundamental attitudes, or they can retreat into the cosy world of left vs right certainties.
The former requires thought. All the latter needs is a few targets for ad hominem abuse.
7 comments:
Brilliant. There is nothing liberal about that lot anyway.
You're too kind. I sit very much on the sidelines of these political squabbles. It depresses me to think that the majority of people don't give a thought to any of this political stuff, and of those few that do, the majority of them are complete idiots (or to put it another way, they disagree with me!)
Even that fraction of a fraction who call themselves libertarians, I quite often find little common ground.
Still, it all bears out my nom de plume - Trooper Thompson, the one man revolution, didn't manage to take England, but at least held Northampton for five days.
I think it's libertines I don't really like as opposed to say libertarians. Someone pointed that out to me over at Counting Cats and I'm sure they are right. You know...Hugh Hefner, Roman Polanski, Noel Cunningham. Top middle bottom :D
I could see how that was going to wind up re the Daily Wail because I watched all the tweets going mental "im reporting her to the police" "thats a hate crime!" and the predictable slew of sexism and gay mysoginy that went with it all. I bet that woman has gossiped and curtain twitched about all sorts but the Holy Gays must not be commented upon else your opinions be marshalled in law. Effectively what they are doing is deciding what currently passes as good manners (which is one thing) and then proscribing those manners. But noone can see how evil that actually is? Least of all so called "liberals" who are anything but.
Anyway it was just me tweeting away, a one wman Trooperette Thompson holding Twitter for a day, in the face of Stephen Fry. Getting called a bitch for enquiring about free speech as it all descended into a police matter far too quickly. Welcome to the future:
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/celebrity/everyone-to-run-everything-by-stephen-fry-200910192148/
So yes hop on to Twitter as that much power in the hands of an unelected actor busybody (he's done a few things lately) is scary.
That link you gave me above made me laugh out loud. Yes it was pretty much like that. Zulus in pink tutus. LOL
Knee high boots by the way. I always thought I scared people off with my over passionate contrary rants. So I'm flattered. Funny but a lot of the things you and I have discussed over the years pop into my mind. And the comment you made on ATW re the Daily Mail discussion I had (all that drama) coincidentally always makes me smile.
I didn't take the jab. Actually I may go to the doctor tomorrow as this is dragging on. No more fever etc but I cannot shift this cough.
Glad you are still blogging.
x
Knee-high boots, eh? (tough luck, James!)
"I always thought I scared people off with my over passionate contrary rants"
I dare say you do! It probably partly depends on which direction the cannon's pointing.
As for your recent battle, with that lot, you should probably try what they did in 'Carry on up the Khyber' and they'll run squweeming.
The thing about Stephen Fry, and I find him quite entertaining some of the time, is that he's built a career on offending people, and he doesn't give a fuck about it - and quite right too, do your own thing pal. But then don't deny to others what you take for yourself.
A while back I bought the dvds of a couple of old Fry and Laurie series, because I remembered liking them, but what turned me off was this violent side to it. Often the sketch would end with Fry viciously punching out Laurie, which isn't funny to me. Maybe I should have called the police.
I didn't bother to comment on Roman Polanski and that piece of trash in the French government who goes to slave markets for young boys, as there wasn't much to say other than the obvious. What it reminds me of is an essay by George Orwell on Salvador Dali, called 'Benefit of Clergy' (that being the old law, by which you could get out of a criminal trial as long as you could read - or remember verbatim if illiterate - a particular psalm, and get the case moved to the more lenient ecclesiastical courts), which I may have mentioned in the past.
He talks about opinion being divided on Dali between those who think he's a degenerate, thus his paintings suck, and those who think he's a genius, and thus not subject to the ordinary rules of morality like the rest of us. Orwell thinks that we should be able to accept his obvious talent, whilst condemning his disgusting character. It's the latter of the two opinions that seems to have prevailed with regard to Polanski, such a great cineaste that we should overlook the occasional drugging and sodomising of a child. No way.
As for your cough, I'm not a doctor, but may I recommend blue Drum, preferably laced with a bit of the holy herb? That should kill off the pathogens.
You take care of yourself.
xx
I just checked that link - very funny.
It's viral bronchitis! Never had that before so I was quite pleased the trip to the docs was worth it. I thought it sounded lame going to the doc for a cough but I actually didn't sleep at all last night for hacking and by 5am was in floods of tears! Pathetic. Anyway now I have an inhaler. Not really sure what it does
I was never sure about Fry. Also I read a book he wrote about a boy who fucks animals and that put me right off him. I loved Hugh Laurie. Like him in the US series House. Terrific. I think Fry is jealous? So that's why Twitter is essential to him. He can be quite funny I guess so I followed him on Twitter, he made one tweet and I unfollowed him then all that stuff with the DM kicked off.
I had no idea about ecclesiastical law. Interesting stuff.
We live in weird times right now. The EDL, the BNP, Obama, Polanski. even the Conservatives with their very radical agenda. Interesting times and all a bit scary.
Anyway hook up to Twitter :)
Vitamin D is what you need, I believe, as this boosts your immune system, and it is your immune system that pulls you through.
We certainly do live in strange times, and it's getting stranger every day.
I hope you feel better soon. Don't rush back to work. As Lindsay Williams said (probably not the first) "JOB stands for 'just over broke'".
Post a Comment