Posted on 08/09/2018 8:24:44 AM PDT by poconopundit
Occasional Cortex Disorder (OCD) is a serious medical condition that deteriorates the reasoning power of the human brain.
The OCD brain collects facts, but can't associate or share knowledge across its memory spheres. If a normal brain is a global network, the OCD brain is a siloed 1980s IBM PC. OCD causes the cortex to form black holes which gravitationally pull back and stop information frombeing shared with other spheres.
Simple facts the OCD brain can recall, such as: margarita recipes, salsa-sauce-making tips, and kitty litter clean up strategies.
However complex thought is restricted. Questions about foreign policy and macro-economics wrack the brain of an OCD sufferer.
In the end, OCD-inflicted people don't trust logic andfacts as much as their feeeeelings.
A normal brain learns from history. It stores life's lessons in long term memory to better adapt to life.
The normal cerebral cortex is active & associative. Logical insights flash back and forth across its connective tissue. It learns life's lessons:
-- People must work to eat & live in a safe shelter.
-- It's not wise to kill geese who lay golden eggs.
-- Socialists murdered tens of millions in the 20th century.
-- Criminals, fraudsters & MS-13 gangs actually exist.
-- Police, military, ICE and border walls protect us.
-- Big government taxes killprivate job creation.
Occasional Cortex Disorder: Cortex engages once a millennium.
The innocent, star-struck look on this chick really reinforces her growing reputation as the poster girl for Neo-Marxist airheads. But I still applaud her enthusiasm and guts. How many GOP congressman are out there evangelizing for Trump and America?
Still, Obama and Hillary are mighty upset that OC is bringing to broad daylight what they secretly plotted behind the curtain.
Yep. She is what, 28 years old, and thinks she knows everything. What she doesn't know about Leftism is that you cannot be up front about it, because Leftism largely has no popular support (which is why they depend on the courts)
Every time she opens her mouth, the more experienced Leftists must be face-palming and saying to each other: "Doesn't she know enough to shut up, and not spill the beans?"
That will take a size able bit out of gender studies and other worthless humanities programs.
Thanks for the link on Mencken. I really don’t know him and the little bit I read gives the impression that he had strong opinions for his times — in some ways I keep bumping into his time, or at least see the times from which he speaks more clearly than what he wants to say. Maybe it’s his style, as well. I know he influenced a lot of people and many appreciate him for his wry humor and wit.
I know the humanities in the university doesn’t prepare you for anything anymore — and graduates can’t even think or write well. Just look at the courses. You can take courses on “Tree Climbing” or “The Etymological meaning of the word s-h-i-t” and write essays like “The Transgender Perspective on Urban Lesbian Poetry” which qualifies you for a whole lot of discontent when you leave the hallowed halls of academia. You ‘d be lucky to get a job in a comic book store. So Trump has the right idea to find out what people make.
Exactly. It’s one of the biggest ripoffs of the Obama era.
Imagine a guy who was the America's leading newpaper pundit and also leading literary critic as the same time.
Mencken was a towering figure in his era. One can learn a great deal about writing style from him, too. He also wrote several books on a wide range of subjects.
And I would also put him on a par with Trump or Scott Adams for understanding the psychology of his fellow man.
My favorite review of Mencken reads:
In other words, Mencken would fit right in here at Free Republic!
I would highly recommend buying the Smart Set anthology if you enjoy literature and want to hear what Mencken has to say about Joseph Conrad, Mark Twain, and a host of many unknown authors.
But the safest bet is Marian Rodgers' selection of his best newspaper stories: The Impossible H. L. Mencken.
Check out (from this book) what Mencken said about Beethoven. One his best essays:
The Source of Beethoven's Musical Genius: His Greater Dignity as a Man
Or Occluded Cortex Disorder, because it's not just occasional. But by then, it not longer sounds like her name. Ahhh, trade offs.
Nice piece of work Poco!
Thanks, tinyowl. I found Fountainhead at the library and I've been dipping into scattered chapters. Rand's preface to the book is spectacular stuff. A few snippets:
Yet a few hold on and move on, knowing their inner fire is not to be betrayed. So they learn how to give it shape, purpose and reality. It does not matter that only a few in each generation will grasp and achieve the full reality of man's proper stature -- and that the rest will betray it. It is those few that move the world and give life its meaning. A meme I created a couple weeks back seems to reflect this sort of man. |
Yeah, I agree with his praise of Beethoven. I’m not sure about some of his remarks. For example, Mencken says “He (Beethoven) saw music differently: he sensed possibilities in it that they were entirely unaware of... They point to the vastly greater skill and ingenuity of Beethoven” but then further on he goes on to say “for Haydn, too, had his superiorities; for example, his far readier inventiveness.” It seems that Beethoven’s ingenuity is pitted against Haydn’s inventiveness. But the two words are almost synonymous for me — I don’t see the difference.
I think Beethoven, unlike Mozart, really worked at different musical lines to find the best one (they have his notebook and can see his rough drafts), whereas Mozart appeared to have his music directly dictated from God or some musical muse without any editing. I dabble in composition so I can relate to Beethoven and forever trying to find the perfect line — and sometimes it does happen quite spontaneously. Some things can be born perfect without any need to mess with it.
But I do like Mencken and I wouldn’t put it past him to have the same insights as Trump about politics. I’m sure human nature was the same then as it is now.
Good, I pointed you to the right essay! I don’t know the slightest thing about music. Mencken was a decent piano player I hear and he knew what a sonata was.
I think you’re right. Mencken’s words flow, but he didn’t really pin down what the difference really was.
Take care.
Yeah, nice talking with you!
By the way, thanks again for sending this. I thought of this quote today when on another thought stream, and revisited your post to find it again quickly. Hope things are good!
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