Enough to make most people puke.
Posted on 06/14/2006 7:26:33 PM PDT by Darnright
bttt
Fortunately for us, cancer can be managed. Through chemo, radiation and surgery. If it's a threat, you cut off the infected area, and count yourself lucky.
I'll tell you what, though. The four of us can make a pact, right now, to put more of this stuff on Free Republic, on a daily basis. We'll start a new ping list. ;) Intellectual conservatism and libertarianism. How about it, FRiends?
You want a solution? It can start with us. Ultimately, every populist is an individual human being. And almost every individual, properly educated, can become an individual character, and an individualist.
You want to start undoing the damage? Let's put up great poetry, speeches, essays, letters and summaries of intellectual debates going on. FReepers are pretty damn intelligent, and I bet a lot of people would be interested to read what we put up. As for the others? Eh...Start small, grow big.
In college I once undertook the bold goal of downing a 24-pack in 24 hours. Although I failed, I believe it possible to channel that same spirit toward your proposal, and with similar odds of a hopeful outcome.
So we lead by example, great. I fear that to others we - perhaps rightly - resemble the same "pinheads" O'Reilly admonishes for being clueless of worldly reality (not that I respect his whims... I don't). Notwithstanding, we should all be captioning pictures Hillary's butt, according to many folks here, or instead honing our religious faith to match our political views.
So by all means, I appreciate your thought and would love to have a dedicated ping list for enlightened FReepers. Or heck, just direct me to another website that feeds our elitist egos. I can't apologize for it anymore - we are surrounded by blind masses of tools at work, school, life, family... they're everywhere.
Staying integral to the issue- I think that we can't ignore the "small" things that blind people to great vision, or alternatively, that stabilize the culture. Namely: that others are so focused on Maslowian needs - if not achieving them, then simply appreciating what they own (too often not earned, rather the dividends of others great sacrifice); one can't blame them for cursing out intellectuals. As radicals and other antagonists must try to destroy those comforts, which they term materialism in their "worse, the better" path toward revolution, we instead ought respect and promote them while - hopefully - inspiring plain curiosity within otherwise numb and distracted people.
(But even should we succeed, in the end I must ask: why bother? So that people can't just be contented, but only contented our way? As the communists want folks to be happy... but happy their way. As with the baptists, catholics, jews, and islamists, there is only one religion - not counting all the others. Nobody is ever happy to see other people happy, you see. It must be done RIGHT or not at all. There are way too many -ics and -ists telling us how to live. I'm not sure that I want to become such a prick in my own right... if I am not already there!)
Hmmm! The "moderates" who dominate this forum these days would more probably ask for the censors to delete the thread!
Great post!!
Interesting things happen when they try. Self-reference is the downfall of many a mental model. The statement "There is no truth," for example, may be described in a number of ways but it cannot by definition be said to be true.
The real problem for Marxism was always that in practice the driving force wasn't of the proletariat as Marx had anticipated, it was a comfortable and monied elite that could be described as no other than the hated bourgeoisie. Engels was the son of a factory owner, for heaven's sake! This had to be explained away, and so even before Marx's death there were ideological backflips taken to explain that an intellectual vanguard, a party cadre, was necessary. That was Lenin's contribution among others. And in Russia this revolutionary class was made up almost entirely of the educated and idle. (It had to be, there were almost no proletarians in that unindustrialized country).
The problem doesn't go away with Gramsci. If in fact politics is a manifestation of power relationships between classes, members of which cannot help but act in the interests of their own class, then how is it that a revolutionary cadre that is overwhelmingly middle class can possibly act against class interests? One must posit the existence of an elite, just as Lenin did, that is enlightened and immune to those forces they have declared irresistible to the rest of society. And if they have the magical ability to act outside of class interests, why shouldn't anyone else?
It won't do. This sort of "enlightenment" is too obviously a rationalization for persons forming a new class and acting in its interests, with no real moral claim to power superior to that of its predecessor. And that's fatal to the overall theory - people who are free to form new classes and act in their interests cannot be prisoners of their previous classes and their interests.
This isn't just air - a person theoretically doomed to class oppression by virtue of the color of his skin who winds up in thousand-dollar suits and dictating the behavior of others may only claim that he isn't an oppressor by clinging to a class definition he has blatantly invalidated. A Jesse Jackson, for example. He isn't the only one by far.
L
I don't really have a ping list, as such, but I'll try to ping you. Gramsci, in particular, is required reading for conservatives and libertarians, imho. If we understand Gramsci, we can successfully battle the left.
Hit the link to which this replies, it's just outstanding.
I have to head out for a 12 hour drive (the last unmarried nephew is taking his vows), but someone may want to use Fjordman's essay, Political Correctness — The Revenge of Marxism, as a stand alone thread.
It's not a ping list for enlightened FReepers. There are plenty of those. At least, I think of it more as an exercise to expose people to new ideas. FReepers are more than able enough to think for themselves. Some will agree. Some won't. Many will continue to read what we put up. Many won't. But we can reach some people, and I think it's a worthwhile goal. And if it fails? What have we lost? A few minutes of time that we would have spent on FR anyways?
Not so bad.
And for the record, I am in college. And I have drunk the 24 beers in 24 hours (though I generally prefer hard liquor, since beer doesn't agree with me). That was a particularly unproductive weekend for my friends and I. ;)
Please add me to that ping list.
I'm building it as we speak. So done. ;)
What an outstanding statement. Well thought out using the principle of fairness and yet clarity was evident.
To follow this thought one must agree that there are conspiracies. Many People have been influenced and are carrying out the desires of Gramsci and Hegel and Marx and Engels, even at this moment.
The problem is we have not applied the only other method to equality between classes-- LOVE your neighbor as yourself.
To paraphrase, the fight goes to the most aggessive.
The aggression I see in the USA on the news media and in discussions with individuals, is aimed at one man, our President.
They are assuming he has dictatorial powers over most of the economy of the USA.
The center of the world economy has shifted to the Pacific region. The center of the Strategic Security of the World has shifted into Asia and embraces the hegemon of Iran.
Our Domestic Center is in Washington, but is Managed by a consortioum of influences from outside Washington.
The Democrats Understand full well that Europe is already being dissolved into Islam. How unusual that Europe would side with Iran et al against Israel.
My perception is probably skewed in a direction opposed by many others. But here it is.
As a Nation we are divided.
Half of us can't see what they are looking at.
The other half won't act in our defense for an extended period of time.
Therefore,I perceive we will become a Peaceful Nation as Europe is becoming. When islam takes over there is Peace, according to them.
The one-half of our nation that can't see will become victims again with no one or no place to run to.
I am not crying, I am clear eyed.
I see no grat desire to struggle against those that are working to destroy us. We just wonder why do they hate us.
Examine the instructions of Islam.
Read the speeches of the Imams.
Read the speeches of Arafat.
Listen to the President of Iran.
Listen to the leadership of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Syria.
Listen to our Congressmen and women.
The other side speaks to us preparing to destroy us.
Our "Leaders" say we need to "approach these nations in a more consiliatory fashion".
Now as an arm chair general, even I can see that the tactics used, guerilla, will obviously be successful against a Technological society with fragile infrastructure and will. We like to just go to work and then the soccer game or watch TV and not worry about the rest of the World.
They are waving their right hand in front of us and are reaching for our neck with their left.
We are easily Distracted.
I was born into a different USA. We don't have the same citizenry as used to live here.
In the 50's we wanted to produce products that would give us more leisure.
Then in the 70's and 80's we had the Leisure Class.
Now, we have a Leisure Nation, napping on the Titanic.
for a later read
I think Gramsci would have said "Eeet eeess oonly ein necessary phaze." (yes, I know he was Italian.)
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