Posted on 11/10/2001 4:07:45 PM PST by nicmarlo
After reading threads about Clinton, and one of the posts, especially, "What is wrong with Clinton?" (which refers to his recent, disgraceful speech at Georgetown), it made me wonder, really, what is wrong with him, what created him and those like him, and why anyone admires him.
My input on "what's wrong with Clinton," those like him, and his "admirers," is for the purpose of enlightenment (myself included) and prevention (in ourselves and over those whom we have some control, i.e., our children).
I. Philosophically: In the Republic, Plato attributes Socrates as saying "in all of us, even in good men, there is a lawless wild-beast nature." But it is the tyrannical man who does not control this beast from within. Instead, he allows the beast to devour any remaining goodness, or "sense of shame," within him and, simultaneously, allows the basest part of himself to grow and control what and who he is. He progressively is taken over by this lawless nature and, ultimately, becomes enslaved to his vices. The tyrannical man's needs, according to Socrates, are "insatiable."
This type of person is the most "unjust and miserable" of all. They live in constant fear of betrayal, amongst others. He is superficial, "always . . . in a fury of passions and desires." It is worse with a tyrant in power, not only because those beneath him are subject to his whims, but also because he "is not master of himself." He has no temperance, patience, steadfastness, stability, or confidence, in himself or others. I would say this type of man has no kind of respectable characteristics nor anything good that would attract genuine loyalty.
His fear (loss of power, prestige, possessions) drives him to behave in ways dishonorable and despicable: he is "obliged to practice the greatest adulation and servility, and to be the flatterer of the vilest of mankind. He has desires which he is utterly unable to satisfy, and has more wants than anyone. . . ."
Because the tyrannical individual's desires and needs are neverending, the good originally within has become diminutive or non-existent. Greater power, therefore, makes him more corrupt and, consequently, he becomes "more jealous, more faithless, more unjust, more friendless, more impious, than he was at first." Socrates also said, according to Plato, that an unpunished tyrant is worse yet.
II. Psycho/Social: According to Elliot Aronson (The Social Animal), people are subject to "cognitive disonance: a state of tension that occurs whenever an individual simultaneously holds two cognitions (ideas, attitudes, beliefs, opinions) that are psychologically inconsistent." In other words, when you believe one thing but act in contradiction to your belief, you experience cognitive disonance. When this occurs, people seek to justify their "wrong" behaviors so that neither they nor others will think badly of them.
Aronson writes "people don't like to see or hear things that conflict with their deeply held beliefs or wishes." Deep-seated attitudes are hard to change because we distort what we hear/see to fit our beliefs. The stronger our beliefs, the greater the distortion. Truth is filtered through our biases. And it becomes our own form of truth, or what my professor called our own "fog." We do not question our strongly held beliefs, we seek to justify them. Examples of this type of filtering abound. Aronson cites one study performed on cigarette smokers. (Don't flame me, I smoke.) Smokers were told studies showed that cigarettes cause cancer. They didn't want to feel stupid for continuing to smoke, so smokers sought to justify their behavior by mentally discrediting the studies. By doing so, they justifyied their behavior but continued harming themselves.
This kind of justification process has been applied to other behavior, such as investments (i.e., emotional or financial). There is a direct correlation between the greater the investment, the greater the loyalty. Why? Because you want others to think you're smart. If you're smart, you would only invest in smart people. If you've made a "major investment" in a person, it's difficult to admit you made a "huge mistake" without feeling foolish (hence not smart). This would explain why some individuals stick by a "poor investment."
III. Spiritually: In the Bible, it says that when people repeatedly commits acts which they know in their hearts are wrong, they are given over by God to a depraved state of mind. (Therefore God gave them up to uncleaness through the lusts of their own hearts . . ., Rom. 1:24; God gave them up unto vile affections, Rom. 1:26; God gave them over to a reprobate mind, Rom. 1:28.)
I suppose you could say the more wrong you do, the more callous you become to doing wrong and the easier it becomes to continue in wrongdoing.
Based, generally, on the above, I have come to the conclusion that Clinton has been encouraged, from his youth, to allow his "wild-beast nature" to grow unchecked. He has not been held accountable for his actions. He proclaims himself a Christian and attends church, holding his Bible for the cameras, but not holding himself to the mirror of its truths. He has surrounded himself with people he could "buy," who, through their own cognitive dissonance, could not allow themselves to admit or perceive the truth of who or what he is (a shameful and base human being). His followers live in a fog, filtering out this truth, thereby, encouraging him and themselves to become more blinded to the truth and, he, more base. God is the judge of all. I do not proclaim to be God. But He also said, you shall know them by their fruits. We have the right to judge their behavior and actions to determine right from wrong. And wrong should be punished, not encouraged.
Only if Dubyuh has the Wisdom to allow AG Ashcroft to follow the evidence of ClintonCadreCorruption and Prosecute the Guilty to the fullest extent of the Law!!
FReegards...MUD
Sounds like Bill Clinton is a microcosm of the DemonRAT Party as a whole...MUD
Maybe. Didja get a load of his wife???
One thing that has fascinated and somewhat baffled me is his legions of enablers... we still have two, locally, who continue to lurk by the local talk radio show, and as soon as the slightest critique of either clinton is mentioned, they speed-dial in with the latest talking point(s) hot off the DNC/DLC wire.
I know these guys- one's a doctor, the other a lawyer here, and aside from their near-loony loyalty, they aren't bad fellows. The only thing I can figure is that they invested so much of themselves to defend & keep clinton in office, they simply cannot admit that they might have been wrong, or been deceived.
I hear tell his wife is quite a load, but apparently Slick Willie likes his women LARGE...MUD
Works for me...
Yep...in a nutshell, that's it. I usedta get really pissed thinking about how Slick blasphemied the Bible by parading his bible outta the Church just hours before going and gettin' his plumbing drained by an intern the same age as his daughter, but now the predominant emotion I can identify is PITY, followed closely by DISGUST!!
FReegards...MUD
IMHO, in this Life, as well as the next...MUD
Cognitive dissonance....that'd be why, IMHO.
No, it doesn't, but what does this really say about all those people who re-elected him, pay to see him, and still believe he "was a great president?" I shudder at the thought of what that says about thousands of Americans.
I don't know, skull; and yes it will, the Truth always wins...even if it takes awhile to see it come to fruition.
SlickWillie FOOLS, you make US fight...
Right ain't gonna lose this feeling!!
And if I could choose...a rage to ignite...
It shall be 'gainst YOU, Bubba!!!!
Do you wanna help MUD Dethrone Left's Whore?!! Do You?!!
Are ya gonna FReep Slick ev'ry time ya can?!
I dare ya!! DO IT!! 'Cuz...
We can't let Slick git away!!
Right must Indict Left's Sleaze!!
We can't let Clinton Sanction RAPE!!
In their hearts, Libs don't like RAPE!!
Left's all Wrong, but we're alRight!!
The Nation's still healthy, Patriots!! Ahh-hmmmm...
RightWing is Strong, and we'll win the Fight!!
Lib'rals best git usedta LOSIN'!!
Do you wanna help MUD Dethrone Left's Whore?!! Do You?!!
Are ya gonna FReep Slick ev'ry time ya can?!
I dare ya!! DO IT!! 'Cuz...
We can't let Slick git away!!
Right must Indict Left's Sleaze!!
We can't let Clinton Sanction RAPE!!
In their hearts, Libs don't like RAPE!!
(Purty jammin' by TheBigMan)
Do you wanna help MUD Dethrone Left's Whore?!! Do You?!!
Are ya gonna FReep Slick ev'ry time ya can?!
I dare ya!! DO IT!! 'Cuz...
We can't let Slick git away!!
Right must Indict Left's Sleaze!!
We can't let Clinton Sanction RAPE!!
In their hearts, Libs don't like RAPE!!
SlickWillieFOOLS, tell Slick "Good-Bye!!"
We're surely gonna FReep as "FRiends"...
And when we do, don't act surprised...
When you hear Slick loves his CellMateBuggerin'!! OOOH!!
Do you wanna help MUD Dethrone Left's Whore?!! Do You?!!
Are ya gonna FReep Slick ev'ry time ya can?!
I dare ya!! DO IT!! 'Cuz...
We can't let Slick git away!!
Right must Indict Left's Sleaze!!
We can't let Clinton Sanction RAPE!!
In their hearts, Left don't like RAPE!!
We can't let Clinton Sanction RAPE!!
In their hearts, RATS don't like RAPE!!
Mudboy Slim
Bill Clinton Shall Be Dethroned When Leftist RATS Reject His Faux Populism!!
RE-IMPEACH. CONVICT. DETHRONE.
DISBAR. DE-PENSION. DE-LEGITIMIZE.
INDICT. CONVICT. IMPRISON. DISCARD KEY.
Quite Sincerely...MUD
You see, they run the dem show and raise the most money.
Ain't it funny how they never got blamed for MN and MO... even MA with O'Brien.
Couldn't get in McCall or KKT. Grass doesn't grow where they step. They pack their bags and move on.
They are just setting the stage for the big comeback. HA!
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