I really expected to catch some flack for What Are the Obstructionists Fighting For? and am a bit surprised that I haven't -- although the weekend is just beginning, so maybe everyone is loading magazines right now.
With that and Who Are "We the People"? I was of course engaging some things Grim said, but it wasn't meant just for him. My attitude about this whole blogging thing is that the regulars here are intelligent and all have experiences and knowledge I don't. So, when I throw something like that out, what I'm really interested in is disagreement. If you disagree with something I've posted and can explain why, that is a gift. It helps me refine my own thoughts and maybe even change them, and I'm better for that.
This topic seems to have brought out Grim's desire to slow down and work through the issues well. I respect that, but at the same time, I wrote those two posts because I should be writing a historiographical essay on the shift from medieval virtue ethics to early modern deontology and how that influenced blah blah blah, blah, blah blah. Blah blah blah.
But I couldn't get this topic out of my head, so I decided to just get it out here in writing. It was cathartic, and these are the best explanations I have right now, although I know I must be wrong about some things because I'm human. So, have at it. I'm just trying to understand what's going on and how to deal with it all productively.
6 comments:
As I said to Mr Hines, I’m trying to give cover for the less confident right now. Those of us who are bold can easily tread down discussion, but right now we shouldn’t. I won’t step on your posts, or them. This is the time to talk and reason.
Well at least you're doing something productive with the time you're spending shirking your school work.
Eric Hines
My thought exactly!
- Tom
Sure. Let me know if I'm being obstructive and I'll hit the brakes. I would value hearing from a variety of voices.
- Tom
I have been trying for years to understand why the obstructionist are fighting for these things. Logic, reason, and rationality do not apply to their "thinking", nor can they be swayed by obvious facts or arguments. What is left? Mental illness. Elon's "woke mind virus" or "Trump derangement syndrome" are just tags pointing to a mental illness that affects a large portion of our fellow Americans. The inability to change when confronted with reality? Mental illness. The same incorrect reaction to repeating stimuli? Mental illness. It is the simplest rational explanation I can envision. I cannot fathom a mechanism for causing such a wide spread mental condition, nor can I see a way to fix it, but we must acknowledge we have a problem before we can start to repair it.
You used the phrase "give cover" for something I have called "creating space." Sometimes I know a liberal discussion is not going to be moved much by anything that is said but I will put statements out there merely to let shyer voices know they are not entirely alone. I sometimes get surprising responses from liberals who defect on a couple of issues also.
And the reverse from some conservatives. It doesn't pay to assume.
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