great post at mediocracy 3. Perhaps the reason some dogmas are so viciously exposed (think Dawkins) is to kid everyone into thinking that this treatment is meted out equally to the rest.
We seem to think we have passed the stage of ideological untruths.
You might be interested in this article wherein Sir Tom Hunter makes the astonishing claim that "Everyone is born with the same intelligence.." http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article2753976.ece
I was sceptical of your claim that in a mediocracy "equality" actually means, amongst other things, "homogeneity". But it seems you were right.
I don’t believe Tom Hunter could have been the successful businessman he has been if he really believed that. Sounds good though, doesn’t it. Appalling that you can now be investigated for “inciting racial hatred” if (like Kelvin McKenzie) you’re rude about Scots. If I was a Scotsman, I’d be up in arms about that - who wants to be seen as a member of a minority group that needs special protection?
Genius eh? I'm sure I speak for myself and your other reader when I say that the conclusion we draw is that you bribed the bastards. Well, congratulations but cheats never prosper you know!
I enjoyed the recent "il-liberal" post --- not least for the unintentional humour of the comments you excerpt. The "50-something asthmatic roadie" was priceless.
I am Adolfo, from the Portuguese liberal blog A Arte da Fuga. I posted the liberal pic with the title "common mistake". In fact, a lot of Portuguese so-called liberals ar not properly liberty lovers but merely interested in State enforcements.
Tonibler, a left wing commentator of my blog commented the following "the problem is when the two options are mixed in one".
has anyone else worked out who has funded the nuffield council report into alcohol consumption in the UK? if you want to read my piece it's on femalepoliticalandsocialcomment.blogspot.com do you think this is ok? personally i think: devious, underhand, sly, scottish cultural arrogance. comments please
The Socialist hate crime law is just as plausible as the other hate crime laws. All that's needed is social consensus (i.e. fear of punishment) to make it "true".
I am not sure what I have done to deserve your linking back to The Daily Brute at the foot of your post on Brown's redefinition of liberty. But whatever it was, it is very, very flattering and I am exceedingly grateful. More than grateful.
How on earth did you find me?
Well, however you did, 1) thank you; 2) I have put you on my blogroll.
I will post soon about the obvious absurdity of Balls's plans to keep 18 yr. olds at school, a scheme cretinous even by the standards of this supremely stupid govt. Whatever puny publicity I can generate on the subject, I will.
If cultural deterioration is acknowledged in a mediocracy, it is blamed on marketisation.
Let me make some distinctions:
1. There is culture paid for or subsidised by the state. This is invariably regarded as a good. The more so as funding committees use PC rules to exclude dissent.
2. Culture paid for by the public but critical of society. Again this is regarded as a good.
3. Culture paid for by the public but neutral or even positive about society. This is never regarded as a good.
The common element to "good" culture is it's nihilism. One wonders how far we can go down this road before it all falls apart?
"Culture paid for by the public but critical of society" - I think we should put 'critical' in scare quotes. Real criticism is not allowed, but phoney pseudo-iconoclasm is encouraged. Similarly the scepticism/nihilism is highly selective, as I suggested in part 3.
I enjoyed your post on this topic. If you are interested in a thought-provoking view of culture, its history and its significance in modern life, you should read “Between Past and Future” by Hannah Arendt. (Culture is one of many subjects the book covers.) She makes a distinction between culture and entertainment. She notes that -”Culture relates to objects and is a phenomenon of the world; entertainment relates to people and is a phenomenon of life. An object is cultural to the extent that it can endure; its durability is the very opposite of functionality, which is the quality which makes it disappear again from the phenomenal world by being used and used up.” Ultimately she posits that culture and politics are related. “Culture and politics belong together because it is not knowledge or truth which is at stake, but rather judgment and decision, the judicious exchange of opinion about the sphere of public life and the common world.” I have never looked at culture the same since reading her work.
The violence you describe is now so realistically depicted that it may as well be a real video of a real crime taking place. So my question is this, if the film makers and audience have no objection to watching crap like that, what objection would they have in "real" life?
Maybe they will just say "as long as nobody is really hurt, and everybody consents with their individual freedom it's okay". The upshot of liberal nostrums "if it's okay for you and you don't bother me it's okay" is that nobody has to think really hard about right and wrong and shoulder the lonely burden of Good any more. Which just goes to show that liberalism has a hypnotic, demoralising effect on the mind. Liberalism is evil, degenerate and wrong, dubiety is it's hallmark, and if we had a single thought in our heads we would not persue it for a moment longer.
Homophobic Horse re Where will you (the audience) draw the line: "Liberalism is evil". I think it's important not to use inversion-terminology oneself, otherwise one is doing the mediocrats' job.
The problem, IMO, isn't with "liberalism" as defined by OED (promoting permissiveness, liberty etc.), but with cultural producers who wish to purvey a particular ideology - one which tries to make the individual feel puny, helpless and degraded. Though the people in question may well describe themselves as "liberals".
I don't see why the ability to show such scenes within the law should be sufficient reason for movie directors to feel compelled to include them.
28 comments:
great post at mediocracy 3. Perhaps the reason some dogmas are so viciously exposed (think Dawkins) is to kid everyone into thinking that this treatment is meted out equally to the rest.
We seem to think we have passed the stage of ideological untruths.
You might be interested in this article wherein Sir Tom Hunter makes the astonishing claim that "Everyone is born with the same intelligence.."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article2753976.ece
I was sceptical of your claim that in a mediocracy "equality" actually means, amongst other things, "homogeneity". But it seems you were right.
If it takes genius to read it what does it take to write it?
I don’t believe Tom Hunter could have been the successful businessman he has been if he really believed that. Sounds good though, doesn’t it. Appalling that you can now be investigated for “inciting racial hatred” if (like Kelvin McKenzie) you’re rude about Scots. If I was a Scotsman, I’d be up in arms about that - who wants to be seen as a member of a minority group that needs special protection?
Genius eh? I'm sure I speak for myself and your other reader when I say that the conclusion we draw is that you bribed the bastards. Well, congratulations but cheats never prosper you know!
Hi Fabian.
Came across this and thought immediately of you.
I enjoyed the recent "il-liberal" post --- not least for the unintentional humour of the comments you excerpt. The "50-something asthmatic roadie" was priceless.
Groan - you didn't really do that test did you?
Hi Fabian
I am Adolfo, from the Portuguese liberal blog A Arte da Fuga. I posted the liberal pic with the title "common mistake". In fact, a lot of Portuguese so-called liberals ar not properly liberty lovers but merely interested in State enforcements.
Tonibler, a left wing commentator of my blog commented the following "the problem is when the two options are mixed in one".
Best regards
Adolfo
Thanks Adolfo.
I actually rather like Chris Dillow's idea. It's madness, but I like it :P
has anyone else worked out who has funded the nuffield council report into alcohol consumption in the UK? if you want to read my piece it's on
femalepoliticalandsocialcomment.blogspot.com
do you think this is ok?
personally i think:
devious, underhand, sly, scottish cultural arrogance.
comments please
Bullying lefties? Think I'll go and have a whisky and calm down a bit.
The Socialist hate crime law is just as plausible as the other hate crime laws. All that's needed is social consensus (i.e. fear of punishment) to make it "true".
I am not sure what I have done to deserve your linking back to The Daily Brute at the foot of your post on Brown's redefinition of liberty. But whatever it was, it is very, very flattering and I am exceedingly grateful. More than grateful.
How on earth did you find me?
Well, however you did, 1) thank you; 2) I have put you on my blogroll.
I will post soon about the obvious absurdity of Balls's plans to keep 18 yr. olds at school, a scheme cretinous even by the standards of this supremely stupid govt. Whatever puny publicity I can generate on the subject, I will.
Thanks, Creator.
...the concept of full-time coercion of adults doesn’t make your blood boil...
Just made a couple of comments on this type of thing myself. It doesn't make my blood boil - it makes it run cold, icy cold.
In part 4 you write:
If cultural deterioration is acknowledged in a mediocracy, it is blamed on marketisation.
Let me make some distinctions:
1. There is culture paid for or subsidised by the state. This is invariably regarded as a good. The more so as funding committees use PC rules to exclude dissent.
2. Culture paid for by the public but critical of society. Again this is regarded as a good.
3. Culture paid for by the public but neutral or even positive about society. This is never regarded as a good.
The common element to "good" culture is it's nihilism. One wonders how far we can go down this road before it all falls apart?
"Culture paid for by the public but critical of society" - I think we should put 'critical' in scare quotes. Real criticism is not allowed, but phoney pseudo-iconoclasm is encouraged. Similarly the scepticism/nihilism is highly selective, as I suggested in part 3.
I enjoyed your post on this topic. If you are interested in a thought-provoking view of culture, its history and its significance in modern life, you should read “Between Past and Future” by Hannah Arendt. (Culture is one of many subjects the book covers.)
She makes a distinction between culture and entertainment. She notes that -”Culture relates to objects and is a phenomenon of the world; entertainment relates to people and is a phenomenon of life. An object is cultural to the extent that it can endure; its durability is the very opposite of functionality, which is the quality which makes it disappear again from the phenomenal world by being used and used up.”
Ultimately she posits that culture and politics are related. “Culture and politics belong together because it is not knowledge or truth which is at stake, but rather judgment and decision, the judicious exchange of opinion about the sphere of public life and the common world.”
I have never looked at culture the same since reading her work.
Brutality: Good post.
The violence you describe is now so realistically depicted that it may as well be a real video of a real crime taking place. So my question is this, if the film makers and audience have no objection to watching crap like that, what objection would they have in "real" life?
Maybe they will just say "as long as nobody is really hurt, and everybody consents with their individual freedom it's okay". The upshot of liberal nostrums "if it's okay for you and you don't bother me it's okay" is that nobody has to think really hard about right and wrong and shoulder the lonely burden of Good any more. Which just goes to show that liberalism has a hypnotic, demoralising effect on the mind. Liberalism is evil, degenerate and wrong, dubiety is it's hallmark, and if we had a single thought in our heads we would not persue it for a moment longer.
Scenes that make people turn away are part of the fun of going to movies.
Unbelievable. Well, actually believable but still a shock. Of course it affects people in the long run, depending on how steady the diet is.
Sorry to see you go. Good Luck.
Homophobic Horse re Where will you (the audience) draw the line: "Liberalism is evil". I think it's important not to use inversion-terminology oneself, otherwise one is doing the mediocrats' job.
The problem, IMO, isn't with "liberalism" as defined by OED (promoting permissiveness, liberty etc.), but with cultural producers who wish to purvey a particular ideology - one which tries to make the individual feel puny, helpless and degraded. Though the people in question may well describe themselves as "liberals".
I don't see why the ability to show such scenes within the law should be sufficient reason for movie directors to feel compelled to include them.
Second, certain types of people — e.g. intellectuals not in tune with the dominant ideology — find it impossible to exist in such a society.
Oh yes indeed.
Welcome to our blogroll at 1389 Blog - Antijihadist Tech.
Until the last sentence, I thought this was serious.
Interesting look at socialism from a free country. http://nationalword.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=26
http://nationalword.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=26
http://nationalword.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=26
http://nationalword.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23&Itemid=26
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