Ten Random, Politically Incorrect Thoughts

The always astute Victor Davis Hanson has written another article that I agree with entirely.  Read this and see if you're not convinced also.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/11/ten_random_politically_incorre.html

I was especially pleased to read the first item.  I got into ****cal Greek (and to a lesser extent, Latin) relatively late, but my experience with these languages convinced me that they shouldn't be pushed out of our schools' curricula.

I also had to laugh at number six.  I thought I was the only one who noticed that.   

Which do you agree with/not agree with?   

Wow, he rips on pretty much every news source in america, except for one... Fox which is the most ridiculous of them all. 

I agree with some of his points, but those points are not political. For example the way hollywood is heading. If someone wants to change it, just don't go to blockbuster movies anymore. It's not up to politicians. Also, saying hollywood sucks is far from politically incorrect.

Let me guess... this guy's a republican. (I don't live in the USA, so I'm not really into all of this) 

I wonder if he's watched Fox News in the past year or so.  It's gone downhill fast. 

We need a true conservative cable news chanel.  

I wonder if he's watched Fox News in the past year or so.  It's gone downhill fast. 

We need a true conservative cable news chanel.  

mysterylobster

[QUOTE="mysterylobster"]

I wonder if he's watched Fox News in the past year or so.  It's gone downhill fast. 

We need a true conservative cable news chanel.  

Funky_Llama

[QUOTE="Funky_Llama"][QUOTE="mysterylobster"]

I wonder if he's watched Fox News in the past year or so.  It's gone downhill fast. 

We need a true conservative cable news chanel.  

FragStains

I wonder if he's watched Fox News in the past year or so.  It's gone downhill fast. 

We need a true conservative cable news chanel.  

I was with him for a fair while until it turned from a simple objective analysis of things into a thinly-veiled ideological diatribe.GabuEx

I agree with 3, 7, 9, and 10. I agree with 10 very strongly. The others I don't really agree with.

Particularly with #1, I think we now have a bunch of excellent translations of these works and it would be better and more interesting to learn those works in school rather than trying painfully to memorise irregular grammar in dead languages. And it seems more benefit would come from actually teaching English grammar classes. You don't need to learn Latin to be able to construct elegant and grammatically correct sentences in English.

And about local vs. foreign movies, I think the foreign films only seem better because only the cream of their crop make it in America. They probably have a lot of junk too. And certainly not all superhero movies are worse than the first; was Spiderman the first in the recent trend? Because I think many would agree that Dark Knight is better. And I really don't think American cinema is over. I just saw Transsiberian and thought it was great.

You were with him until he said something you disagreed with. A more constructive post would say what you disagree with and why. mysterylobster

[QUOTE="mysterylobster"]You were with him until he said something you disagreed with. A more constructive post would say what you disagree with and why. GabuEx

I was with him for a fair while until it turned from a simple objective analysis of things into a thinly-veiled ideological diatribe.GabuEx

[QUOTE="GabuEx"]I was with him for a fair while until it turned from a simple objective analysis of things into a thinly-veiled ideological diatribe.mysterylobster

Particularly with #1, I think we now have a bunch of excellent translations of these works and it would be better and more interesting to learn those works in school rather than trying painfully to memorise irregular grammar in dead languages. And it seems more benefit would come from actually teaching English grammar classes. You don't need to learn Latin to be able to construct elegant and grammatically correct sentences in English.clicketyclick

Weren't you supposed to leave gs forever if McCain lost?Dark-Sithious

I don't know...maybe.  

Most of what took place on or near the election is a blur to me.  

I don't think he's criticising liberalism, so why would he criticise conservativism? He's criticising groups among the liberals that he claims have largely been purged from the right wing, or at least aren't as pervasive among the right. And I think the way that politics stand currently, it's hard to say that the far right is having (as) much of an impact on American politics.clicketyclick

[QUOTE="clicketyclick"]Particularly with #1, I think we now have a bunch of excellent translations of these works and it would be better and more interesting to learn those works in school rather than trying painfully to memorise irregular grammar in dead languages. And it seems more benefit would come from actually teaching English grammar classes. You don't need to learn Latin to be able to construct elegant and grammatically correct sentences in English.mysterylobster

Weren't you supposed to leave gs forever if McCain lost?Dark-Sithious

I don't know...maybe.

Most of what took place on or near the election is a blur to me.

Let me enlighten you, Obama won.

 I don't think the problem is the lack of English grammar education; rather, the difficulty in getting kids to comprehend it quickly and move on to developing their own voice. Many have argued that studying Latin syntax helps students internalize the structure of language, making English grammar more intuitive. It doesn't even need to take up too much of the curricula. The private school down the street from me requires just one year of Latin in the sixth grade, and they've had a lot of success with it.
mysterylobster

Well, I, for one, would hate Latin cIass and I think many people would too. I would have really loved to have had cIasses that taught me proper punctuation and common grammatical mistakes. I was left to my own devices to figure out how to use a semi-colon and how to write an essay. That's just wrong!

[QUOTE="clicketyclick"]I don't think he's criticising liberalism, so why would he criticise conservativism? He's criticising groups among the liberals that he claims have largely been purged from the right wing, or at least aren't as pervasive among the right. And I think the way that politics stand currently, it's hard to say that the far right is having (as) much of an impact on American politics.GabuEx

Well, if he's intending to only criticize certain groups of liberals, he did not do a very good job of making that clear. :P Point 2 basically says that anti-war liberals have ruined war movies; point 3 says that liberal journalists have ruined the media; point 7 conveniently only lists Democrats as obnoxious; point 9 basically says that only liberals have extremists; and point 10 basically says that liberals are indoctrinating our youth and corrupting our schools.

The fact of the matter is that if he was intending this piece to come across as objective and unbiased, he did not exactly succeed; it reads more like it's pointing the finger squarely at liberals and telling them that they'd better shape up because they're ruining America. I don't know, maybe I'm just reading too much into it, but that's the sense I get from it.

Well, I don't know. Here's an example from my experience. I hate PETA. I can't stand animal rights activists. Those guys are mostly liberals and vegetarians, but I'm not criticising liberalism, all liberals, vegetarianism, or all vegetarians. I'm a vegetarian myself, and hold some liberal beliefs. I just find them so strident, immoral, and radical that they don't represent liberalism or vegetarianism any more.

I get the impression that that's the idea he's trying to communicate here: that it's the strident radical left that's "ruining America" as you put it. After all, he praised Chet Huntley (social liberal), Eric Sevareid (also a social liberal and critic of Sen. McCarthy), William Fulbright (Democrat), and Sam Ervin (Democrat). He also criticised Arnold Schwarzenegger (Repub).

Weren't you supposed to leave gs forever if McCain lost?Dark-Sithious

I know I made a deal with him that he had to leave if McCain lost and/or if McCain lost Minnesota, both of which happened. We have had PM's where I called tabs on his bet, it is not a "blur". Mod, he needs removed from OT only, thank you. :)

[QUOTE="Dark-Sithious"]Weren't you supposed to leave gs forever if McCain lost?Cereo1

I know I made a deal with him that he had to leave if McCain lost and/or if McCain lost Minnesota, both of which happened. We have had PM's where I called tabs on his bet, it is not a "blur". Mod, he needs removed from OT only, thank you. :)

[QUOTE="Dark-Sithious"]Weren't you supposed to leave gs forever if McCain lost?Cereo1

I know I made a deal with him that he had to leave if McCain lost and/or if McCain lost Minnesota, both of which happened. We have had PM's where I called tabs on his bet, it is not a "blur". Mod, he needs removed from OT only, thank you. :)

[QUOTE="Dark-Sithious"]Weren't you supposed to leave gs forever if McCain lost?Cereo1

I know I made a deal with him that he had to leave if McCain lost and/or if McCain lost Minnesota, both of which happened. We have had PM's where I called tabs on his bet, it is not a "blur". Mod, he needs removed from OT only, thank you. :)

Mods don't enforce personal bets with moderations. Oh, btw, have Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, and Alec Baldwin left the USA yet after Bush won?

EDIT: ah shewt. Gabu beat me to it while I was looking up names of celebrities who threatened to leave! Anyway, Gabu, please check my post at the bottom of the previous page.

I wonder if he's watched Fox News in the past year or so.  It's gone downhill fast. 

We need a true conservative cable news chanel.  

mysterylobster

[QUOTE="Cereo1"]

[QUOTE="Dark-Sithious"]Weren't you supposed to leave gs forever if McCain lost?GabuEx

I know I made a deal with him that he had to leave if McCain lost and/or if McCain lost Minnesota, both of which happened. We have had PM's where I called tabs on his bet, it is not a "blur". Mod, he needs removed from OT only, thank you. :)

As for what you enforce, I know this. I made a smiley face because it was a joke. But if he had his conservative pride, like he says he does, he would have some integrity and follow through with what he said he'd do. I said I'd stop coming here also if I was wrong, but I guess that's easy to say when you weren't the one that was wrong.

Find 1 post where I ever mentioned it after I made the bet up until today. You won't find one because this is the first time I mentioned it outside of PMing him personally. Cereo1

Mods can moderate you for PMs too.

Well, I don't know. Here's an example from my experience. I hate PETA. I can't stand animal rights activists. Those guys are mostly liberals and vegetarians, but I'm not criticising liberalism, all liberals, vegetarianism, or all vegetarians. I'm a vegetarian myself, and hold some liberal beliefs. I just find them so strident, immoral, and radical that they don't represent liberalism or vegetarianism any more.

I get the impression that that's the idea he's trying to communicate here: that it's the strident radical left that's "ruining America" as you put it. After all, he praised Chet Huntley (social liberal), Eric Sevareid (also a social liberal and critic of Sen. McCarthy), William Fulbright (Democrat), and Sam Ervin (Democrat). He also criticised Arnold Schwarzenegger (Repub).

Maybe, maybe not. Given that I can't talk to him, I can't exactly say for sure; I'm just relating the impression that it gave me.

Find 1 post where I ever mentioned it after I made the bet up until today. You won't find one because this is the first time I mentioned it outside of PMing him personally.

As for what you enforce, I know this. I made a smiley face because it was a joke. But if he had his conservative pride, like he says he does, he would have some integrity and follow through with what he said he'd do. I said I'd stop coming here also if I was wrong, but I guess that's easy to say when you weren't the one that was wrong.

I'm not just talking to you (and I apologize if it came across that way); I'm talking to everyone who has brought up the fact that he said he'd leave. I've seen that happen repeatedly, and it's getting a bit much.

The guy's obviously a flaming traditional conservative, but I agree with him on #4. Wall St. has done the country wrongs that cannot simply be fixed with a bailout or a smack on the hand.

Apart from that, the guy's being very ignorant and homophobic.

[QUOTE="clicketyclick"]

Well, I don't know. Here's an example from my experience. I hate PETA. I can't stand animal rights activists. Those guys are mostly liberals and vegetarians, but I'm not criticising liberalism, all liberals, vegetarianism, or all vegetarians. I'm a vegetarian myself, and hold some liberal beliefs. I just find them so strident, immoral, and radical that they don't represent liberalism or vegetarianism any more.

I get the impression that that's the idea he's trying to communicate here: that it's the strident radical left that's "ruining America" as you put it. After all, he praised Chet Huntley (social liberal), Eric Sevareid (also a social liberal and critic of Sen. McCarthy), William Fulbright (Democrat), and Sam Ervin (Democrat). He also criticised Arnold Schwarzenegger (Repub).

GabuEx

Maybe, maybe not. Given that I can't talk to him, I can't exactly say for sure; I'm just relating the impression that it gave me.

Find 1 post where I ever mentioned it after I made the bet up until today. You won't find one because this is the first time I mentioned it outside of PMing him personally.

As for what you enforce, I know this. I made a smiley face because it was a joke. But if he had his conservative pride, like he says he does, he would have some integrity and follow through with what he said he'd do. I said I'd stop coming here also if I was wrong, but I guess that's easy to say when you weren't the one that was wrong.

Cereo1

I'm not just talking to you (and I apologize if it came across that way); I'm talking to everyone who has brought up the fact that he said he'd leave. I've seen that happen repeatedly, and it's getting a bit much.

Even so, Swarcheneggar is hardly a conservative. Maybe fiscally, but not at all socially.

[QUOTE="mysterylobster"]

I wonder if he's watched Fox News in the past year or so.  It's gone downhill fast. 

We need a true conservative cable news chanel.  

Funky_Llama

I don't want to get too far off topic, but since some people keep bringing it up, I should comment on what I said.  Before the election I stated that I didn't see any reason for me to post here if Obama won the election.  Obviously, if I found a reason then I wouldn't think twice about posting again.  

Also, let's not forget that Justice Thomas will be meeting with the rest of the Supreme Court on December 5th to decide whether to hear the case concerning Obama's elegibility, so this whole victory thing is still very much up in the air.             

[QUOTE="GabuEx"]I was with him for a fair while until it turned from a simple objective analysis of things into a thinly-veiled ideological diatribe.mysterylobster

EDIT: And he's clearly wrong about the Weathermen - they never intended to kill anyone with their bombs. In fact I thought that they warned anyone working in the areas where their bombs went off so as to prevent any accidental deaths.

[QUOTE="clicketyclick"]

Well, I don't know. Here's an example from my experience. I hate PETA. I can't stand animal rights activists. Those guys are mostly liberals and vegetarians, but I'm not criticising liberalism, all liberals, vegetarianism, or all vegetarians. I'm a vegetarian myself, and hold some liberal beliefs. I just find them so strident, immoral, and radical that they don't represent liberalism or vegetarianism any more.

I get the impression that that's the idea he's trying to communicate here: that it's the strident radical left that's "ruining America" as you put it. After all, he praised Chet Huntley (social liberal), Eric Sevareid (also a social liberal and critic of Sen. McCarthy), William Fulbright (Democrat), and Sam Ervin (Democrat). He also criticised Arnold Schwarzenegger (Repub).

GabuEx

Maybe, maybe not. Given that I can't talk to him, I can't exactly say for sure; I'm just relating the impression that it gave me.

the guy's being very ignorant and homophobic.Lord__Darkstorn

Okay, so let me say this more forcefully. Your impression is incorrect and likely arises from not reading carefully enough to notice the political affiliations of the people he talks about. Since he was praising liberals, it's a mistake to think he was criticising all liberals or liberalism.clicketyclick

Every single one of the people you listed were only in their public jobs until the '70s, over 30 years ago. Perhaps he thinks liberalism was better 30 years ago (back when liberals weren't so damned liberal like they are today :P) or something along those lines, but the fact remains that all of his complaints that weren't politically neutral seemed to be attacking liberalism.

[QUOTE="Lord__Darkstorn"]the guy's being very ignorant and homophobic.clicketyclick

He might be referring to one of the points in #10, in which he lists "that AIDs is no more a homosexual- than a heterosexual-prone disease" as one of the falsities that children are being indoctrinated with in schools, which I have to admit raised an eyebrow for me.

He might be referring to one of the points in #10, in which he lists "that AIDs is no more a homosexual- than a heterosexual-prone disease" as one of the falsities that children are being indoctrinated with in schools, which I have to admit raised an eyebrow for me.GabuEx

Liberalism is an broad ideology, and broad ideologies don't change over time. He's not criticising liberalism today; he's criticising certain kinds of liberals today. I'm against the war in Iraq, yet I find Code Pink and their ilk to be embarrassing and shameful. I recognise that many people against the war have acted abysmally. Those are the kinds of rabid radical liberals he's criticising.clicketyclick

Well, I don't know, all I know is that it seemed as if he kept saying "Here's a problem in America... and here's how liberals are the cause! And here's another problem in America... and here's how liberals are the cause!" It's the completely one-sided nature of it that got me, I think. If there are liberals in the world today that he's okay with, he didn't make that terribly apparent.

Pointing out that HIV rates are higher among homosexuals than they are among heterosexuals is not ignorant, nor is it homophobic. clicketyclick

Not necessarily, but it is rather painfully misleading. Unsafe sex of any kind can lead to STDs, and safe sex will prevent their spread. Anal sex happens to increase the risk of their spread due to the resulting tearing of tissue, but that has little to do with homosexuals at all. AIDS used to be thought of as a gay disease", and I worry that comments like the one he made might be coming from that mentality. If he's only talking about political correctness, however, then fine.

Well, I don't know, all I know is that it seemed as if he kept saying "Here's a problem in America... and here's how liberals are the cause! And here's another problem in America... and here's how liberals are the cause!" It's the completely one-sided nature of it that got me, I think. If there are liberals in the world today that he's okay with, he didn't make that terribly apparent.GabuEx

Not necessarily, but it is rather painfully misleading. Unsafe sex of any kind can lead to STDs, and safe sex will prevent their spread. Anal sex happens to increase the risk of their spread due to the resulting tearing of tissue, but that has little to do with homosexuals at all. AIDS used to be thought of as a gay disease", and I worry that comments like the one he made might be coming from that mentality. If he's only talking about political correctness, however, then fine.GabuEx

[QUOTE="GabuEx"]Well, I don't know, all I know is that it seemed as if he kept saying "Here's a problem in America... and here's how liberals are the cause! And here's another problem in America... and here's how liberals are the cause!" It's the completely one-sided nature of it that got me, I think. If there are liberals in the world today that he's okay with, he didn't make that terribly apparent.clicketyclick

Not necessarily, but it is rather painfully misleading. Unsafe sex of any kind can lead to STDs, and safe sex will prevent their spread. Anal sex happens to increase the risk of their spread due to the resulting tearing of tissue, but that has little to do with homosexuals at all. AIDS used to be thought of as a gay disease", and I worry that comments like the one he made might be coming from that mentality. If he's only talking about political correctness, however, then fine.GabuEx

This guy seems more like one of those old-fashioned, Libertarian nutjob types (though I must admit that it is a dying breed).