The TV Tropes website uses the term Darkness Induced Audience Apathy to refer to movies and tv shows wherein "the setting is extremely but meaninglessly Darker and Edgier, and/or all sides are abhorrently, equally evil—or at least, far enough gone that any difference between the two is splitting hairs." TV Tropes then elaborates "Because the conflict between the equal evils is essentially meaningless, there is no dramatic tension." A good example would be "Game of Thrones." Now the GOP Presidential race hasn't yet resorted to rape, torture and mutilation but it has become an ughsome spectacle. Frankly, I wouldn't put any of the GOP candidates in charge of a picnic, much less the nation as a whole. Marco Rubio declares "America is not a planet." It seemed impossible just a few weeks ago, but it seems that Jeb Bush might actually lose. The really scary thing would happen if Donald Trump were to win the nomination.
Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, John Boehner has resigned as Speaker of the House. Apparently, the "hard" congressional GOPers felt he wasn't putting enough effort into their new pet cause; attacking Planned Parenthood. The media is now drooling about how Boehner was some kind of great "statesman." In reality he was just an opportunistic slob, without ideas or ideals, who only entered politics for the pay and the perks. If Boehner looks any kind of good, it's because his successor Kevin McCarthy, will be no better and may turn out to be worse.
Monday, September 28, 2015
Monday, September 21, 2015
The Pander Games
The GOPers ramble on, in a contest that is no longer a race to the bottom but a long fall into the bottomless abyss. Carly Fiorina, has become the media darling after Donald Trump made some ugly remarks about her appearance. But now Fiorina is working herself about a video that shows Planned Parenthood selling fetal tissue. No such video actually exists. Does Fiorina really believe this garbage or is she just pandering to the GOPer "cause?"
The other Repubs are busy spewing Islamophobia. The bigot demographic has become part of their political base. If you pander to ignorance and stupidity you start to become ignorant and stupid yourself.
We should have learned by now that in politics their is no such thing as a "noble" lie. A politician who lies is always pernicious as is a political movement based on lies.
The other Repubs are busy spewing Islamophobia. The bigot demographic has become part of their political base. If you pander to ignorance and stupidity you start to become ignorant and stupid yourself.
We should have learned by now that in politics their is no such thing as a "noble" lie. A politician who lies is always pernicious as is a political movement based on lies.
Monday, September 14, 2015
Imminent Lawless Action
The war of words over "political correctness" have raged on for three decades without any real benefit. The argument has become so muddled that it's no longer clear what "political correctness" even means. There is a problem with the growing prevalence of racist and bigoted speech. Unfortunately, the speech codes adopted at some Universities for instance have suffered from vagueness. Adopting a stance against "anything that might offend anybody" suffers from many problems, primarily from the problem of trying to define the term "offensive."
Perhaps it would be better to adopt the standard of Imminent Lawless Action, as adopted by the Supreme Court in Brandenburg v. Ohio which held that "government cannot punish inflammatory speech unless that speech is directed to inciting, and is likely to incite, imminent lawless action." Statements that advocate violence against people on the grounds of race, gender, or sexual preferences surely fit under this standard. This is not a "liberal innovation" but a refinement of the Bad Tendency principle which holds that permits restriction of freedom of speech by government if it is believed that a form of speech has a sole tendency to incite or cause illegal activity."
It is also important to distinguish between statements made in a malicious and provocative manner against people saying things that "come out wrong." Everybody has biases about ethnicity gender or something else. We need to find a way so that people can deal with their biases notions without feeling attacked or shamed.
Perhaps it would be better to adopt the standard of Imminent Lawless Action, as adopted by the Supreme Court in Brandenburg v. Ohio which held that "government cannot punish inflammatory speech unless that speech is directed to inciting, and is likely to incite, imminent lawless action." Statements that advocate violence against people on the grounds of race, gender, or sexual preferences surely fit under this standard. This is not a "liberal innovation" but a refinement of the Bad Tendency principle which holds that permits restriction of freedom of speech by government if it is believed that a form of speech has a sole tendency to incite or cause illegal activity."
It is also important to distinguish between statements made in a malicious and provocative manner against people saying things that "come out wrong." Everybody has biases about ethnicity gender or something else. We need to find a way so that people can deal with their biases notions without feeling attacked or shamed.
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Kim Davis: The Cafeteria Christian
Kim Davis, the Kentucky County Clerk who was jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples, has been released from jail. It's not clear whether she's going to continue with her nonsense. She's become the poster girl for "religious freedom;" she claims that because she's fundamentalist she can't have anything to do with same sex marriage. If she really had a problem she ought to just resign: in reality, she just enjoys the attention.
The thing is that Davis herself has been four times married and thrice divorced. If the bible bans homosexuality it also bans divorce and remarriage. Davis is a good example of a "Cafeteria Christian." Someone who picks and chooses whatever parts of the scriptures she happens to approve of. The term "cafeteria Christians" has been used by religious conservatives against Christians whom they regard as "too liberal." Davis shows that many religious conservatives themselves pick and choose whatever aspects of the scriptures suit their arguments.
The thing is that Davis herself has been four times married and thrice divorced. If the bible bans homosexuality it also bans divorce and remarriage. Davis is a good example of a "Cafeteria Christian." Someone who picks and chooses whatever parts of the scriptures she happens to approve of. The term "cafeteria Christians" has been used by religious conservatives against Christians whom they regard as "too liberal." Davis shows that many religious conservatives themselves pick and choose whatever aspects of the scriptures suit their arguments.
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