Your comparison isn't at all apt with the exception of private institutions. To the extent we're talking about public entities there are rules about what they can and can't do when it comes to sanctioning people.
Why anyone has every considered it appropriate to have colleges investigate and adjudicate violent felonies (or really any criminal conduct) is beyond my understanding.
I think you're right about the cultural aspect of it (i.e. griping on social media). That said there does seem to be a trend of involving the authorities in child rearing matters that were once left to families even when there is no abuse or actual danger. These stories of parents getting visits from the police or CPS for letting their kids walk to the park aren't made up.
I don't entirely disagree. However I also think about the banal pop, pop punk, post grunge, and decadent hip hop that ruled the airwaves when I was in high school. I'm glad not to be doomed to a culture that'll still be celebrating it in 40 years.
I think the staying power (or lack thereof) is less about the artists and more about the fragmentation of entertainment. I see it as something to be celebrated.
A couple years ago I had several lipomas removed while fully conscious. Not nearly as invasive and the areas were numbed with local anesthesia but I very much recall the weirdness of someone poking around in there.
Hope you have a speedy recovery and that the treatment is a success.
@saul-degraw it's the corporate scum I've become talking but optics matter. It isnt entirely fair but the pitch needed to be from people who looked like the kid next door, did things mostly right, yet was stuck with mountains of student loan debt. It seems like during the civil rights movement in the 60s activist organizations got very good at controlling their images to make themselves sympathetic to mainstream, uncommitted Americans. Something of that has been lost.
I really hope bloodshed of any kind is far, far away, and Trump proves all of the skeptics wrong. Even if the result was a well deserved comeuppance I would take no joy or satisfaction in it.
I think you're correct and it's quite frustrating. I think those tendencies kept Occupy Wall Street from channeling enthusiasm into reform of the financial sector and I think it's starting to harm the credibility of BLM. The more these movements get caught up in arcane ultra lefty causes the easier they become to dismiss as agitators and hippies disconnected from reality.
No they couldn't stop it. And when the Democrats retake power, which will be a lot sooner than everyone thinks, they will be fully justified in taking similar action and the dysfunction of our federal government will reach new heights. Even with a virtually guaranteed comeuppance for the GOP it's not something I'd ever celebrate.
@stillwater I think you're confusing my opinion about the desirability of these (very) hypothetical events with laying blame. I've already said the Democrats would be justified in doing it. I still don't think it's a good idea. It's very possible for an action to be provoked, justified, and create or help pave the way for a bad outcome.
The constitutional crisis isn't the vote. The constitutional crisis is when the Trump administration refuses to abide by an adverse holding that relies on a vote from Garland (something which may happen anyway) or precedent becomes meaningless because every time the executive and legislative branch has the right composition they expand the size of the SC and add a few new philosopher kings.
Because bad policy and/or policy I disagree with can be changed within our current constitutional structure. Conversely a constitutional crisis can result in a new, worse system. I think it also increases the likelihood of violence, including of the state variety that I worry about most.
Put it this way. I'd prefer we retain the welfare state as opposed to gutting it. However if the democratic process produces something else then I can deal with that, and the solution is to go out and do the hard work it takes to obtain a different outcome. What we may not be able to undo is a situation where the Republicans retaliate by packing the Supreme Court, especially if the long term result is a complete collapse in the legitimacy of the judicial branch and people stop complying with it.
This is what worries me. The Democrats would be completely justified in doing it but I'm not sure I want to watch the next few levels of inevitable escalation. Or maybe Damon's right and we've passed the point of walking back to most or many of the past norms.
I hadn't thought about it in a long time but your comment reminded me of an anti-war rally I went to in college where a substantial amount of time was spent on factory farming. Not saying that isn't a subject worthy of debate but at the time it struck me as totally bizarre. And this was of course back before anyone had heard of safe spaces and identity politics were at a very low ebb compared to now.
They expect a magical day of reckoning when one morning everyone wakes up and fully embraces the entire intersectionality dogma in its most vulgar form. It's more like religion than politics.
I think Kim is right. Between us, the Russians, and other regional actors we are more than capable of ensuring this fight goes down to the last Syrian.
This touches on what I was wondering about. Have the recommended charities been vetted to ensure that donations are going to civilians and not being diverted to and/or supporting belligerents in the conflict?
@saul-degraw I see some support for it among the portion of my social group that is involved in the arts or has followed a less traditional path but virtually none among the more professional/traditional office job circle.
My hope is that this stuff boils down to cultural shibbeloths. If it's something bigger then I do think it's a bad sign for broader liberalism, given how it alienates people without driving any sort of policy improvements.
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.
On “Morning Ed: Law & Order {2016.12.20.T}”
Your comparison isn't at all apt with the exception of private institutions. To the extent we're talking about public entities there are rules about what they can and can't do when it comes to sanctioning people.
"
Why anyone has every considered it appropriate to have colleges investigate and adjudicate violent felonies (or really any criminal conduct) is beyond my understanding.
On “Coates:Â Killing Dylann Roof”
Justice is fleeting, relative, and rarely satisfying to anyone.
On “Morning Ed: Society {2016.12.14.W}”
I think you're right about the cultural aspect of it (i.e. griping on social media). That said there does seem to be a trend of involving the authorities in child rearing matters that were once left to families even when there is no abuse or actual danger. These stories of parents getting visits from the police or CPS for letting their kids walk to the park aren't made up.
"
I don't entirely disagree. However I also think about the banal pop, pop punk, post grunge, and decadent hip hop that ruled the airwaves when I was in high school. I'm glad not to be doomed to a culture that'll still be celebrating it in 40 years.
"
I think the staying power (or lack thereof) is less about the artists and more about the fragmentation of entertainment. I see it as something to be celebrated.
On “The Joys of Being Awake For Orthopedic Procedures”
A couple years ago I had several lipomas removed while fully conscious. Not nearly as invasive and the areas were numbed with local anesthesia but I very much recall the weirdness of someone poking around in there.
Hope you have a speedy recovery and that the treatment is a success.
On “The Intercept: Conviction for Racist Speech Could Help Make Geert Wilders Dutch Prime Minister”
Hate speech laws inevitably turn cranks and imbeciles into martyrs and folk heroes who speak truth to power.
On “Everything Is Our Thing, Our Thing Is Everything”
@saul-degraw it's the corporate scum I've become talking but optics matter. It isnt entirely fair but the pitch needed to be from people who looked like the kid next door, did things mostly right, yet was stuck with mountains of student loan debt. It seems like during the civil rights movement in the 60s activist organizations got very good at controlling their images to make themselves sympathetic to mainstream, uncommitted Americans. Something of that has been lost.
On “The Backup QB Could Try A Hail Mary As The Clock Runs Out”
The latter worries me. A lot.
"
I really hope bloodshed of any kind is far, far away, and Trump proves all of the skeptics wrong. Even if the result was a well deserved comeuppance I would take no joy or satisfaction in it.
On “Everything Is Our Thing, Our Thing Is Everything”
I think you're correct and it's quite frustrating. I think those tendencies kept Occupy Wall Street from channeling enthusiasm into reform of the financial sector and I think it's starting to harm the credibility of BLM. The more these movements get caught up in arcane ultra lefty causes the easier they become to dismiss as agitators and hippies disconnected from reality.
On “The Backup QB Could Try A Hail Mary As The Clock Runs Out”
No they couldn't stop it. And when the Democrats retake power, which will be a lot sooner than everyone thinks, they will be fully justified in taking similar action and the dysfunction of our federal government will reach new heights. Even with a virtually guaranteed comeuppance for the GOP it's not something I'd ever celebrate.
"
@stillwater I think you're confusing my opinion about the desirability of these (very) hypothetical events with laying blame. I've already said the Democrats would be justified in doing it. I still don't think it's a good idea. It's very possible for an action to be provoked, justified, and create or help pave the way for a bad outcome.
"
The constitutional crisis isn't the vote. The constitutional crisis is when the Trump administration refuses to abide by an adverse holding that relies on a vote from Garland (something which may happen anyway) or precedent becomes meaningless because every time the executive and legislative branch has the right composition they expand the size of the SC and add a few new philosopher kings.
"
Because bad policy and/or policy I disagree with can be changed within our current constitutional structure. Conversely a constitutional crisis can result in a new, worse system. I think it also increases the likelihood of violence, including of the state variety that I worry about most.
Put it this way. I'd prefer we retain the welfare state as opposed to gutting it. However if the democratic process produces something else then I can deal with that, and the solution is to go out and do the hard work it takes to obtain a different outcome. What we may not be able to undo is a situation where the Republicans retaliate by packing the Supreme Court, especially if the long term result is a complete collapse in the legitimacy of the judicial branch and people stop complying with it.
"
This is what worries me. The Democrats would be completely justified in doing it but I'm not sure I want to watch the next few levels of inevitable escalation. Or maybe Damon's right and we've passed the point of walking back to most or many of the past norms.
On “Everything Is Our Thing, Our Thing Is Everything”
I hadn't thought about it in a long time but your comment reminded me of an anti-war rally I went to in college where a substantial amount of time was spent on factory farming. Not saying that isn't a subject worthy of debate but at the time it struck me as totally bizarre. And this was of course back before anyone had heard of safe spaces and identity politics were at a very low ebb compared to now.
"
'Not unwanted but unnecessary.' And people wonder why these movements struggle, even when the argument is compelling.
"
That is an extremely depressing anecdote.
"
They expect a magical day of reckoning when one morning everyone wakes up and fully embraces the entire intersectionality dogma in its most vulgar form. It's more like religion than politics.
On “An Open Letter to the Writer Who Wrote the Open Letter to the Female Hat-Wearing Dog from “Go Dog, Go””
Well done. This was hilarious.
On “As the Aleppo Situation Worsens, Now is the Time to Give”
I think Kim is right. Between us, the Russians, and other regional actors we are more than capable of ensuring this fight goes down to the last Syrian.
"
This touches on what I was wondering about. Have the recommended charities been vetted to ensure that donations are going to civilians and not being diverted to and/or supporting belligerents in the conflict?
On “Freddie: no one has the slightest idea what is and isn’t cultural appropriation”
@saul-degraw I see some support for it among the portion of my social group that is involved in the arts or has followed a less traditional path but virtually none among the more professional/traditional office job circle.
My hope is that this stuff boils down to cultural shibbeloths. If it's something bigger then I do think it's a bad sign for broader liberalism, given how it alienates people without driving any sort of policy improvements.
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.