Isn't more of a traditional culture war than a class war?
I suppose class and culture are interlinked but I try to keep class war meaning wage, working condition, and economic issues.
But that was a good catch to use smart in the archaic way of meaning "cosmopolitan" or "fashionable" like The Smart Set. H.L. Mencken would have a field day at the Value Voters summit. In fact, you can probably see a lot of comparisons between our politics/culture wars and those of the 1920s.
What do you mean that something has gone wrong with modern life?
I think that there is plenty wrong (largely in terms of social and economic justice) but if you are talking about the stuff that gives the Value Voters heebee jeebees, that stuff is largely a boon. There has always been pre-marital sex and probably a lot of it, now we are not ashamed of it. There has always been homosexuality and people with gender issues. As we learn more, society and culture changes.
I am also more concerned with the Bachmann's of the world than the Limbaughs. Though I think there are a lot of true believers.
And I agree with your first paragraph with the idea that a lot of these people think that something went wrong and are wondering what it is. Though I think it is mainly confusion over the complexity of life and the grayness of life and wanting to view the world like children with rose-colored glasses. They yearn for a world that never existed.
There have always been people who did this in American politics. A large aspect of right-wing populism is anti-Intellectualism.
Hence the right-wing economic populism that evokes blue-collar imagery and praises manual/physical labor. The talk about a job being something you can have pride in usually meaning that it worked the bones tired. There is a strong implication that any job that requires intellectualism or office work is not something one can be satisfied about. Santorum tried this before with his remark about how Obama was snobby for wanting everyone to go to college which was incorrect anyway.
Yeah, I saw that too and have been puzzling over it since.
It basically goes back to the Protestant Revolution (despite Santorum's Catholicism, his religious dogma is very much anchored in the Protestant Revolution). There has always been an anti-Intellectualist aspect to the idea of not needing an intermediary to understand the bible.
I think this translates into a broader anti-Intellectualism. These people are simply resentful of needing to listen to any sort of educated elite. And they think education is what makes someone elite, not riches. Hence the Koch brothers being non-elite but an actor/waiter in Brooklyn being elite.
I think this is going to create more extremism, not less.
You are going to see a lot of GOP on GOP races and DEM on DEM races.
In a GOP v. GOP race will they go after Democrats or try and convince the Democrats to stay home by each playing "more Republican than thou" Same in a DEM v. DEM race.
My guess is that both parties are going to play "More than thou"
I care about institutions and process but you are right that every now and then some tinkering needs to be done.
Perhaps this is because I believe in Tikkun Olam, "to mend the world" but tinkering is necessary. If a process always or often leads to an unjust result than the process is broken and needs to be tinkered with or scraped entirely.
The Death Penalty process is a prime example of a broken process that leads to inequity or the doctrine of immunity if it causes politicians and other government officials to act unjustly.
Process is not always going to lead to just or good results but it should not completely fuck up either or be loop-sided to one particular side.
Yeah but as Mike said those were probably urban legends. I was going to add a line that said "Even if he though they were mistakes" but decided against it.
Even if he thought they were mistakes, I think the U.S. benefited from what the right-wing saw as a mistakes. I am still a Warren Court person and sometimes judicial action (while not democratic) is necessary to push for social change.
If I were a young man in the 1970s, I would have been part of the down-town NY scene and listening to The Ramones, Blondie, Talking Heads, Television, etc when they were playing at CBGBs.
All this shows is that Rod Dreher does not really understand how the Constitution and Free Exercise clause works.
Courts try to stay out of religious disputes as much as possible to the extent that they don't even want to hear property disputes if a Church goes through schism. The Government cannot compel a church to perform any marriage.
He appointed two of the best Supreme Court Justices to the Bench. Those being William Brennan and Earl Warren. Potter Stewart and John Harlan II were not bad either.
The "benign" ones would say we are misguided because our values are not grounded or guided by Jesus. By Jesus, I mean their version of what Jesus stood for.
The honest ones would say that they don't think we have values.
But I'm Jewish so they need me for their apocalyptic fantasies.
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.
On “10 Fun Facts from the Values Voter Summit”
Will we know what you are pining for now.
"
Isn't more of a traditional culture war than a class war?
I suppose class and culture are interlinked but I try to keep class war meaning wage, working condition, and economic issues.
But that was a good catch to use smart in the archaic way of meaning "cosmopolitan" or "fashionable" like The Smart Set. H.L. Mencken would have a field day at the Value Voters summit. In fact, you can probably see a lot of comparisons between our politics/culture wars and those of the 1920s.
"
What do you mean that something has gone wrong with modern life?
I think that there is plenty wrong (largely in terms of social and economic justice) but if you are talking about the stuff that gives the Value Voters heebee jeebees, that stuff is largely a boon. There has always been pre-marital sex and probably a lot of it, now we are not ashamed of it. There has always been homosexuality and people with gender issues. As we learn more, society and culture changes.
"
I am also more concerned with the Bachmann's of the world than the Limbaughs. Though I think there are a lot of true believers.
And I agree with your first paragraph with the idea that a lot of these people think that something went wrong and are wondering what it is. Though I think it is mainly confusion over the complexity of life and the grayness of life and wanting to view the world like children with rose-colored glasses. They yearn for a world that never existed.
"
There have always been people who did this in American politics. A large aspect of right-wing populism is anti-Intellectualism.
Hence the right-wing economic populism that evokes blue-collar imagery and praises manual/physical labor. The talk about a job being something you can have pride in usually meaning that it worked the bones tired. There is a strong implication that any job that requires intellectualism or office work is not something one can be satisfied about. Santorum tried this before with his remark about how Obama was snobby for wanting everyone to go to college which was incorrect anyway.
"
Yeah, I saw that too and have been puzzling over it since.
It basically goes back to the Protestant Revolution (despite Santorum's Catholicism, his religious dogma is very much anchored in the Protestant Revolution). There has always been an anti-Intellectualist aspect to the idea of not needing an intermediary to understand the bible.
I think this translates into a broader anti-Intellectualism. These people are simply resentful of needing to listen to any sort of educated elite. And they think education is what makes someone elite, not riches. Hence the Koch brothers being non-elite but an actor/waiter in Brooklyn being elite.
http://www.amazon.com/Anti-Intellectualism-American-Life-Richard-Hofstadter/dp/0394703170
On “On why I registered to be a Republican this morning…”
I think this is going to create more extremism, not less.
You are going to see a lot of GOP on GOP races and DEM on DEM races.
In a GOP v. GOP race will they go after Democrats or try and convince the Democrats to stay home by each playing "more Republican than thou" Same in a DEM v. DEM race.
My guess is that both parties are going to play "More than thou"
On “Waxing Un-American”
What is going on in Dover?
"
I care about institutions and process but you are right that every now and then some tinkering needs to be done.
Perhaps this is because I believe in Tikkun Olam, "to mend the world" but tinkering is necessary. If a process always or often leads to an unjust result than the process is broken and needs to be tinkered with or scraped entirely.
The Death Penalty process is a prime example of a broken process that leads to inequity or the doctrine of immunity if it causes politicians and other government officials to act unjustly.
Process is not always going to lead to just or good results but it should not completely fuck up either or be loop-sided to one particular side.
On “American Ambassador To Libya Killed”
You beat me to it.
This is bad, very bad. It is going to fuel into anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism
"
Except probably not:
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/09/muhammad-film-consultant-sam-bacile-is-not-israeli-and-not-a-real-name/262290/
"
I find the politics of the Middle East to be absolutely depressing for the reasons of this episode.
Everything seems to be a perfect cluster of provoking reaction.
Christian and Jewish Extremists release a film showing that Islam is nothing but violence and thuggery.
Then there are riots and violent reactions which seem to prove the point.
Sigh....
On “What Progressive Conservatism Looks Like”
Care to share a link for the t-shirt?
On “Sweden: Conservatopia”
I am personally rather tired of arguments from Conservatives that just seem to amount to:
1. Americans are different.
2. Hence, America can't have a welfare state like every other developed nation
On “What Progressive Conservatism Looks Like”
And Nixon probably regretted apponting Blackmun.
"
You just want to see if you can pass the Miller test.
"
Would you like somewhere to lie down?
Something to drink?
"
I meant that more as a joke than anything else. I have a hard time getting other people to see mid-century art film with me.
Though my favorite will always be Truffaut. J'Adore Truffaut
"
Yeah but as Mike said those were probably urban legends. I was going to add a line that said "Even if he though they were mistakes" but decided against it.
Even if he thought they were mistakes, I think the U.S. benefited from what the right-wing saw as a mistakes. I am still a Warren Court person and sometimes judicial action (while not democratic) is necessary to push for social change.
"
I don't think so. The same thing will be happening in SF soon.
"
If I were a young man in the 1970s, I would have been part of the down-town NY scene and listening to The Ramones, Blondie, Talking Heads, Television, etc when they were playing at CBGBs.
So Disco/Pop is not quite my bag.
"
All this shows is that Rod Dreher does not really understand how the Constitution and Free Exercise clause works.
Courts try to stay out of religious disputes as much as possible to the extent that they don't even want to hear property disputes if a Church goes through schism. The Government cannot compel a church to perform any marriage.
"
We also get Ingmar Bergman movies!
This might only excite me though.
On the down side, we get poorly made and aesthetically unpleasing furniture and ABBA.
This might make up for ABBA though:
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/10897/755
"
I will say this about Eisenhower:
He appointed two of the best Supreme Court Justices to the Bench. Those being William Brennan and Earl Warren. Potter Stewart and John Harlan II were not bad either.
On “The Values Voter Summit – Overture & Overview”
The "benign" ones would say we are misguided because our values are not grounded or guided by Jesus. By Jesus, I mean their version of what Jesus stood for.
The honest ones would say that they don't think we have values.
But I'm Jewish so they need me for their apocalyptic fantasies.
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.