“A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free.” Abraham Lincoln
“A house divided against itself cannot stand. This is true when opposing sides are incapable of engaging in civil discourse.” Whenyourerightyoureright.com
Political “debate” has become coarse and vituperative. Jennifer Rubin blithely announces that Republicans plan to “kill your children.” A political analyst avers the “we would have won if we could have controlled social media.” Michael Bechloss, a purported historian, suggests that a Republican victory would mean that “democracy and the free press could end, historians may no longer exist, and “our children” could all die at the hands of a “brutal authoritarian system.” Joyless Reid, who received a Harvard degree as a Christmas present in 1991, states that Trump is riding a “fascist groundswell” among men, as well as a “disinformation campaign”.
This is what passes for journalistic repartee. And the truly dispiriting part is that these paragons of punditry argue with a straight face that they are unbiased, without partisanship…they just calls ’em like they sees ’em. Helen Keller call your office!
It could be argued that such virulent monologues on a daily basis may trigger actual violence. Ryan Routh, the second would be Trump assassin, has written several jailhouse screeds explaining that he was driven by a belief that Trump was intent on becoming a dictator. Nietzsche said: “All I need is a sheet of paper and something to write with, and then I can turn the world upside down.” Now imagine the power of inciteful words broadcast every day to an ignorant and gullible audience of millions. Ryan Routh was listening. The Pied Piper of Hamelin never had it so easy!
So how did we get to this point in the freest country in the world? When did we degenerate into a Hatfield and the McCoy blood feud? In contradistinction to the musical stylings of Hatfield and Medley.
A Common Parlance
E. D. Hirsch authored a wonderful book entitled Cultural Literacy. His premise is that “children in the United States are being deprived of the basic knowledge that would enable them to function in a contemporary society.” Products of the US education system today have no context for the world around them, no understanding of anything that predates their exit from the birth canal. Our youth are callow, narcissistic and vainglorious and this gives them a false sense of self-importance. If Taylor Swift did not say it how can it be true? How do you deal with a generation that thinks D-Day is nothing more than a character in Animal House?
We must teach a common history and proper English in the elementary schools and beyond. Santayana said: “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” That quotation should be taught in every school from coast to coast.
Political Vocabulary
In a previous post we noted that Herbert Marcuse, whose teachings are an existential threat to human civilization, believed in linguistic therapy. By this he meant changing the usage and meaning of words to suit your political agenda. We must learn that calling people names does NOT constitute communication. Our left wing media have a very limited lexicon of pejorative terms with which to attack anyone with whom they disagree…Nazi, fascist, white supremacist, xenophobe, racist, etc. These terms do nothing to improve the quality of our dialogue. Rather it contributes to an extended verbal barroom brawl. You cannot heal our societal wounds by insulting your opponents. The magnitude of the Trump election victory should have made that clear but, alas, CNN and MSDNC are engaged in a continuing vilification of MAGA voters. In the immortal words of Rodney King…”Can’t we all just get along?”
Censorship
When Jack Dorsey ran Twitter it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Now that Elon Musk is at the helm X is the worst thing since zucchini bread. Yet a recent study concluded that X is the most politically balanced of all the social media. Musk has renewed the catch phrase “Fair and balanced”. He accomplished this by restoring an open marketplace of ideas. He is attacking the censorship of any ideas that are antithetical to the Progressive zeitgeist and disequilibrating the New Elite. The closest thing to eternal life in the 21st century is the Russian collusion hoax. Any dissent from the authoritarian Covid response was banned from social media even though the vast majority of that dissent has proven to be accurate. Encourage dialogue not the suppression of ideas
Heed the words of Benjamin Franklin: “Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.” But be prepared to explain to the average high school graduate who Dr. Franklin is…partial credit for “the kite guy”,
Tolerance
Tolerance is quite simply the sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one’s own. An application of the Golden Rule. Today we see videos of people wearing MAGA hats being refused service in restaurants. FEMA has refused to check homes in hurricane ravaged areas because of Trump signs. Conservative speakers are routinely shouted down at universities of all places. Jewish students are being threatened around the world because, well…no reason is being given perhaps because it is all contextual. We are becoming a completely intolerant people and civil debate is DOA.
Wouldn’t it be the height of irony if Trump 47 brings us together as Americans!
Why does the New Elite embrace censorship and intolerance: 1. They are completely risk averse; 2. They prefer rule by “experts” or perceived experts (i.e. a Harvard degree); 3. They reject moral imperatives; 4. They prefer symbols over substance; and, most importantly, 5. They require conformity of thought. The New Elite is soon to appear on the endangered species list.
Things to think about:
A Doge was a chief magistrate in the republics of Venice and Genoa. There is a new DOGE in Dodge.
First annual Ray Bolger award goes to AOC for her pointing out that it is physically impossible to lift oneself up by their bootstraps.
Runner up: The devastated Harris supporter who vowed to leave the country and go to Hawaii.