Interestingly, Laurence — that is to say, our Meade — never calls Citizen Dave (the erstwhile Mayor Dave of Madison, Wisconsin) an "idiot." That's Dave's paraphrase.
To paraphrase is to reveal the inner workings of one's own mind. If someone holds up a mirror and you say "I look like an idiot," is the mirror-holder calling you an idiot?
I've rarely read anything associated with my writing — or for that matter with online news stories or columns — that I would consider worth my time or anyone else's.
In short, if that's blogging, then I'm not doing it and never will. Blogging does not work in any useful way as a form of social intercourse. The small number of people who comment seem very angry and very bitter. Why would you want to spend your time with them?
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81 comments:
Meade doesn't hold a mirror up - he busts Dave's balls! Dave's balls probably need busting, but come on!
Ann is a blogger. Dave is a narcissist.
"Meade doesn't hold a mirror up - he busts Dave's balls! Dave's balls probably need busting, but come on!"
What kind of intercourse is that?
Wow, a Mayor that admits he doesn't listen to others nor respond to his constituents. Glad to here he's gone.
Mayor Dave never liked to hear, or even acknowledge the existence of, anything that contradicted his point of view.
It's difficult to have respect for someone who can't say directly that he wants Meade to show up at Room 249.
"Dave's a mess."
- Slapshot
Banner day for 70s sports movies here at Althouse.
The liberal idiot should be asking this question -- "'Where Was Commander in Chief?'" when Benghazi happened.
I like dialogue. It's all about the dialogue. In law school too: the Socratic method. The whole point is to talk. Conversation... it's everything.
Dave's a dictator. A tiny dictator, who was voted out of his miniature dictatorship, but that's his mentality, and he's saying it rather plainly here.
Paging Jonah Goldberg. It's that liberal-fascism mentality.
I've found that a certain class of people (type of person?) believe any sort of criticism is calling them an idiot (or similar).
I have a good friend who's a huge NPR whore. That's the only place she gets news from. Drives me crazy. I tell her she should cast her net wider and she responds with "I'm not an idiot," or something very close to that.
Why do people do that?
And as to what kind of intercourse that is, Ann, I'm not 100% sure but if you go to any of the streaming porn sites you can find movie clips of exactly that happening.
Human beings are so strange.
Projection!
"The small number of people who comment seem very angry and very bitter. "
"...who writes a comment almost every time I happen to look at them and it's almost always something along the lines of what a liberal idiot I am."
Well, that proves the fact, right?
Everyone knows it's "idiot liberal," not "liberal idiot," as the idiocy, necessarily, precedes the liberalism.
"The small number of people who comment seem very angry and very bitter."
Liberals looking at people who don't agree with them like to explain it to themselves by imagining those people to be angry and bitter.
Look at Obama's "bitter clingers" remark.
It could never be that the people on the other side actually have beliefs and opinions and ideas that could be considered and responded to. It's a mental problem.
Ironically, this closed-mindedness and projection are mentally problematic.
"The small number of people who comment seem very angry and very bitter. "
Depends, I guess on the readership and commenters that you attract and cultivate as a blogger. While some commenters seem angry and they seem to have lots of comments, most do not appear bitter.
Ann Althouse said...
The whole point is to talk.
Mayor Dave would agree with that. It's the listening part where you and he diverge.
I am guilty, and I think many people probably feel the same way at times in certain situations, that criticism is taken as someone calling me an idiot. But you reflect on that and you realize you don't need to take it that way and you darn sure don't publicize it.
If you want to live in an echo chamber looking in the mirror, don't enable the comments.
Ex-mayor Dave is an ex-mayor for good reason, it seems. He's like the tower for a radio station - he sends but he does not receive.
What makes it a blog, rather than an on-line news column, is the dialogue.
The Mayor is just another authoritarian who doesn't want to be bothered by contrary views.
I love Meade's slapshop for a goal in the - lol, yeah - comments section of that post.
""Blogging does not work in any useful way as a form of social intercourse.
As with all intercourse, Dave - if it's not working for you - perhaps you should ask yourself: Am I doing this right? "
Ooohhh. Washed up folk singer coming to Madison. Bet Mayor Dave will be there.
Liberals looking at people who don't agree with them like to explain it to themselves by imagining those people to be angry and bitter.
Look at Obama's "bitter clingers" remark.
It could never be that the people on the other side actually have beliefs and opinions and ideas that could be considered and responded to. It's a mental problem.
Liberalism is a mental disorder in that regard, which is why it attracts so many of the crazies, I think.
Not having to consider contrary ideas and the ability to dismiss them by dismissing the person as Not One Of Us is the only thing that keeps it afloat. The political is personal and it is ever true with leftism and all its manifestations. They always eat their own when it comes down to it. All the people under Obamas bus attest to this fact. Just ask Bob Woodword.
Because when it comes down to it, it doesn't matter if its a Hahhhvahhd PHD or a shit shoveling GED holder proposing an idea; if the ideas is good, its good. Liberals will tell you the opposite, because they are at heart authoritarians.
They will give other peoples money to the shit shoveller to buy his vote, but they won't treat him as an equal and the moment he steps out of line, he will be attacked. Ask Joe the Plumber about that one. Good union man, disagrees with the plans of a 1%er and is smeared and attacked by liberals in high places as stupid.
Mental Disorder manifest.
Do either of you, you know, work?
(btw, teaching law for 12 hrs/week and doing no research is not really work)
Do either of you, you know, work?
(btw, teaching law for 12 hrs/week and doing no research is not really work)
Speaking of angry and bitter...
The usual Scholars of Madison County are just like everyone else. They do not want education, they really want affirmation.
Which is why The Professor's skill at educating those that want it attracts commenters to Althouse Blog. She is liberal in the sense of being open minded. And that works.
Paging Jonah Goldberg. It's that liberal-fascism mentality.
Try putting that on a sign and taking it the conservative controlled Rotunda and tell us how that worked out for you.
example: Did you get a ticket or get arrested at the Rotunda, or did you they come to your house to give you a citation.
So is Citizen Dave suggesting anyone can show up at his conclave and everyone gets equal time on stage with a mike?
You can't make a cocktail without bitters.
I've rarely read anything associated with my writing ... that I would consider worth my time or anyone else's
Including his writing?
i'm just pointing out the there's a lot of telling people how things should be done by these two people, and they don't do much of substance
except run an amazon portal? and apparently jump in the comment threads of liberal blogs?
phx and I had a sorta fun discussion of Val Kilmer movies towards the end of last night's thrash.
I also learned that several people liked Kilmer's Doc Holiday in "Tombstone."
"except run an amazon portal? and apparently jump in the comment threads of liberal blogs?"
You don't think those things count as work?
It's very important for the left wingers not to expose themselves to ideas outside their frame of reference and create great mental confusion within themselves.
Maybe Mayor Dave is a typical Madison resident, who appear to be none too brigjht.
Following the zombie scare on Monday, dead people kept popping up all over Madison on Tuesday.
Or, at least it seemed that way to the Dane County 911 Center.
The center was overwhelmed with calls from cellphone users reporting people lying on the grass, not moving, possibly not living.
Not so. Check the weather.
"Please tell cellphone users that people lying in the grass are not necessarily dead," a dispatcher at the 911 center told Madison.com.
The temperature peaked at 78 degrees on a sunny day in Madison Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. Sunbathing broke out all over town, with people randomly lying down to catch some rays.
"It could never be that the people on the other side actually have beliefs and opinions and ideas that could be considered and responded to. It's a mental problem."
Agreed, but they are stupid and not "decent people".
Any attempt to get the facts on Benghazi is met with the charge that the Republicans are out to impeach Obama as revenge for Watergate or just playing politics. Liberals like to shut down debate by portraying those who disagree them as bad people and they have a powerful media to help do that job.
I run the Amazon portal, do willies though there, and burn a few donuts on the icy road to thrill the crowd. I'm born to be wild.
commenting is not work...certainly not
running an amazon portal. yeah, it's work. but most of the heavy lifting is done by the University of Wisconsin Law School, its students, and the state's taxpayers, which paid Ms. Althouse a large salary but required her to work minimal hours so she could develop this internet personality the uses to make cash as an amazon affiliate.
Truth be told Perfessor? Mayor Dave has a small point. I get tired of the snark continously evidenced in comment threads of most blogs. Even benign blogs and posts not written about particularly contentious issues. That said without the snark it would probably get pretty boring really quick. I'll call it a push.
If he doesn't read, or care about, comments, why have them?
Ann Althouse said...
Meade doesn't hold a mirror up - he busts Dave's balls! Dave's balls probably need busting, but come on!
What kind of intercourse is that?
Whining?
jd said...
Do either of you, you know, work?
(btw, teaching law for 12 hrs/week and doing no research is not really work)
except run an amazon portal? and apparently jump in the comment threads of liberal blogs?
Ever notice, whenever the Lefties are getting their heads handed to them, they suddenly proclaim themselves the arbiters of everything?
Ah yes, there are no insults in this Fantasyland...just thorough thought-provoking analysis trying to get to the truth!
So proud...
how was my head handed to me?
if it was, i never got it...
I think commenting the way Ritmo does it is definitely work, or at least obsession. I couldn't type that much if I was getting paid by the character. Maybe he is. That would explain him; otherwise it makes no sense.
jd seems angry and bitter.
It turns out the thing Walker & Co. despise the most are hand written messages about freedom and quoting the state constitution on pizza boxes.
Ironically, Walker's book is titled "Unintimidated".
how was my head handed to me?
if it was, i never got it...
Obviously.
i don't see how some guy commenting on a madison blog that i've never read has any implications for me...
thus, as my head was never in that game, it could not have been handed to me.
Whoosh!!! That was the conversation among adults going right over JD's idiot liberal head.
"It's a mental problem."
Michael Savage calls liberalism a mental disorder. I was talking about gun control laws to my 10 year olds this morning. They saw a "Gun Free Zone" sign at the school and asked what it meant. I told them it was a law that told people to not bring a gun to school.
"Will criminals obey that law?" I asked them. "Daddy, bad guys break the law, they don't follow laws" was their reply. "Will good guys obey the law?" "Yes, they are good guys!" was the response.
"So who will have guns at school?" Short pause: "Only the bad guys."
You might be a liberal if: a 10 year old can out think you.
Trey
"Liberalism is a mental disorder."
It's no wonder you guys can't get any traction. Even when Benghazi is apparently handed to you, nobody wants your bullshit.
The threads where Althouse and her yapping commenters set about 'describing what liberals are like,' 'telling what's wrong with liberals,' etc. Those are in some ways the most entertaining threads on these boards.
Also, a word on this delightful moment in the post:
"To paraphrase is to reveal the inner workings of one's own mind. If someone holds up a mirror and you say 'I look like an idiot,' is the mirror-holder calling you an idiot?"
Actually, that description of a paraphrase, itself reveals some things in paraphraseing the definition of paraphrasing.
But more *interestingly*. A cookie for the first person who can correctly identify the premise(s) connecting the first and second sentences in the above quote?
Notice harro stays away from them.
Gotten his head handed to him too many times.
machine said...
Ah yes, there are no insults in this Fantasyland...just thorough thought-provoking analysis trying to get to the truth!
As opposed to all those lies the mindless automaton tries to spread.
Ya burnt?
Ex-mayor Dave is a typical Madison liberal who rarely encountered a divergent opinion and when he does, does not know how to respond with anything more meaningful than name-calling. But he has found a safe haven. Isthmus has never wanted dialogue. Those who invade their liberal echo chamber are labeled trolls and other names.
So why is he going on this forum about social media if he doesn't do social media? Meade should go on it. He knows how it works. I wonder if these people really do have anything interesting to say. My guess is NO.
No doubt Wisconsin conservatives are stalwart protectors of free speech. It's what drives them!
so trained university police officers are the bad guys too...
Got it.
"Those who invade their liberal echo chamber are labeled trolls and other names."
See, this is The Awesome! Projection Award of the Year candidate, right there.
It's a very hard thing to do, but there are interesting advocates for seeking out challenges to our most cherished beliefs. Warren Buffett invited a short-seller to ask him questions at the recent BH stcokholders meeting.
Mr. Buffett once noted about the scientist Charles Darwin that "whenever he ran into something that contradicted a conclusion he cherished, he was obliged to write the new finding down within 30 minutes. Otherwise his mind would work to reject the discordant information, much as the body rejects transplants. Man's natural inclination is to cling to his beliefs, particularly if they are reinforced by recent experience."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323687604578465092347394804.html
Those who invade their liberal echo chamber are labeled trolls and other names.
This has to be some kind of a joke given that it is posted on this site, which hosts some of the most close-minded Republican hacks on the internet.
For a bunch of generally well off individuals it would be difficult to find a bigger set of whiners if someone has the temerity to challenge their point of view.
ARM,
It's not that you challenge it, it's that you're incapable of challenging it rationally. Very seldom do I see a liberal make a cogent point in these comments. It's all parroting Michael Moore (garage), why-is-the-sky-blue vapidity (Inga), incontinent hysterics (Ritmo, with considerable encouragement from ST),or worse (machine). Robert Cook is the only Lefty I've seen on here that even attempts to be pricipled.
The problem is that Meade never comments in good faith.
This has to be some kind of a joke given that it is posted on this site, which hosts some of the most close-minded Republican hacks on the internet.
ARM: Look in the mirror. You constantly parrot discredited leftie talking points. You almost never engage in reasoned debate. Then you get on your high horse and say that we are hacks living in a bubble.
Here's a lengthy, respectful response on Iraq I made to you less than two weeks ago after you slandered anyone who supported that war as stupid or insane.
How is that you consider yourself "a reasonable man?"
Teh Narcissism is strong with this one.
creeley23, I am sorry but the Iraq war was a bout of national insanity. It served no strategic or security purpose. It's net effect has been to strengthen Iran's regional position, to harden Muslim attitudes against the US, weaken our military and undermine our financial position. And that is not counting the cost in lost lives and quality of life. There was no shortage of people that opposed the war at the time and we were unthinkingly vilified by zealots. Yet now, how many people would go to war if they had the change for a do-over? Almost no one.
"It's no wonder you guys can't get any traction. Even when Benghazi is apparently handed to you, nobody wants your bullshit."
Are you please with Benghazi?
"Even when Benghazi is apparently handed to you, nobody wants your bullshit."
Yea, and if that's true, who does it really show to be immoral, and unprincipled. You guys are so debased, you're bragging about it now.
I'm not bitter or angry and I really appreciate what you say and the comments you make.
bagoh20 said...
Yea, and if that's true, who does it really show to be immoral, and unprincipled. You guys are so debased, you're bragging about it now.
Or, alternatively, the US public is more concerned with real issues like the economy, which Bush ran off a cliff.
"Or, alternatively, the US public is more concerned with real issues like the economy, which Bush ran off a cliff."
I know, someone should talk about that some. I haven't heard a word about it for years. It's been Benghazi, and Fast and Furious 24/7 for years now with nightly listing of troops lost in Afghanistan.
BTW, now we can add "Dead ambassadors and heros, along with Presidents lying about them are not real issues." to the enlightening: "What difference does it make?" and "Death is part of life" as the moral fiber of our day put into words by the left.
Liberals are passionate. Conservatives are angry.
Thanks, Susan!
Or, alternatively, the US public is more concerned with real issues like the economy, which Bush ran off a cliff.
Mythology is so important to leftists.
Marshal said...
Mythology is so important to leftists.
Love to hear your argument proving that Bush was a prudent steward of the public fisc.
AReasonableMan said...
Marshal said...
Mythology is so important to leftists.
Love to hear your argument proving that Bush was a prudent steward of the public fisc.
The argument in question is whether Bush drove the economy off a cliff. Let's hear it.
No, the economic results speak for themselves. You need to prove that Bush holds no responsibility for the disastrous outcome. Good luck with that.
AReasonableMan said...
No, the economic results speak for themselves. You need to prove that Bush holds no responsibility for the disastrous outcome. Good luck with that.
So to summarize you made a claim you can't support and are now hiding behind your claim that others need to prove something different. Is it embarassing that the talking points that work so well around the drum circle don't actually win arguments?
I have to say I'm shocked such A Reasonable Man turns out to be such a blusterer. Well, not really.
No, for your argument to have any meaning you would have to propose that the federal government has no impact on US financial performance. I do not believe this ridiculous theory and therefore hold Bush and Greenspan culpable for the disastrous results of their economic policies, as do most sane observers.
AReasonableMan said...
No, for your argument to have any meaning you would have to propose that the federal government has no impact on US financial performance
.
Really? None? Zero. Zilch. Nada. Has it never ocurred to you that when you place such obviously idiotic requirements into your assertions they're self-refuting? Do you just hope no one notices or what? I mean, that works in the drum circle, but you should realize it's only because everyone's on the ganja.
But I do agree your economic understanding is limited to "something bad happened and a Republican was available to blame". So we've found some common ground.
I'm wondering, does Citizen Dave ever delete Meade's comments?
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