December 27, 2017

"One of the dangers of the internet is that people can have entirely different realities. They can be cocooned in information that reinforces their current biases."

That's Barack Obama, sounding like he's been reading Scott Adams's book.*

Obama was getting interviewed by Prince Harry... so it was When Harry Met Barack.

Obama bounced from his observation that we live in "entirely different realities" to groping for a solution. He got as far as articulating "the question":
“The question has to do with how do we harness this technology in a way that allows a multiplicity of voices, allows a diversity of views, but doesn’t lead to a Balkanization of society and allows ways of finding common ground.”
Harness this technology? Is that a euphemism for censorship?

Diversity without Balkanization, common ground with multiplicity... It's much easier to articulate that abstraction than to do anything to get there. I myself like the middle ground, but I think few people do. Most people go to one side or the other, and I think that's basically how human society works. There's a tendency toward dualism.
_______________________

* One of the main ideas in Scott Adams's book "Win Bigly" is "Two Movies on One Screen... the phenomenon in which observers can see the same information and interpret it as supporting two entirely different stories." For example:
When the presidential election of 2016 was over, reality split into two movies. Trump supporters believed that they had elected a competent populist to “drain the swamp” and make America great again. Their preferred media sources agreed. But anti-Trumpers had been force-fed, by both the mainstream media and Clinton’s campaign, a fire hose of persuasion that said Trump was the next Hitler. In effect, the Trump supporters and the anti-Trumpers woke up in different movies. One movie is a disaster movie and the other is an inspirational story.

The fascinating thing about this situation is each of us can operate in the world and do the things we need to do to survive. You and I can both go shopping, both drive cars, both have jobs and friends. Living in completely different realities is our normal way of living....
ADDED: I'm using the word "dualism" not in sense of mind and body, but simply "The condition or state of being dual or consisting of two parts; twofold division; duality." That's the OED, which points me to Ralph Waldo Emerson, who wrote:
POLARITY, or action and reaction, we meet in every part of nature; in darkness and light; in heat and cold; in the ebb and flow of waters; in male and female; in the inspiration and expiration of plants and animals; in the equation of quantity and quality in the fluids of the animal body; in the systole and diastole of the heart; in the undulations of fluids, and of sound; in the centrifugal and centripetal gravity; in electricity, galvanism, and chemical affinity. Superinduce magnetism at one end of a needle, the opposite magnetism takes place at the other end. If the south attracts, the north repels. To empty here, you must condense there. An inevitable dualism bisects nature, so that each thing is a half, and suggests another thing to make it whole; as, spirit, matter; man, woman; odd, even; subjective, objective; in, out; upper, under; motion, rest; yea, nay.


Whilst the world is thus dual, so is every one of its parts. The entire system of things gets represented in every particle. There is somewhat that resembles the ebb and flow of the sea, day and night, man and woman, in a single needle of the pine, in a kernel of corn, in each individual of every animal tribe. The reaction, so grand in the elements, is repeated within these small boundaries. For example, in the animal kingdom the physiologist has observed that no creatures are favorites, but a certain compensation balances every gift and every defect. A surplusage given to one part is paid out of a reduction from another part of the same creature. If the head and neck are enlarged, the trunk and extremities are cut short.

The theory of the mechanic forces is another example. What we gain in power is lost in time; and the converse. The periodic or compensating errors of the planets is another instance. The influences of climate and soil in political history are another. The cold climate invigorates. The barren soil does not breed fevers, crocodiles, tigers, or scorpions.

The same dualism underlies the nature and condition of man. Every excess causes a defect; every defect an excess. Every sweet hath its sour; every evil its good. Every faculty which is a receiver of pleasure has an equal penalty put on its abuse. It is to answer for its moderation with its life. For every grain of wit there is a grain of folly. For every thing you have missed, you have gained something else; and for every thing you gain, you lose something. If riches increase, they are increased that use them. If the gatherer gathers too much, nature takes out of the man what she puts into his chest; swells the estate, but kills the owner. Nature hates monopolies and exceptions. The waves of the sea do not more speedily seek a level from their loftiest tossing, than the varieties of condition tend to equalize themselves. There is always some levelling circumstance that puts down the overbearing, the strong, the rich, the fortunate, substantially on the same ground with all others. Is a man too strong and fierce for society, and by temper and position a bad citizen, — a morose ruffian, with a dash of the pirate in him;—— nature sends him a troop of pretty sons and daughters, who are getting along in the dame's classes at the village school, and love and fear for them smooths his grim scowl to courtesy. Thus she contrives to intenerate the granite and felspar, takes the boar out and puts the lamb in, and keeps her balance true.

424 comments:

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walter said...

You offered a corrupt Clinton..or an eco-brain-dead Fart-in chief.
Suck it up.

FullMoon said...

Trump approval at 45% and rising

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Everything you say is either stupid, dishonest, or worthless.

Why, that's quite the compliment coming from you! I know you find equal value in all three of those things!

Stupidity, dishonesty and worthlessness. Three things that Full Moon loves!

FullMoon said...


Why, that's quite the compliment coming from you!

'Methinks someone cares a bit more about how they're perceived than I do."

Lewis Wetzel said...

IMHO, history will judge Trump as a more significant president than Obama. Obama represented a status quo that is teetering and on its way out -- and not just within the United States. Obama's presidency was as predictable as the first George Bush's presidency. Trump and his followers are a New Thing.
Why are our intellectual elites so lousy at knowing the future? maybe we need some new ones.

Vance said...

Here's the thing: Both Ritmo and Inga have made it abundantly clear that they, if they ever got into power, would have zero problems implementing Hitler's Final Solution. For more than just Jews this time. In fact, they look forward to massacring everyone they don't agree with or like.

So it's a matter of national security to keep Democrats like Inga and Ritmo out of power.

--Vance

Lewis Wetzel said...


“Some party hack decreed that the people
had lost the government's confidence
and could only regain it with redoubled effort.
If that is the case, would it not be be simpler,
If the government simply dissolved the people
And elected another?”

― Bertolt Brecht

Michael K said...

Amusing to come back after seeing a pretty good "Darkest Hour, " and seeing people still feeding the Ritmo troll.

The movie uses visual story telling, as all movies do, but it follows the book, which I have read several times, pretty faithfully.

Even the scene in the Underground, which of course is fanciful, is a way of telling about the opinion polling that was going on and which Lukacs discusses in the book.

Pretty good movie but it helps to know the history pretty well.

Inga gets hysterical but her heart is pretty well in the right place, whereas Ritmo is just a troll.

Lewis Wetzel said...

I don't think that Ritmo is a troll, Michael K. I think that he is sincere. Troll's aren't sincere.
I will have to wait to see Finest Hour on streaming. The local theater is a crappy place to see a movie (Wallace Theaters).

Michael K said...

"I think that he is sincere."

How can you tell ? I've yet to see any substance in his comments. They are all hate and bile. I guess you could call that "sincere."

Good night. I gotta go to work in the morning. Some here should try it.

Big Mike said...

Darkest Hour, Lewis. And it’s very good.

walter said...

Lewis,
Hmm..
Biracial lefty bent on transformation..
Status quo?
O'care?

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Here's the thing: Both Ritmo and Inga have made it abundantly clear that they, if they ever got into power, would have zero problems implementing Hitler's Final Solution. For more than just Jews this time. In fact, they look forward to massacring everyone they don't agree with or like.

So it's a matter of national security to keep Democrats like Inga and Ritmo out of power.


Well that's a good thing! Vance's friend Adolf tried something like that on just Jews only (well, and Gypsies! And homosexuals! And Slavs! And communists! etc., etc., etc.) and I guess it didn't turn out too well.

Maybe his heart wasn't in the right place.

I take it your comment, Vance, would be what Dr. Michael K would refer to as "substantive" and without hate and bile.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

The world is such a lucky place to have someone like Michael K in it to tell everyone who should be allowed to have opinions and comment and who shouldn't.

Hey Michael K.! Guess who also thinks they're qualified to decide who should be allowed to comment and have opinions and exist with the requisite amount of love and peace (and I guess not hate and not bile):

The British government! Here they are arresting a British politician for quoting Churchill.

What d'ya think of them apples? Just like you, there are folks who justify their power all over the world - by going about determining who they think should be allowed to say something and who shouldn't.

You sure you're happy living in America? We're really not as big on censorship as you are. Why do you live in this country?

Lewis Wetzel said...

Do me a favor, TR.Stop being pathetic for the holidays?
It may be 11:54 where you are. It is 07:54 at mia casa.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

What "triggered" you, Lewis? Was it my response to Vance's contention that we're all Nazis waiting to democide everyone?

Or was it Michael K's lament that he can't be the propaganda chief he longs to be and censor whomever he doesn't like?

How horrible a person I must be for providing the only decent response to both of these lunatic's nonsense comments.

Michael K said...

Horrible person. Sounds like the first glimmer of insight.

Ritmo, you waste a lot of people's time.

Not mine, though.

Rusty said...

""One of the dangers of the internet is that people can have entirely different realities. They can be cocooned in information that reinforces their current biases.""

Yes.
And?
I'm sure this is a dog whistle to some of our usual suspects, but it just reads like standard Obama noncommittal boilerplate. ie; "he don't say much but when he does he don't say much."
The question then becomes; When will the left start treating him-Obama- like they treat their new pariah Hillary?

Curious George said...

"Darrell said...
If Inga or Chuck ever play Anne Frank, every time the Nazis step on stage people are going to shout "She's in the attic!" I know I will."

hahahaha!

Bruce Hayden said...

“IMHO, history will judge Trump as a more significant president than Obama. Obama represented a status quo that is teetering and on its way out -- and not just within the United States. Obama's presidency was as predictable as the first George Bush's presidency. Trump and his followers are a New Thing.
Why are our intellectual elites so lousy at knowing the future? maybe we need some new ones.”

Answering the last first - because they are so dependent upon the status quo for their claimed intellectual elitism. Just finished a podcast at Reason by the founder of Renegade University, He points to the stultifying orthodoxy that has taken over esp the social sciences in academia. A lot of interesting ideas in the discussion. One is that about the only things that modern universities are good for are sports and science. Beyond that, it is status signaling and giving employment to the otherwise unemployable. Another though ties into the discussion better than 300 comments ago about the Puritans. And that we believe in hard work, etc as a direct result of their heritage. Kinda tied to their view of temporal life and salvation. What he didn’t get to, but implied, is that the problem faced by the descendants of black slaves here are disadvantaged because slavery did the opposite - incentivized laziness. But a lot of the labor movement of the 20th Century did similarly, arguably pitting the less willing to work hard Catholic immigrants against the incumbent Puritans.

Back to the original point - I think that part of why Trump is likely to be more significant is that his election was to a great extent transformal politically. Descendants of the Puritans had formed the original nucleus of the Republican Partly. For them, the Civil War was a holy war. But with 400 years of temporal success in this world, of providing much of our moral leadership since well before our founding, they have lost their god. And have shifted their allegiance to the more secular party, the Democrats. Meanwhile, while shedding themselves of their New England Puritanical roots, the Republicans have gone downstream, making common cause with the rest of the (esp) White middle and working class, leaving the Democrats to represent the elites, the poor, and minorities. And it is that demographic/political consolidation that will, I think make Trump more significant as a President.

Obama’s wins show the strategic weakness of the Democratic Party today. He won a lot of the upper middle class because of his academic credentials combined with his race. And that race also energized esp the Black community, but also other minorities. But the rich got a lot richer, while the plight of Black communities continued to deteriorate during his eight years. Think of it as a military campaign - who has the better position, the better lines? And, I think that the answe is obviously the Republicans, esp in this era of the Internet. The various wings of the Democratic Party are now, to a great extent, separated by the Republicans. Blacks really don’t like unlimited illegal immigration, because those immigrants take jobs away from blacks. And don’t like abortions either. Hispanics, being mostly Roman Catholic, aren’t happy with abortions either. Abortion is The Issue for feminists though, which means that it is one of the biggest for the elites running the Dem party. And none of their non-elite constituencies like their gay agenda, and esp where it has gone with trannies. They can keep everyone on the plantation by screaming Trump is Hitler, and otherwise lying through their teeth. But the reality is coming out, despite their leaders and the MSM lying through their teeth to them. Much of the center of the country will benefit from Tax Reform Who are you going to believe - the Dem party leadership, or your pay stubs with lower withholding, and higher net?

Bruce Hayden said...

I should also note a major change in foreign policy. After the abysmal record that Obama/Clinton/Kerry had with Regime Change (following GW Bush before them), Trump seems to be retrenching into a less globalist, and much more American centric foreign policy. And you know that the top Dems are seeing this, because of their constant projection of lawless adventurism onto Trump, when that was precisely why Obama and his foreign policy team left such a mess around the world.(Cut off by Blogger’s 4K limit).

Bruce Hayden said...

Clarifying a bit on interior lines - for the most part, the Democrats can’t attack the Republicans politically without exposing some weakness or another. I think that maybe the MSM can be seen as providing fog that obscures or hides these exposed weaknesses from everyone. But Trump seems to be better able to see them quickly, and then exploit them. Which is a good thing to have with a commander. Unfortunately though, he also leads from the front, which exposes him to a lot of enemy fire.

Jim at said...

Both Ritmo and Inga have made it abundantly clear that they, if they ever got into power, would have zero problems implementing Hitler's Final Solution.

Oh, they may want to implement it. But unless they were to look behind every blade of grass, they would have a lot of problems actually doing it.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

Ritmo, you waste a lot of people's time.

Not mine, though.


Then why don't you just shut up.

Seriously. You're like a bipolar leprechaun on truth serum. Just blabbering and whining and complaining at every chance you get. No one wants to hear it! Not just some people. No one.

Go find a big empty room and cry your complaints away there. No one wants to hear it. Apparently your one talent in life is whining so much that the only responses you deserve are, "No one wants to hear it," and "Shut the fuck up."

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