September 21, 2020

The political limits of understanding.


I read that and this lyric sprang into my head: "Harmony and understanding/Sympathy and trust abounding/No more falsehoods or derisions...." Here's how the mystic crystal revelation looks in action:

51 comments:

David Begley said...

Age of TDS.

Browndog said...

Greenwald is lying to himself. He doesn't want to admit he's been wrong about a sincerely held belief all these years. Understandable.

There never was, and never will be, a redemption doctrine in progressive ideology. The touchy feely lip service they spout is just an appeal to the best of the nature of man to excuse the worst of the nature of themselves.

Mikec said...

I learned a new word today: Incel. I'd rather that I didn't learn it.

Wilbur said...

A question for Ms. Filipovic: If you are a racist and misogynist who has a lot of sex, then that's OK, and not disgusting?

I really don't understand what point she is trying to make. Little help?

Ralph L said...

No tags for the Fifth Dimension and Hair? Racist!!! Coiffist!!!

PhilD said...

The Moon doesn't stay in the Seventh House. So the 'Age of Aquarius' has its expiration date (*). And, oh boy, did the hippy BS expire and turn into toxic waste.




(*) though it will return, for a time. There is that.

Kate said...

Goody Filipovic has identified the witch. Whew. Plentiful harvest in the fall!

RMc said...

At least they use the word "reactionary" properly, referring to rightists. (It always annoys me when people refer to the "radical right".)

John henry said...

Women are underrepresented in this group.

Women make up 51%of society but only 40% of the 5th Dimension.

Shame on them.

John Henry

Mike said...

One core liberal principle is hating the poor and uneducated.

Dan in Philly said...

Wanting to fix ones fellow man often seems to end in purging the unfit to improve the future generations.

Jamie said...

Ah, back when the Left were just dreamy starry-eyed children... I love that whole album. My parents had it and I played it (and the New Seekers' album with "Georgy Girl" on it, and "Jesus Christ Superstar" on reel-to-reel) all the time as a wee girl.

It's puzzling to me that so many on the Left appear to believe so firmly in their own reasoning abilities (and their opponents' lack thereof) at the very same time that they say and do things in direct opposition to reason, such as prejudicing feelings (oh, that "lived experience"!) over facts, or declaring their "effing love" of science while picking the science-y bumper stickers they like and ignoring even the science-y bumper stickers, to say nothing of the actual science, they don't like. I mean, we all have blind spots, but how do they see anything at all around that whopper?

wendybar said...

Democrats love them some Terrorists, but hate Americans who don't THINK LIKE THEY DO. THEY WANT TO KILL THEM!!! Are you awake yet??

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

Is more fun to stomp on faces. Has even been thus. Too bad your modern leftie is too intellectual and evolved for nice Christian concepts as mercy, understanding, and exercising control over the rush to judge, other and punish.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

To be fair, though, as the average rightie what should be done with an accused pedophile. Stomping on a face would be the least of it.

MadTownGuy said...

RMc said...
"At least they use the word "reactionary" properly, referring to rightists. (It always annoys me when people refer to the "radical right".)"

But they'll never refer to the Radical Left because to them, it doesn't exist. They see themselves as centrists; yet it's inconceivable that anyone could be farther to the left than they are.

Howard said...

Incels are the dregs of white trash that can't get laid because they don't have any close female relatives. It's one of the negative externalities of birf control and abortion on demand. By defeating Roe v Wade and the ACA with the RBG replacement, this problem will be solved for the next generations to come.

Michael K said...

The Fifth Dimension was 40 years ago, back when Joe and Nancy were not senile.

Lexington Green said...

That is the WRONG video of the 5th Dimension singing Age of Aquarius. There is one where the women are wearing skirts cut to mid-thigh. Much better. Still great song. Marilyn McCoo in particular was a great singer.

Darkisland said...

On behalf of my generation I apologize for that song.

And especially for the costumes.

John Henry

Robert Cook said...

"One core liberal principle is hating the poor and uneducated."

No republicans today are liberal.

mockturtle said...

The political limits of wanting to understand.

Leland said...

I learned a new word today: Incel.

I never looked up the actual meaning of it. It seems like a version of "poopy head". I'm sure whoever utters it really won't be my best friend forever even if I decided to listen to them.

daskol said...

Filipovic has always worn her hot chick privilege proudly.

Yancey Ward said...

"The Age of Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" is one of those signature songs for me- one of my all time favorites. I have probably played that exact video on YouTube at least twice in the last year.

Churchy LaFemme: said...

The Fifth were great, but they did better songs.

Most notably, to my ear, this, this, this & this.

Yancey Ward said...

I have watched the "Incel" thing for about a year or so. What ridiculous things the left obsess over. I just about guarantee you that 95% of true incels are Democrat voters when they vote at all.

tim in vermont said...

"Ah, back when the Left were just dreamy starry-eyed children”

These were not lefties, though their were lefties embedded in the long march among them, they believed in human freedom and not judging people by the color of their skin. That’s anything but left.

Temujin said...

Wow. Imagine spending your time carrying on about...incels?. WTF.

What a freaking lost generation.

tim maguire said...

The reason the left wants to understand root causes is because the criminal class predominantly votes Democratic and they don't want to lose voters to incarceration. Incels are not seen as a Democratic constituency (I have no idea what their actual politics are) and therefore the indulgence is not extended to them.

It's that simple.

Paul Zrimsek said...

What's so phony 'bout peace, love, and understanding?

Nonapod said...

Incel subculture, such as it is, is about as relevant as the KKK. Specifically they're really only relevant as strawmen, boogiemen puffed up for the left for their own narrative fantasies.

I'm Not Sure said...

"A core liberal/left principle for decades is we shouldn't just denounce people who do bad things -- criminals, terrorists, etc. -- "

Apparently, he's not aware of the support that the rioters all around the country have gotten from the left lately. Not much denouncing there, that I can see.

LA_Bob said...

Mikec,

I had heard of "incels", but I have to be reminded it means "involuntary celibate". Which I guess means, "can't get any".

But I checked out the Twitter thread and learned a new phrase: "structural misogyny".

Along with "white privilege", "systemic racism", and a host of other such nonsense, I wonder if people just sit around and dream this stuff up to sound smart.

stevew said...

My father was a huge fan of "Hair" and "Jesus Christ Superstar". I love that music too.

Until this day I always heard it as "Mister Cristo Revelation". LOL.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

It's like this guy on twitter who claims to have given his parents an ultimatum: if they want to see their grandchildren again they better denounce Trump and not even think about voting for him. Link

People looking to political affiliation to guide them is as sad as it gets.

Sure voting is important but there's probably a good reason why most Americans don't bother.

Not Sure said...

The actions of BIPOCs are completely due to the manipulations of white people. The actions of white people are due to their own virtue or lack of it.

The principle of Universal White Agency is the true core value of the left.

Mid-Life Lawyer said...

I turned ten in 1969 and this song may have been the most iconic song of my childhood. The song and theme permeated the culture, even reaching Humboldt, TN. My brother was in the high school stage band and they played at the school beauty review that was a huge deal back then. The Queen and Court would host the Strawberry Festival in the spring. Of course, the theme of the beauty review in the fall of 1969 was the Age of Aquarius and the stage band played the song and other 5th Dimension songs. The 5th Dimension and Chicago songs were popular with stage bands.

I often think about this song and the excitement and optimism I felt during that time. The last time I referred to the Age of Aquarius was in a political rant where I declared that the that the Age of Aquarius was not only over but never really ever was.

Michael K said...

Robert Cook said...
"One core liberal principle is hating the poor and uneducated."

No republicans today are liberal.
<

Thank you. I wish it was true.

Sebastian said...

"A core liberal/left principle for decades is we shouldn't just denounce people who do bad things -- criminals, terrorists, etc. -- but try to understand the underlying social causes, both to understand it intellectually & improve our ability to fix it."

Sorry, no. Surprisingly naive (faux?) of Greenwald.

A core liberal/leftist principle is that principles are for chumps. Another core liberal-leftist principle is that it is always good to denounce non-progs. Another core liberal/leftist principle is that some people are not worth understanding and some things not worth fixing--just crushing.

n.n said...

With the progress of the Twilight Fringe, the dawn of the Age of Aquarius. #MAGA

n.n said...

Incels? #Judgment #TooManyLabels

Sexism, racism... diversity breeds adversity.

n.n said...

the Age of Aquarius was not only over but never really ever was

It was, it is, and will remain real and spectacular.

Bruce Hayden said...

“ I had heard of "incels", but I have to be reminded it means "involuntary celibate". Which I guess means, "can't get any".”

I found it humorous that Howie was suggesting that the problem there was not enough female relatives to have sex with, for white trash, who are apparently, in his mind, typical Trump supporters. Of course, that is projection, which we often get from him. I would suggest, instead that the cause of the growth in incels (if there is one - their certainly was one in the generation that parented the Greatest Generation, thanks, in part to FDR’s Great Depression) is feminism, which took sex out of just being in marriage. I see the problem being that women make different choices between marriage and sex partners. For purely sex, they tend to prefer males that show more alpha characteristics. That means bigger, stronger, richer, more dominant males (or just look like they do). Those guys are having More sexual opportunities, and more sex. If women were still limiting sex to marriage, then to a great extent everyone would be married to, and having sex with, people of comparable status. Currently, in current feminist society, women are tending to have sex with males more desirable than they are, by sharing them with other women like themselves in desirability. The incels, of course, are the males who lose out in this sort of arrangement, having something in their lives, their appearance, etc, that makes them less ideal temporary mating material. Which, of course, perfectly describes beta male soy boys living in their parents’ basements.

In the campaign ads here in MT for Senator, we have ones by Robert J. O'Neill, explaining that while the left are burning American flags, the last thing that OBL ever saw, in life, was the American flag on his shoulder (And that a vote for Bullock would be a vote for Schumer and Pelosi, and thus for burning the American flag, etc). Incel? Probably not. My point is that those incapable, or even just unwilling, to show typical male characteristics of strength, loyalty, patriotism, etc, are less likely to appear as the alpha males that most women instinctively prefer to mate with. And that is why, I expect that many more incels are leftist losers, living in their parents’ basements, concentrating on video games, instead of getting laid, than right wing white trash, whose only route to sex used to be incest. I will suggest that there is a natural sorting going on with males, at least to some extent, with alpha males, like O'Neill leaning right, because of its independence and self actualization, while incels lean left, because of socialism’s promise to redistribute wealth - presumably, in this case, including sexual access to females.

Nichevo said...

Howard said...
Incels are the dregs of white trash that can't get laid because they don't have any close female relatives.


Really? I guess you're the expert. Takes one to know one, they say. But you can always jine up and snag some 13yos on Okinawa. Just don't get caught, they're touchy lately.

Nichevo said...

Robert Cook said...
"One core liberal principle is hating the poor and uneducated."

No republicans today are liberal.

9/21/20, 8:53 AM


True, they don't hate the poor and uneducated.

Narr said...

"Hair" was a cause celebre here in 1970 (?) when the university staged the only non-professional production allowed by Ragni, Rado, and MacDermot -- or so the story goes. I know that R & R were pretty regular visitors to the campus for a time.

A friend who had an older brother and friends in the technical crew used to listen to the album incessantly; I could probably sing along to almost all of the songs, but have no desire to do so.

Classic American pop culture, Broadway co-opting the hippies to the fame and fortune of a few.

Narr
Honorary Anungarunga

n.n said...

The Crystals — Then He Kissed Me

Assimilated and integrated. Don't indulge color judgments. Diversity in individuals. The Age of Aquarius!

n.n said...

"One core liberal principle is hating the poor and uneducated."

Liberalism is divergent (e.g. generational, sectarian, politically congruent). Perhaps classical, traditional, old-fashioned liberalism. #PrinciplesMatter #HateLovesAbortion

n.n said...

At least they use the word "reactionary" properly, referring to rightists

The right is libertarian. The center is conservative. The radical right is the totalitarian-anarchist nexus is leftist.

PhysicistDave said...

Ah, Ann!

I've loved the Fifth Dimension's "Age of Aquarius" for more than fifty years!

Our junior high choir director had us perform "Age of Aquarius" -- yeah, we had a pretty cool choir director (he also had us do "Yesterday," "Girl from Ipanema," and "Spanish Flea").

Everyone: this is how many African-Americans wanted to be seen back in the '60s. I mean Billy Davis, Jr. got to marry Marilyn McCoo (and apparently they are still together more than fifty years later).

And we really did think there would be "harmony and understanding, sympathy and trust abounding," didn't we?

Dave Miller in Sacramento