A couple years ago I’d been impressed by Joe Rogan’s taking seriously Cornell Wests discussion about the plight of the working man, and another discussion with him trying explain the seriousness of climate change to Candace Owens.
Just yesterday I saw Rogan discussing with Tulsi Gabbard, this batshit rumor that “woke teachers” are getting woke furry kids to use litter boxes as bathrooms. They were being serious, taking this as some kind of inditement against the left.
Yeah I know, they’re now in it solely for the money. A lot of people out there would rather repeat obvious and ridiculous bullshit instead of having informed discussions about far more serious topics. And a few don’t care to debase themselves, don’t care if there’s some kind of mind virus going around making people go full retard, as long as there’s money in it for themselves.
Although the litterbox rumour was mistaken, it was believable to many because of the batshit theories and practices of many university-trained teachers out there; I speak as a teacher of twenty two years. Ideology and feelings often trump actual useful learning.
Back when I worked as a newspaper proofreader no less, I gave my colleagues a good laugh one night by pronouncing that word the way it is spelled. I thought the written version was a different word entirely. I’m gonna remember that lesson forever because my friends thought it was so funny they almost fell out of their chairs laughing at me.
Also, I have noticed that Reddit threads are regularly mined for clickbait.
That Joe Rogan podcast with Tulsi Gabbard began with Paul Pelosi trading on issues before Congress. An extensive discussion of the military-industrial complex corrupting the politics of foreign policy and war took place. I know, boring.
I gave my colleagues a good laugh one night by pronouncing that word the way it is spelled.
I brought about the same laughter lafter among my family when I first tried to pronounce pseudonym out loud. (Effing Inglish.)
Ian,
I hope your cancer treatments are going as good as possible.
Jason,
Where are you, I hope well?
All,
Hope all (particularly those in pain with huge health concerns and/or those being impoverished to a point of constant fear) are doing as well as can be amidst all the Learned Enforced Helplessness. (One day I may comment further on that, and the well fed monster, Dr. Martin Seligman. He is worshiped, by some, as both: The Father™ of Learned™ Enforced Helplessness; and The Father™ of [Enforced] Positivity™.)
it was believable to many because of the batshit theories and practices of many university-trained teachers out there
I’d need examples. All that comes to my mind at the moment is that famed nutjob psychologist Jordan Peterson, and the famously irrational Bret Weinstein from Psychedelic U.
I have a theory about the sudden explosion in “woke” teachers.
I come from a family of preachers and parochial teachers, mostly amongst my parents and grandparents age group. A common topic at reunions is the increasing rate of church closures nationwide. I used to try to assure them that this was due to a ‘Costco-Amazon Effect’, where folks today either want one-stop warehouse churches for all their fellowship (and economic networking) needs, or to avoid the hassle of making themselves formally presentable in some meatspace church preferring to do casual worship online instead.
But I’m coming to understand that this may not be entirely true.
As Christians have become more political (and usually in a reactionary sort of way), they’ve been turning off the general population. The more churches close, the louder and prouder they get, and especially, the more oblivious they are that their behaviors are perceived as contradicting their own scriptural teachings, ever increasing the general skeptism and agnosticism. They’ve helped create a vicious cycle for themselves.
And so they project their failures onto scapegoats, with public school teachers being preferred. They’ve been repeating these “radical left” and “woke” memes so often that low info types are coming to accept them as fact. In reality, the problem is them, not us.
Woke BTW, was defined by the definers to be “newly alert to racial or social discrimination and injustice”. That’s all. But these religious political extremists now perceive “woke” as being everything which is not them.
“the louder and prouder they get, and especially, the more oblivious they are that their behaviors are perceived as contradicting their own scriptural teachings”
This is so true. The louder someone proclaims how Christian they are, and the more they brag about how Christian they are, the more I make plans to avoid them because their behavior is never even remotely Christ-like.
I’ve yet to find a counter example, someone who actually walks that loud talk.
Just received a screenshot poster announcing a greet and meet of local Republicans contenders for some southern Colorado county seats and after reviewing it could only reply, “too bad it’s not satire”.
On the other hand, the aspens are peak yellow and as a young Leonard Cohen wrote and sang, “god is alive, magic is afoot”.
Ten fe
I was always puzzled why “the right” was so obsessed with trans issues and such. Not so puzzled now. Basically, (apart from their bullshit, which is real as well), they believe it’s part of a wider “tear apart family and thus community so they can rule over us”. The faux left is obsessed with identity politics and leverages all kinds of nasty things with it – think Obama, Harris, Trudeau, Ukraine, _and, keeping us divided.
I say this as someone who has had straight, gay, and trans roommates and friends, no worries.
Can’t comment on the furry stuff, but the “drag queen story time” thing is definitely happening in schools, perkily announced on the local cbc. This queen clearly lays out the argument against it, she’s great. https://twitter.com/i/status/1432635139805286401
While it is true that Jesus Christ would indubitably condemn trickle down economics and the fetishization of guns, neither was he as tolerant and liberal as some people pretend. For example, he was strict about sexual morality and he threatened hellfire against both the unrepentant and those who rejected his apostles’ missionary work. His words resist politicization. I do not mean that he was unconcerned with people’s problems in their daily lives, but he probably would not vote.
I have contended for the last 20 years that there are annual increases in the percentage of Americans whose real religion is their political affiliations.
For most conservatives, Jesus gets his worship for one hour per week by making a public appearance in church. There’s no time to understand and implement his teachings. The rest of their time is devoted to selected media which keep them up to date on the teachings of their current political Gods. They spend vastly more of their money and time promoting and proselytizing their political Gods’ teachings. Jesus’ teachings get tossed aside whenever there is a conflict. Relationships are more often chosen based on other people’s political views rather than the goodness of their character.
For most liberals, it’s the same thing except Jesus doesn’t get an hour per week. I have only a few friends and acquaintances who are non-Christian Americans, so I can’t speak to them.
I’m sadly stuck in the middle. I can’t do organized religion, but I try to follow the common spiritual teachings of them all. And I find America’s two political parties to be opposite sides of the same abomination. Why would I support either? I find people like myself have nowhere to go in America.
I have left the US and I feel like I have escaped. I had strangely realistic dreams my neighbors were of two opposing militias and insisted through threat of violence I join them instead of the other neighbors militia. It’s possible to leave.
Right-wingers also believe that climate change isn’t real and that ten year-old girls should be forced to give birth to their rapists’ babies. Forgive me if I don’t find “right-wingers believe something” to be a particularly compelling argument for it.
Hi Joe! Could you share with us where you relocated to, or the general region? (I understand you may not want to share specific details of course!) I’m a big fan of emigration out of the US as well. I’ve attempted it twice in my adult life and those years spent abroad were/are wonderful.
I find America’s two political parties to be opposite sides of the same abomination. Why would I support either?
Agreed. And yeah, I tried going to a couple of churches (haven’t been to church regularly since very early childhood). All of those attempts ended up a traumatic experience; usually it was a first and last day visit. The last was a Silicon Valley, pre pandemic Easter Service, where asshole holy man™ (a Methodist) couldn’t stop slamming Russia (because, as we all know Jesus hated Russians). When he requested written prayer requests—about seven of us wrote them— I think mine was the only one he didn’t read, it was for the homeless. Bastard. As to holy man’s pollitical party of preference, I would give 50/50 odds.
It was an easy audience though, predominantly Indians and Asians making very good salaries (judging from the parking lot) ‘assimilating.’ I’ve long believed that certain immigrants, far, far, far more than others, were deliberately imported into Silicon Valley, via countless sorts of Visas to keep any of the populace who wanted any sort of equality and fair labor and wages thwarted from the jump.
Mostly these are work and investment visas. There’s a very long list of State Department visas, it would make a very interesting study and book, if one only had the time. But time has been increasingly robbed from most of us by the very same technology purported to save abundant time (e.g. trying to address any basic need which has been forced Online™, such as millions in California who were repeatedly unable to retrieve any undelivered desperately needed unemployment funds from their illegally forced B ofA Cards 1 for months on end; I believe some of them for over a year.
1 California Governor ‘Jerry’ (Edmund the second), The Jesuit, Democrat Brown did that around 2010, not that one of our infamous republican governors wouldn’t have done the same. In order to start receiving benefits (even when one had a bank account already!), anyone receiving State Disability, Maternity Leave; or Unemployment checks were forced to have a Bank of America (BofA) bank card imposed on them which their funds were deposited to. BofA appears to be California politico’s horrid bank of choice. (Of course I’m ashamed of having voted for Jerry once, years ago.)
The parables told by Jesus, the man, as a guide on how to live a moral life. Regardless of ones’ organized religious “flavor”, the morals are universal and do not generate the debate that dogma does. Left out is Jesus’ supernatural divinity.
The U.S. does seem to be enveloped in some kind of cultural shift cum “culture war” over trans. “Litter boxes for furry children” may manifest some bundle of anxieties over whether elite authority may have completely lost their minds while championing “gender-affirming care” for children or transforming the application of Title IX for athletes.
It is almost as if refusing to exercise a little skeptical common sense about whether it is remotely plausible that school officials would authorize placing kitty litter for use by self-deluded children is itself part of the message and argument: “I am so skeptical of official common sense, I cannot reject this absurd anecdote out of hand.”
We live in an era when flat-earthers speak without apparent irony, when elite authority in many domains is incompetent, when gas-lighting and disinformation are commonly used techniques to undermine judgement about political questions.
Trustworthy journalism seems a contradiction-in-terms, no?
Feh! Anxiety over transness is exactly the same as anxiety over Teh Gays. Gay is about 1 out of 20, trans is about 1 out of 300. Given 330 million Americans, that’s 1 million plus Yanks who look into their pants and think about screaming “what the hell is this? I wasn’t supposed to have this!”.
A few thousand in big cities is just a pesky social movement, 1 million is a market.
I wonder how Oktoberfest is happening in Berlin.
Manic or subdued?
Slobbering hordes or something else?
Safe to guess there’s aggression and confusion swirling around while pretending it’s all a good thing.
Divert the plebes with traditional rituals and let them hurl on the cobblestones.
gas-lighting and disinformation are commonly used techniques to undermine judgement about political questions.
I gave up on Rogan some time ago, especially after he called Musk “a super genius”. (HInt: “media” kissing the ass of power in order to maintain access to power)
I also found it very hard to take “anti-war” Tulsi seriously after her congressional voting record came to light. (Hint: she voted neocon)
Apropos of just dealing with one on the phone, moments ago, I find myself wondering why I don’t recollect hearing or reading the word ZEALOT being used anymore.
My knee jerk (because robbed of time) about that is, they are usually very dangerous people who do an enormous amount of damage—even, many times, the very well intended ones. The damage is both psychological and/or financial; both of which lead to physical damage, and way too many times, ultimate death. Death of the spirit, body, or both.
capelin:
Right-wingers also believe that climate change isn’t real and that ten year-old girls should be forced to give birth to their rapists’ babies. Forgive me if I don’t find “right-wingers believe something” to be a particularly compelling argument for it.
@NR Somewhere out there, your doppelganger is busy typing “Left-wingers also believe that one’s immune system isn’t real, batteries generate electricity, and that ten year-old girls should be pressured into changing their gender. Forgive me if I don’t find “left-wingers believe something” to be a particularly compelling argument for it.” Hmmnph.
Divided, and conquered. Sigh. This how Canada is gunna end up with Poilievre, and Americans ended up with Trump (as so well predicted by Mr Ian, a good year before Trump came to power).
Hello! Your “shout-out” here coupled with Ian’s latest post prompted me to write again. Thank you!
I am not always doing well emotionally, though I don’t like to admit that, and I don’t like to use Ian’s board for too much personal stuff. I sometimes write much better when I just get so angry about something that I am psychically forced to get it out.
I hope you are well. I read Ian’s posts and the comments pretty regularly. I don’t subscribe to anything, but when I go online this is usually one of the first sites I visit.
This piece by Danny Haiphong is a good take on Tulsi Gabbard, and more or less matches my own feelings on her quite obvious penchant for political grift:
Tulsi Gabbard May Have Left the Democratic Party, But She Isn’t Helping the Left
Willy
A couple years ago I’d been impressed by Joe Rogan’s taking seriously Cornell Wests discussion about the plight of the working man, and another discussion with him trying explain the seriousness of climate change to Candace Owens.
Just yesterday I saw Rogan discussing with Tulsi Gabbard, this batshit rumor that “woke teachers” are getting woke furry kids to use litter boxes as bathrooms. They were being serious, taking this as some kind of inditement against the left.
Yeah I know, they’re now in it solely for the money. A lot of people out there would rather repeat obvious and ridiculous bullshit instead of having informed discussions about far more serious topics. And a few don’t care to debase themselves, don’t care if there’s some kind of mind virus going around making people go full retard, as long as there’s money in it for themselves.
Tallifer
Although the litterbox rumour was mistaken, it was believable to many because of the batshit theories and practices of many university-trained teachers out there; I speak as a teacher of twenty two years. Ideology and feelings often trump actual useful learning.
someofparts
*** nitpick alert ***
“inditement”
actually spelled ‘indictment’
Back when I worked as a newspaper proofreader no less, I gave my colleagues a good laugh one night by pronouncing that word the way it is spelled. I thought the written version was a different word entirely. I’m gonna remember that lesson forever because my friends thought it was so funny they almost fell out of their chairs laughing at me.
bruce wilder
My pronouns are: I, me, mine. Just so you know.
Also, I have noticed that Reddit threads are regularly mined for clickbait.
That Joe Rogan podcast with Tulsi Gabbard began with Paul Pelosi trading on issues before Congress. An extensive discussion of the military-industrial complex corrupting the politics of foreign policy and war took place. I know, boring.
multitude of poors
someofparts,
I brought about the same
laughterlafter among my family when I first tried to pronounce pseudonym out loud. (Effing Inglish.)Ian,
I hope your cancer treatments are going as good as possible.
Jason,
Where are you, I hope well?
All,
Hope all (particularly those in pain with huge health concerns and/or those being impoverished to a point of constant fear) are doing as well as can be amidst all the
LearnedEnforced Helplessness. (One day I may comment further on that, and the well fed monster, Dr. Martin Seligman. He is worshiped, by some, as both: The Father™ ofLearned™Enforced Helplessness; and The Father™ of [Enforced] Positivity™.)really gotta run.
Willy
it was believable to many because of the batshit theories and practices of many university-trained teachers out there
I’d need examples. All that comes to my mind at the moment is that famed nutjob psychologist Jordan Peterson, and the famously irrational Bret Weinstein from Psychedelic U.
Willy
I have a theory about the sudden explosion in “woke” teachers.
I come from a family of preachers and parochial teachers, mostly amongst my parents and grandparents age group. A common topic at reunions is the increasing rate of church closures nationwide. I used to try to assure them that this was due to a ‘Costco-Amazon Effect’, where folks today either want one-stop warehouse churches for all their fellowship (and economic networking) needs, or to avoid the hassle of making themselves formally presentable in some meatspace church preferring to do casual worship online instead.
But I’m coming to understand that this may not be entirely true.
As Christians have become more political (and usually in a reactionary sort of way), they’ve been turning off the general population. The more churches close, the louder and prouder they get, and especially, the more oblivious they are that their behaviors are perceived as contradicting their own scriptural teachings, ever increasing the general skeptism and agnosticism. They’ve helped create a vicious cycle for themselves.
And so they project their failures onto scapegoats, with public school teachers being preferred. They’ve been repeating these “radical left” and “woke” memes so often that low info types are coming to accept them as fact. In reality, the problem is them, not us.
Woke BTW, was defined by the definers to be “newly alert to racial or social discrimination and injustice”. That’s all. But these religious political extremists now perceive “woke” as being everything which is not them.
Trinity
“the louder and prouder they get, and especially, the more oblivious they are that their behaviors are perceived as contradicting their own scriptural teachings”
This is so true. The louder someone proclaims how Christian they are, and the more they brag about how Christian they are, the more I make plans to avoid them because their behavior is never even remotely Christ-like.
I’ve yet to find a counter example, someone who actually walks that loud talk.
mago
Just received a screenshot poster announcing a greet and meet of local Republicans contenders for some southern Colorado county seats and after reviewing it could only reply, “too bad it’s not satire”.
On the other hand, the aspens are peak yellow and as a young Leonard Cohen wrote and sang, “god is alive, magic is afoot”.
Ten fe
capelin
I was always puzzled why “the right” was so obsessed with trans issues and such. Not so puzzled now. Basically, (apart from their bullshit, which is real as well), they believe it’s part of a wider “tear apart family and thus community so they can rule over us”. The faux left is obsessed with identity politics and leverages all kinds of nasty things with it – think Obama, Harris, Trudeau, Ukraine, _and, keeping us divided.
I say this as someone who has had straight, gay, and trans roommates and friends, no worries.
Can’t comment on the furry stuff, but the “drag queen story time” thing is definitely happening in schools, perkily announced on the local cbc. This queen clearly lays out the argument against it, she’s great. https://twitter.com/i/status/1432635139805286401
Tallifer
While it is true that Jesus Christ would indubitably condemn trickle down economics and the fetishization of guns, neither was he as tolerant and liberal as some people pretend. For example, he was strict about sexual morality and he threatened hellfire against both the unrepentant and those who rejected his apostles’ missionary work. His words resist politicization. I do not mean that he was unconcerned with people’s problems in their daily lives, but he probably would not vote.
PS
I have contended for the last 20 years that there are annual increases in the percentage of Americans whose real religion is their political affiliations.
For most conservatives, Jesus gets his worship for one hour per week by making a public appearance in church. There’s no time to understand and implement his teachings. The rest of their time is devoted to selected media which keep them up to date on the teachings of their current political Gods. They spend vastly more of their money and time promoting and proselytizing their political Gods’ teachings. Jesus’ teachings get tossed aside whenever there is a conflict. Relationships are more often chosen based on other people’s political views rather than the goodness of their character.
For most liberals, it’s the same thing except Jesus doesn’t get an hour per week. I have only a few friends and acquaintances who are non-Christian Americans, so I can’t speak to them.
I’m sadly stuck in the middle. I can’t do organized religion, but I try to follow the common spiritual teachings of them all. And I find America’s two political parties to be opposite sides of the same abomination. Why would I support either? I find people like myself have nowhere to go in America.
Joe
I have left the US and I feel like I have escaped. I had strangely realistic dreams my neighbors were of two opposing militias and insisted through threat of violence I join them instead of the other neighbors militia. It’s possible to leave.
NR
capelin:
Right-wingers also believe that climate change isn’t real and that ten year-old girls should be forced to give birth to their rapists’ babies. Forgive me if I don’t find “right-wingers believe something” to be a particularly compelling argument for it.
Joan
Hi Joe! Could you share with us where you relocated to, or the general region? (I understand you may not want to share specific details of course!) I’m a big fan of emigration out of the US as well. I’ve attempted it twice in my adult life and those years spent abroad were/are wonderful.
multitude of poors
PS,
Chuck Mire
The Jefferson Bible – An edited New Testament
The parables told by Jesus, the man, as a guide on how to live a moral life. Regardless of ones’ organized religious “flavor”, the morals are universal and do not generate the debate that dogma does. Left out is Jesus’ supernatural divinity.
https://www.amazon.com/Jefferson-Bible-Life-Morals/dp/1515437396
bruce wilder
The U.S. does seem to be enveloped in some kind of cultural shift cum “culture war” over trans. “Litter boxes for furry children” may manifest some bundle of anxieties over whether elite authority may have completely lost their minds while championing “gender-affirming care” for children or transforming the application of Title IX for athletes.
It is almost as if refusing to exercise a little skeptical common sense about whether it is remotely plausible that school officials would authorize placing kitty litter for use by self-deluded children is itself part of the message and argument: “I am so skeptical of official common sense, I cannot reject this absurd anecdote out of hand.”
We live in an era when flat-earthers speak without apparent irony, when elite authority in many domains is incompetent, when gas-lighting and disinformation are commonly used techniques to undermine judgement about political questions.
Trustworthy journalism seems a contradiction-in-terms, no?
Jorge
Feh! Anxiety over transness is exactly the same as anxiety over Teh Gays. Gay is about 1 out of 20, trans is about 1 out of 300. Given 330 million Americans, that’s 1 million plus Yanks who look into their pants and think about screaming “what the hell is this? I wasn’t supposed to have this!”.
A few thousand in big cities is just a pesky social movement, 1 million is a market.
mago
I wonder how Oktoberfest is happening in Berlin.
Manic or subdued?
Slobbering hordes or something else?
Safe to guess there’s aggression and confusion swirling around while pretending it’s all a good thing.
Divert the plebes with traditional rituals and let them hurl on the cobblestones.
Willy
gas-lighting and disinformation are commonly used techniques to undermine judgement about political questions.
I gave up on Rogan some time ago, especially after he called Musk “a super genius”. (HInt: “media” kissing the ass of power in order to maintain access to power)
I also found it very hard to take “anti-war” Tulsi seriously after her congressional voting record came to light. (Hint: she voted neocon)
multitude of poors
Apropos of just dealing with one on the phone, moments ago, I find myself wondering why I don’t recollect hearing or reading the word ZEALOT being used anymore.
My knee jerk (because robbed of time) about that is, they are usually very dangerous people who do an enormous amount of damage—even, many times, the very well intended ones. The damage is both psychological and/or financial; both of which lead to physical damage, and way too many times, ultimate death. Death of the spirit, body, or both.
Hope all are well as can be.
gotta run
capelin
NR
capelin:
Right-wingers also believe that climate change isn’t real and that ten year-old girls should be forced to give birth to their rapists’ babies. Forgive me if I don’t find “right-wingers believe something” to be a particularly compelling argument for it.
@NR Somewhere out there, your doppelganger is busy typing “Left-wingers also believe that one’s immune system isn’t real, batteries generate electricity, and that ten year-old girls should be pressured into changing their gender. Forgive me if I don’t find “left-wingers believe something” to be a particularly compelling argument for it.” Hmmnph.
Divided, and conquered. Sigh. This how Canada is gunna end up with Poilievre, and Americans ended up with Trump (as so well predicted by Mr Ian, a good year before Trump came to power).
Jason
multitude of poors,
Hello! Your “shout-out” here coupled with Ian’s latest post prompted me to write again. Thank you!
I am not always doing well emotionally, though I don’t like to admit that, and I don’t like to use Ian’s board for too much personal stuff. I sometimes write much better when I just get so angry about something that I am psychically forced to get it out.
I hope you are well. I read Ian’s posts and the comments pretty regularly. I don’t subscribe to anything, but when I go online this is usually one of the first sites I visit.
I do hope you are able to keep checking back.
Gotta run…!
multitude of poors
Jason,
Hugs to you! And I hear you on not subscribing to anything.
yep, gotta run …
Jason
Hi all,
This piece by Danny Haiphong is a good take on Tulsi Gabbard, and more or less matches my own feelings on her quite obvious penchant for political grift:
Tulsi Gabbard May Have Left the Democratic Party, But She Isn’t Helping the Left
https://blackagendareport.com/tulsi-gabbard-may-have-left-democratic-party-she-isnt-helping-left