Is Western Civilization Un-American?

[Marcus Bryant]

http://www.frontporchrepublic.com/2011/02/is-western-civilization-un-american/

[DarrinS]

I hate reading long-winded, pretentious tripe like that.

If you don't speak that way, don't write that way.

[Marcus Bryant]

Thank you for your answer.

[ElNono]

Good read, thanks for posting.

[Bartleby]

I hate reading long-winded, pretentious tripe like that.

If you don't speak that way, don't write that way.

[DarrinS]

Thank you for your answer.


This is much better. Nice and terse.

[boutons_deux]

un-American?

what's "American"?

(not that I expect anything but self-congratulating myths, and disagreement, about what "American" is)

If civilization includes the intelletual life and repect for/valuing intellectuals, then Hofstadter thoroughly addressed that 45 year ago in "Anti-intellectualism in American Life"

[DarrinS]

un-American?

what's "American"?

(not that I expect anything but self-congratulating myths, and disagreement, about what "American" is)

If civilization includes the intelletual life and repect for/valuing intellectuals, then Hofstadter thoroughly addressed that 45 year ago in "Anti-intellectualism in American Life"



"We are indeed, and we are today, the last best hope of man on earth."

[boutons_deux]

"last best hope of man on earth."

yep, self-congratulating myths, exceptionalism, hubris, and of course, God Loves America.

[DarrinS]

"last best hope of man on earth."

yep, self-congratulating myths, exceptionalism, hubris, and of course, God Loves America.


It may seem like a myth if you're a union thug in Madison, living off the dwindling public coffers.

[boutons_deux]

Darrin, you're such a masochist.

Walker gave corps a $120M tax break last month, looting "public coffers" to buy his next campaign contributions.

[DarrinS]

Darrin, you're such a masochist.

Walker gave corps a $120M tax break last month, looting "public coffers" to buy his next campaign contributions.


Who voted him into office?

[Marcus Bryant]

Who voted him into office?

Drumroll......the "VRWC."

Or perhaps it was "darth cheney."

:greedy

[boutons_deux]

Walker ran with many $10Ks of direct contribution to his campaign and other Repugs' campagns, and many other $Ms spent by the VRWC slandering their opponents.

In America, the candidate who spends the most wins 90% of the time.

We'll see if the VRWC can spend enough to buy Walker and his state legistature posse enough votes next election.

[Marcus Bryant]

As expected.

[boutons_deux]

I keep repeating The Truth, while you VRWC shills keeping repeating The Lies, as expected.

[Marcus Bryant]

I keep repeating The Truth, while you VRWC shills keeping repeating The Lies, as expected.

Presence of a limited, absolute "truth" known to the knowing.
Presence of the other/bogeyman.
Presence of terminology known to the knowing.

[DarrinS]

Walker ran with many $10Ks of direct contribution to his campaign and other Repugs' campagns, and many other $Ms spent by the VRWC slandering their opponents.

In America, the candidate who spends the most wins 90% of the time.

We'll see if the VRWC can spend enough to buy Walker and his state legistature posse enough votes next election.

Tens of THOUSANDS of WHOLE dollars!!!? Oh my. :lmao

[boutons_deux]

Politicians are cheap, state politicians (and elected judges) are even cheaper, compared to the $100Ms the VRWC has for buying them.

[TeyshaBlue]

Presence of a limited, absolute "truth" known to the knowing.
Presence of the other/bogeyman.
Presence of terminology known to the knowing.

The Tautological Teamster that is boutons.

[Marcus Bryant]

The left and right play this game all day long and have for a long time in American politics. Usually these theories reach their climax with the looming institution of some collectivist/fascist state, provided the real Americans (meaning whoever buys what is being peddled) don't stop it.

[boutons_deux]

"The left and right play this game"

I never said the left/Dems don't do it, but but but ...

list the left's equivalent of the entire financial sector, US CoC, Kock Bros, Mellon Scaif, Hoover Inst, Cato, PNAC, Limbaugh, professorships financed by right-wingers, and of course Fox Repug Propaganda network, and all of hate-media.

and of course, the extremely radical/activist right-wing SCOTUS handing down Citizens United, and just this week, shielding BigPharma from lawsuits for their crappy, dangerous drugs.

yes, Clinton signed off on the Repugs and Rubin/Summers financial dereg bill that nullified Glass-Steagal and specifically forbid regulations of derivatives, which just goes to show how thoroughly the VRWC has captured government and the framing of issues.

Clinton has expressed his regrets at being scammed by Rubin.

[Marcus Bryant]

And Clinton was "scammed" on NAFTA. Sure.

[boutons_deux]

The power (aka $Bs) of the corps to buy support/compromise lawmakers is irresistable.

aka, America is fucked and unfuckable.

The VRWC will get whatever it wants, and SCOTUS will pass it through, because there simply is no countervailing power since govt was captured.

[Marcus Bryant]

So corps buy Democrats as well? Unthinkable. Perhaps that revelation will jolt your head back into reality.

[boutons_deux]

So corps buy Democrats as well?

yes, of course, but you equating the Repugs and Dems is a classic false equivalence.

[Marcus Bryant]

Your view of Democrats as somehow not a major part of the same American political establishment in your grand VRWC conspiracy is amusing. If there's anything false, it's the false choice you present between the D's and the R's.

[Wild Cobra]

I hate reading long-winded, pretentious tripe like that.

If you don't speak that way, don't write that way.
So do I. Finally got around to reading it.

Good read, thanks for posting.
Really?

What about the part where he says "certain type of red-blooded red-state student?" Is he talking about a 1:10 conservative, or a 1:1,000,000 type of conservative? I think for article impact, it should matter to how many cherries he picked before selecting the one he wanted.

That is that "Macbeth" reference about? So what, to get certain types of degrees, English classes are required. Have to show you can put together understandable material. Who's complying about this? First I heard. Is it only the "certain type?" Why doesn't he accurately reflect the larger pictures. Instructors wasting students time and money with their agendas outside the course material?

Referencing Richard Weaver... My God... that's an almost 400 year old idea. Times were different, and to my understanding he does not accurately express why the people came to "the new land." It is long winded tripe.

The guy has to stretch to a incorrect account to make Dione a Titanides. He uses Sir James George Frazer writings, in which Fraziers reference was the Hesiod. The translation of that part reads: "Theia and Rhea, Themis and Mnemosyne and gold-crowned Phoebe and lovely Tethys." Dione isn't in that list of Titanides. What else is wrong about the quoted material? Anyone who studied mythology knows Dione was a goddess. Not a Titanide.

I find it rather stupid how he refers to the English culture, applying it to the "American." Settlers to the new world came here to get away from that European style of rule.

We didn't jettison the "better part" of the European experience. We jettisoned the worse parts. Now liberals are truing to bring much of it back.

[Wild Cobra]

Darrin, you're such a masochist.

Walker gave corps a $120M tax break last month, looting "public coffers" to buy his next campaign contributions.
LOL...

Only a leftist sees charging someone less as looting. Proves you have the attitude that all wealth belongs to the elitists, and we get to keep what they allow us too.

[Winehole23]

We didn't jettison the "better part" of the European experience. We jettisoned the worse parts. Now liberals are trying to bring much of it back.Intriguing point, but nearly devoid of distinguishing info.

Can you flesh this out a little bit? What are the good parts and what are the bad parts?

[boutons_deux]

"Only a leftist sees charging someone less as looting."

Walker is looting tax returns with corp tax break for $120M, creating a crisis to beat on public sector workers.

How many $Ms of that $120M goes into Kock Bros WI companies?

[Wild Cobra]

Intriguing point, but nearly devoid of distinguishing info.

Can you flesh this out a little bit? What are the good parts and what are the bad parts?
Ever read the "Declaration of Independence?" That sums up some of those bad European values rather well.

[boutons_deux]

The UCA Christian Taliban want to go back to Old Europe's amalgam of State + Church power and social domination, eg, replacing the Constitution with the Ten Commandments.

[EVAY]

I hate reading long-winded, pretentious tripe like that.

If you don't speak that way, don't write that way.

Maybe he speaks that way.

[EVAY]

Actually, MB, after reading the article itself, it appeared to me that the headliner got it a bit backwards.

Maybe I was reading it wrong, but it seemed to me that the author, for all his occasionally tortured language and obtuse syntax, was actually claiming that that Americans were anti-European, both in their development and defining identities.

[EVAY]

I mean, really, how shocking is it for someone to notice that Americans rebelled against a major European power with the help of another major European power, and then defined themselves by conquering a continent's worth of natives, along with some colonials from yet a third European power?

[EVAY]

Each wave of westward-heading Americans proved willing to move on from wherever their families had been to a new place. Why?

How many of our forefathers fled success to start over somewhere new?

[EVAY]

Isn't it kind of human nature to say "I'd rather be different than all those people that I left anyway?"

Don't the experiences and skills required to 'make it' someplace new imbed themselves into defining characteristics and personalities of the people who have moved away from an established order?

[EVAY]

Is this author's point worth making?

[Winehole23]

Ever read the "Declaration of Independence?" That sums up some of those bad European values rather well.The Declaration of Independence relates more specifically to England than to Europe in general (and yet still more dimly to Western Civ so-called) but that's a totally valid point.

[Wild Cobra]

The Declaration of Independence relates more specifically to England than to Europe in general (and yet still more dimly to Western Civ so-called) but that's a totally valid point.
England was not the only country in Europe people left for a better life. Europe was filled with oppression.

[FrostKing]

Everyone is RED

Almost all of us are middle age. Exciting to be able to enjoy half our life to see it all play out.