The movie musical Rent does something similar. It has a song where the male singer, Roger, is clearly in the wrong and needs to change. The music becomes discordant when he sings, the style he uses is very harsh, the framing portrays him as separated and confined and in shadow. The girl, Miami, is free,Continue reading “A cut tangent from the entry about Untamed”
Tag Archives: Postmodernism
Speculation about the content of Untamed
I haven’t read the book Untamed, and in order to criticize something you should definitely read it. I’m just not sure I want to spend my time on it. But a quick glance offered me enough insight that I think I could get at a lot of its major take-home points. A book like thatContinue reading “Speculation about the content of Untamed”
The shifting strategy of socialism
If nationalism has some basis in racial solidarity, in the identity of the tribe (the French, Germans, Italians, for example), might it not make sense to infer that tribalism is itself part of the reason socialism can’t seem to cohere on a broader international basis? And if that’s an obstacle to the Marxist dream, thenContinue reading “The shifting strategy of socialism”
The manifesto of the new age
Speech is violence Outcomes are causes Denial is guilt Censorship is inclusion Power is truth Violence is peaceful Vulnerability is power Strength is safety Freedom is uniformity of results Property is theft Dialogue is supression Knowledge is slavery Everyone is the same But differences are supreme Who you love is innate to who you areContinue reading “The manifesto of the new age”
The modernist confusion about postmodernism
One refrain that seems to come up often lately among the remaining modernists in academia is, how could this have happened? Viewing (accurately) the collapse of the ideas of truth and evidence and the descent into a postmodern ecosystem of manipulation and tribalism, they wonder where it all went wrong. Having previously spent their daysContinue reading “The modernist confusion about postmodernism”
Problems with atheistic Christianity
If it works, why does it work? Is it because it’s true? If it is true, why is is true? It seems like with these specific stories, people actually thought they were writing history. History as we conceive it, in fact, seems to have emerged out of the kind of unvarnished honesty of presentation thatContinue reading “Problems with atheistic Christianity “
Justice (part 2)
What is it about this incorrect idea of justice that is correct? Because Marx wasn’t on to nothing. There is a sense of injustice that he and others like him were attempting to correct. We’ve just shown, and history has also shown, that despite its best intentions, when used as a guiding, defining moral calculus,Continue reading “Justice (part 2)”
What kind of justice should we seek?
There is a problem with justice, in that because the world is what it is and because people are what they are, you can’t get both kinds of justice that people seem to want. People think everyone should have a fair, as in equally advantageous, shot at success. Each person should have as much ofContinue reading “What kind of justice should we seek?”
A cultural holdup
I was listening to the recommendations of critical race theory recently, and it was sounding oddly familiar. If you’re white or male or some other privileged class, shut up, step aside, and hand over your privilege. And I suddenly realized, it’s a cultural holdup. The gun to our heads is the threat of public socialContinue reading “A cultural holdup”
Why does mimesis work?
The primary guideposts of moral opinions are not arguments but are social acceptability (convention) and exemplars. Both of which work similarly. They save work and rely on consensus of either the group or tan expert. This works because the essential content bearers of moral judgements are not ideas but instincts. People have instinctive value sets,Continue reading “Why does mimesis work?”
The inadequacy of modern and postmodern Christs
The postmodernist Christ is completely unnecessary. He did not and cannot conquer death, because he was not truly unique or divine and did not rise. He was a divine story and rose in our hearts, but in reality he died, and he had no more real power than any other prophet or story in ourContinue reading “The inadequacy of modern and postmodern Christs”
The lies of omission
The myths of our time, that don’t tell us the truth about the world. They have power because they are a skins of partial truth, or they’re a counterbalance to the abuse of the actual truth. They have the right spirit, but the wrong content. Instead of correcting the truth, they contradict it. And theContinue reading “The lies of omission”
Glorifying non-conformity
From a reply to a social media post about Christianity being for the outsiders and about accepting the outsiders, that that’s who Jesus liked, not the insiders. To which I said that, yes, it kind of was, but not because of their outsider-ness or insider-ness. That that wasn’t in itself the quality that made themContinue reading “Glorifying non-conformity”
The value of discrimination
Discrimination is the foundation of morality. All moralities. All ethics. Business, scientific, sexual, economic. It is the key to survival and to success, to health and sanity. The question to be asked about value hierarchies and discrimination isn’t, do they exist (because they are default bad for us, they’re the foundation of the definitions of,Continue reading “The value of discrimination “
Facts vs narratives of blame
Facts of blame are useful. They help us identify problems and where things went wrong, and solve them. Narratives of blame organize all facts according to an explanation and an enemy that has already been identified. They do not help you soberly identify or correct real problems. They help assuage your instinct to scapegoat andContinue reading “Facts vs narratives of blame”
Politicization, polarization, and extremity
I have a philosophy degree; we’re used to exploring different ideas and hearing different viewpoints, in fact we demand it. We demand testing and argumentation. We demand refinement and consistency. So I’ve been listening to the views of many opposing sides. I’ve been immersing myself into the arguments of the ideological right and the ideologicalContinue reading “Politicization, polarization, and extremity”
On reciprocal racism
Before I begin, I want to clarify that what I have to say here is primarily intended for white people arguing internally about the subject of racism. If I were talking to other races about racism, that would be another context and need another discussion. This is aimed toward the internal discussion whiteness in AmericaContinue reading “On reciprocal racism”
On frustration with partisanship
I’ve been thinking about this subject a lot lately, but had decided not to post about it for fear of all the potential anger and stone throwing it might illicit. I’ve made a certain criticism many times that people see the world in too simplistic of terms. They can’t seem to separate in their mindsContinue reading “On frustration with partisanship “
Tricky modern terms
The tricky thing about using terms like “marginalized” or “disenfranchised” to describe certain groups of people who aren’t doing as well as some other people, is that it ends a discussion that perhaps needed to be had before the current discussion could even begin. By labeling them as marginalized or victimized or disenfranchised, you’ve alreadyContinue reading “Tricky modern terms”
Making Nobody Happy 