Random political thought thread.

[The Cat]

 

[The Cat]

 

[The Cat]

 

[The Cat]

The Libertarian Party Mourns Garrett Foster, Activist Killed at a Black Lives Matter Protest

"Garrett Foster understood that libertarianism was about speaking on behalf of those who are the most acutely affected by the abuses perpetrated by an overly aggressive and unaccountable government."

reason.com

 

[The Cat]

Curiouser and Curiouser...​

 

[The Cat]

 

[The Cat]

 

[Virtual ghost]

Spain buries fascist leader Primo de Rivera for 5th time


This title me laugh: The unholy monster just wouldn't go away!

 

[The Cat]

Wow a journalist interviewing a republican who actually asks follow up questions after the politician lies. Neat.​

 

[The Cat]

Everything is so surreal...​

 

[Virtual ghost]

White House regroups after McCarthy’s debt ceiling success

This will be games until the end.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

The Train Wreck That Was The New Atheism

Great essay about the most worthless sociopolitical movement of my lifetime. I was drawn to it in some respects, part of which was that it seemed mandatory in the online spaces I frequented for any non-Republican. But also I think there was the fact that it seemed pro-science, and this was something I've always been into. (I still regret the fact that I never became a bio major or a physics major.) And I thought, of course, it was pro-logic which I could get behind. But looking at the high-level retrospective it really does emerge as training grounds for alt-right bullshit. Quoting Charles Murray was not a good move nor was convincing people it was "progressive" to stoke xenophobia rather than oppose it. I also never understood why people like Christopher Hitchens were lionized and fawned over when he literally supported GOP policies (albeit with the John Kerry-esque caveat that we need to be "smarter" about them). This article kind of clarifies something to me by making it clear that the politics of this crowd were perhaps, actually extremely moderate on the whole and a far cry from being the bold progressive beacon we needed. Ultimately I would have liked this to have been a movement that could have a more forward-looking vision than John Kerry "reporting for duty".

My issue isn't the atheism (That seems like the most logical option to me, these days). It's that that this was posited as the answer to everything and everyone had to buy into this when it ended up being the answer to nothing.

TLDR-old man still has issues with some other old people named Christopher Hitchens and John Kerry/ old man bitches about internet culture in the previous two decades

 

[Kephalos]

@Julius_Van_Der_Beak
At the end of the day, the New Atheism was a political movement more than anything else, and that is how, I think it will be remembered. It gained prominence in the United States in the early days of the Bush Administration, mostly in reaction to George W. Bush's open religiosity and against his socially conservative social policies. Paradoxically, it would be another policy of the Bush Administration that would ultimately divide the "New Atheists" and their fellow travellers, viz. the Second Gulf War. It would be the support on the part of some American liberals for the alleged mission civilisatrice (I for one think it was sincere even if utopian) of the effort finally to oust Saddam Hussein. But it would not be until the Obama Administration and its contradictory and fickle Middle Eastern (mis)adventures (which included a withdrawal from Iraq, the Iran nuclear deal, and getting involved in two new Middle Eastern civil wars in the wake of the Arab Revolt) and its progressive social policies that would ultimately permanently divide the "New Atheists". Good Riddance, I say, to such rude, annoying persons.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

@Julius_Van_Der_Beak
At the end of the day, the New Atheism was a political movement more than anything else, and that is how, I think it will be remembered. It gained prominence in the United States in the early days of the Bush Administration, mostly in reaction to George W. Bush's open religiosity and against his socially conservative social policies. Paradoxically, it would be another policy of the Bush Administration that would ultimately divide the "New Atheists" and their fellow travellers, viz. the Second Gulf War. It would be the support on the part of some American liberals for the alleged mission civilisatrice (I for one think it was sincere even if utopian) of the effort finally to oust Saddam Hussein. But it would not be until the Obama Administration and its contradictory and fickle Middle Eastern (mis)adventures (which included a withdrawal from Iraq, the Iran nuclear deal, and getting involved in two new Middle Eastern civil wars in the wake of the Arab Revolt) and its progressive social policies that would ultimately permanently divide the "New Atheists". Good Riddance, I say, to such rude, annoying persons.

They failed so spectacularly that a large chunk of them are now on the same side as the religious fundamentalists.

I guess these days I actually am an atheist. I don't have a lot of time for philosophical speculation as I have in the past, but I just think enough crappy shit happens to people that doesn't fit into any kind of non-upsetting narrative that the idea that anyone is in charge seems ludicrous. Like for example people might might the love of their life and it would be everything they hope for and then after two years they die of the flu or Covid. I stole that from the Grand Budapest Hotel, but I have a coworker from an old job (one I left in in 2016) whose wife seemed awesome from his description, in a "I need someone like that" way. I checked out his Facebook page not too long ago and it turns out she's been dead for a few years. This is what happens to people, and it's like, why? If there was someone in charge, they would come up with something better than that. Enough crap happens to people who are perfectly decent that there is no way I can entertain the idea of anything like divine justice. or order, or anything like that.

I think part of what I really disliked about the New Atheists is that they turned something that seemed cool, like being an atheist, and they just turned it into exactly what they claimed they were against. I was someone raised without a religion anyway, so it seems like the milieu in which this was popular would have been a great fit for me, but ironically I asked too many questions or raised too many objections so people ended up assuming I was part of the "other" group . I'm still infuriated by the irony of the whole thing. Yes, I've seen tedious arguments about dictionary definitions ad nauseum, but it really was something they were trying to convert everyone to. To me that always seemed the harder path.; it seemed like it would be easier to change the religion they follow to something more tolerant rather than get them to give it up completely. That's a pretty big leap.... from my POV, why are we asking someone to give up one stupid cult for another stupid cult? Atheists were so much cooler when they don't have the missionary zeal to them. If I'm seeking an alternative to religion, then you know what I want? A fucking alternative to religion.

 

[Burning Paradigm]

Having moved to a walkable community this past year, I have to say it has done general wonders for my mental health. Even after suffering a foot injury that left me hobbling around for two weeks, it was still more convenient to walk to the grocery store a block down from me to get things. As a bonus, I live right near a public library and park, as well as some cute restaurants, a pharmacy, a post office, etc. I feel firsthand the impacts of the built environment on my physical and mental health.

I sometimes wonder how we have accepted this car-centric landscape over the last 50-60 years without question. I partially admit this stems a bit from my accident last year, and driving remains, like for most Americans, second nature. Additionally, I'm not so radical as to advocate policies that phase out cars altogether (I have a car, and I see its practicality in covering some distances not otherwise acceptable), but something has to change. At one point, having a car in America symbolized the middle-class dream, but something has to change. Our built environment has played a huge role in deteriorating our physical health and social connections. It isn't a silver bullet, but transit-oriented development (TOD) needs to spread beyond the East Coast in the U.S.

 

[The Cat]

 

[ceecee]

The Train Wreck That Was The New Atheism

Great essay about the most worthless sociopolitical movement of my lifetime. I was drawn to it in some respects, part of which was that it seemed mandatory in the online spaces I frequented for any non-Republican. But also I think there was the fact that it seemed pro-science, and this was something I've always been into. (I still regret the fact that I never became a bio major or a physics major.) And I thought, of course, it was pro-logic which I could get behind. But looking at the high-level retrospective it really does emerge as training grounds for alt-right bullshit. Quoting Charles Murray was not a good move nor was convincing people it was "progressive" to stoke xenophobia rather than oppose it. I also never understood why people like Christopher Hitchens were lionized and fawned over when he literally supported GOP policies (albeit with the John Kerry-esque caveat that we need to be "smarter" about them). This article kind of clarifies something to me by making it clear that the politics of this crowd were perhaps, actually extremely moderate on the whole and a far cry from being the bold progressive beacon we needed. Ultimately I would have liked this to have been a movement that could have a more forward-looking vision than John Kerry "reporting for duty".

My issue isn't the atheism (That seems like the most logical option to me, these days). It's that that this was posited as the answer to everything and everyone had to buy into this when it ended up being the answer to nothing.

TLDR-old man still has issues with some other old people named Christopher Hitchens and John Kerry/ old man bitches about internet culture in the previous two decades

Ben Burgis wrote a great book about Hitchens. How someone could go from being a social dem to a warmongering neocon rabid dog that needed to be put down, is just mind-blowing.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Ben Burgis wrote a great book about Hitchens. How someone could go from being a social dem to a warmongering neocon rabid dog that needed to be put down, is just mind-blowing.

You've recommended this to me before. Maybe I'll give this a read.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

I'm wondering politically what AI will mean. Will the job losses just all be blamed on immigrants and just become a win for the far right? I'm not sure if the two parties here even have a position on it yet. I've heard of a moratorium but that was a private industry thing.

 

[Virtual ghost]

The Republicans are pushing Kennedy in order to create a mess on the Democratic side. However through this they are risking the creation of a man that they probably can't beat with none of their candidates. Not mention that he could cost them many seats across the country.


Am I am missing something ?