...well, at least one of the myriad reasons.[This post is in reaction to this post written by my thesis advisor at BYU. The more and more I get to know the guy, the more and more I like him.]
This New York Times op-ed piece, written by David Brooks, explains the geneaology of modern conservatism. In the past few years, any time I have heard the vile and bigotted comments of Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity [shudder] - or any talking head on Fox News - I have felt an overwhelming desire to get as far away from that kind of thinking as possible. I don't think most Americans understand how toxic and dangerous their ideaologies are. To this day, I have never been able to sit through an entire radio broadcast of either one of these guys. For the most part, I'm not that interested in what they have to say and I simply ignore their existence. However, that kind of ambivalence is equally dangerous.
Any way, back to the op-ed piece. Just read it. It offers a succinct explanation of how the Republicans have systematically ostracized and disdained most academics, intellectuals, and other professionals over the past two decades. For several years I have wondered why I lean more towards liberalism when I was raised in a very conservative community.
Eh...in the end, Obama / Biden will win the election and the American empire will continue it's glorious decent into collapse and economic ruin. Every great empire falls. Every single one. How's that for optimism?
I think I'll get back to my reading. Cheers.
4 comments:
In all honesty, I watched a few episodes of Rush Limburger on TV back in the late 80's/early 90's. Back then, it was rather light hearted and funny, almost a Daily Show feel to it. My parents would watch it, and it would be on when I got home from school. It didn't take long to become much more negative. That's when we stopped watching, and it went off the air soon after that. The only time I have ever been able to watch any of Sean Insanity, was when he did the debate with Rocky Anderson. That was interesting for a few minutes.
I still do not consider myself a republican, or a democrat. I like being "unaffiliated". Lately, however, I have leaned a lot more democrat than ever before. My parents still wonder where they went wrong. I don't see how they could feel badly about raising a child who is willing to think for theirself, and vote for who they feel is better regardless of party.
There's my two bits.
Thanks for your two bits. I think raising our kids to be critical thinkers and to learn how to exert their agency is probably one of the most important things we can do as parents. It sounds like your parents either encouraged, or at least didn't hinder, that process.
This is the reason that the American empire will crumble:
"It is a fact worthy of note that the shortest lived nations of which we have record have been monogamic. Rome...was a monogamic nation and the numerous evils attending that system early laid the foundation for that ruin which eventually overtook her."
- Apostle George Q. Cannon, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 13, p. 202
I can see porcelainjohn's tongue firmly planted in his cheek from here. The sad thing, however, is that Cannon's statement was made in all seriousness.
Ah, if only Rome had taken up polygamy. Today we would be enjoying NASCAR at the colosseum, and Pompey or Julius Caesar would be on the dollar bill, depending on who would have killed whom, which, of course would have been dependent on the degree to which one or the other adhered to the principle (polygamy). Curse the evils of monogamy! We are doomed for sure.
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