Polyticks: Bob Butler's Perspective

[Higgenbotham]

I already know what your crisis non-issues are. It's obvious you don't know what the real crisis issues are because you're making no effort to find out what they are. I'm not the only one who has told you what the real crisis issues are. Navigator, among others, has also. Can you name even one crisis issue that Navigator pointed out to you?

Nope. And since you are avoiding mentioning them, I assume you are ashamed to. Are you into the Putin / Xi / Gaza foreign conflicts? I've addressed those recently..

I'm sorry Navigator's posts also offended your provincial sensibilities. And that Rachel Guffaw of MSNBC didn't comment on them so you don't know which mainstream media talking points to parrot. Maybe we can get some grief counseling lined up for you.

We're not running a memory care center here. But just for you because you're accustomed to feeling "special" I will make an exception because you're so "special". Well, what I said was if you want to know what the crisis issues are, you could start by looking at what the American people say the crisis issues are. And none of your crisis non-issues are on that list. Your reply was that the crisis issues are whatever issues are broadcast the most on MSNBC. My response was to say that is about like looking at what was on Tass for the last few years before the Soviet Union fell.

Here's the cut and paste of that, just for you.

According to this young black woman, imposing "white culture" means having black kids go to museums for school trips.

Sure, there are positive aspects of our culture. We've gone through a bunch of crises. A lot of flaws of the Agricultural Age have been fixed, and they had vegetables and alcohol even back then. That does not mean other flaws do not exist, that more crises are not called for. Going to a museum or eating vegetables at a cost of being forced to have a child while being the victim of prejudice and enduring gunfire isn't ideal. The conservative ideal of continued unchanged culture while forcing suffering on others does not echo in all hearts.

This young black woman has written an article telling people what she thinks white culture is based on her research into the data. Further, she even went so far as to show exactly what imposing "white culture" on black people meant to her.

Your response is to say, in effect, "No, this young black woman doesn't really fully understand what it means to impose "white culture" on black people. Now I will school this young black woman and tell her what imposing "white culture" on black people really means because, after all, she is just a dumb black person who doesn't really understand what it means."

You might think I am joking or trying to score debate points, but telling black people what they ought to be thinking or telling others what black people are really thinking (when they didn't really say that) is exactly what many if not most white male liberals do as a default and it is actually, uh, racist, and sometimes, uh, sexist.

It's sort of like our discussion of the Pew polls that have put health care costs as the number one or number two concern of Americans for several years running where you replied that health care costs really aren't the number one or number two concern of Americans because it's not going to be on the news tonight. That's like saying that in the years immediately preceding the collapse of the Soviet Union that if Tass didn't report it, it didn't matter.

If you disagree with her, then it would make more sense for you to go find the opinion of another black person and have them tell you what imposing "white culture" means to them. It will probably have nothing to do with "enduring gunfire".

[FullMoon]

Your response is to say, in effect, "No, this young black woman doesn't really fully understand what it means to impose "white culture" on black people. Now I will school this young black woman and tell her what imposing "white culture" on black people really means because, after all, she is just a dumb black person who doesn't really understand what it means."

Biting and to the point. There's a large cadre of well to do white person's championing causes and policies that they both know nothing about and have no direct experience with because they're insulated in their wealth and privileged position. I speak from first hand experience. That's why I call it a cult and mass psychosis is a correct term.

[Higgenbotham]

Yah, there are experts, and there are experts. Some say a high will come four score and seven years after the last. Other say we must have had a collapse somewhen, so we must be going to have another. Some say cut taxes to the rich and deficit spend. Others work to curtail corporate profits, pay down the debt and build the middle class. Some start a war for oil. Others work for strong alliances to deter expansionist conflict. Some work to conserve energy as we are approaching the limits to growth, and to curtail carbon release to fight global warming. Others want to profit now. In short, if you have an opinion, you can find an 'expert' to agree. even if a blindfold is required. It is a question as to which expert you buy into. Generally, it is those you agree with. If you are profiting of the status quo and buying politicians to set policy, you can get a mess.

I happen to agree with those who see problems approaching and are trying do do something about it. To date, Malthus has been proven 'wrong'. He foresaw problems early which haven't developed yet. Partial solutions haven't prevented the problems from continuing to develop, and for his heirs to cry for better solutions. It is progressives that see the new problems and work for solutions. It is conservatives who want to stay the same and continue short term profit.

See the problem, exaggerate it, cry, whine, panic and give up? No thank you. As I said, there are advantages to overblown opinions to cause those not aware to wake up. Absurdly obviously exaggerated opinions result in rejection and are not helpful.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Robert_Malthus

I take that as a message to, "Get out of the Polyticks Forum."

The IMF assessment of the likely upcoming derivatives collapse, for example, has got nothing to do with "exaggerate it, cry, whine, panic" or "Malthus". Those are your elite guys who are saying it - you know, the ones you normally bow down to and I'm paying attention to what they are telling everyone while you are throwing temper tantrums for whatever reason.

So, as I stated before, regarding your bizarre assessment of abortion and "Medieval superstitions" I will put my knee high boots on and exit the "Polyticks Forum".

I would just suggest that you keep your inalienable right to gaslight members of this forum confined to your own thread.

[Bob Butler]

I take that as a message to, "Get out of the Polyticks Forum."

The IMF assessment of the likely upcoming derivatives collapse, for example, has got nothing to do with "exaggerate it, cry, whine, panic" or "Malthus". Those are your elite guys who are saying it - you know, the ones you normally bow down to and I'm paying attention to what they are telling everyone while you are throwing temper tantrums for whatever reason.

So, as I stated before, regarding your bizarre assessment of abortion and "Medieval superstitions" I will put my knee high boots on and exit the "Polyticks Forum".

I would just suggest that you keep your inalienable right to gaslight members of this forum confined to your own thread.

I am almost sympathetic with Clarkmod's censorship. His theory is that one person's ideas shouldn't be countered in his own thread. Thus I tried for brief entries directly addressing points made. With your thread advocating collapse, that would be a more appropriate place for such lengthy essays on collapse. Yes, make massive amounts of mud and high boots might be required.

[Clarkmod]

Several posts more appropriate for Higgenbotham's Dark Age Hovel have been moved there.

I am almost sympathetic with Clarkmod's censorship. His theory is that one person's ideas shouldn't be countered in his own thread.

Rather than "countered", overwhelmed, buried, obfuscated, overshadowed, twisted, misrepresented, etc.

[Bob Butler]

Several posts more appropriate for Higgenbotham's Dark Age Hovel have been moved there.

I am almost sympathetic with Clarkmod's censorship. His theory is that one person's ideas shouldn't be countered in his own thread.

Rather than "countered", overwhelmed, buried, obfuscated, overshadowed, twisted, misrepresented, etc.

With the emphasis on etc. Appreciated.

[Bob Butler]

In watching the Democratic convention, one sees a lot of emphasizing the positive while the Republicans push the negative. You get Democratic emphasis on hope, joy, helping one's neighbor, Biden's economi policy success, curing Covid, etc. On the Republican side, folks are dissapoinged in the vice president choice of Vance, promises of pardons for the insurrectionists, weaponizing the justice department, rerouting campaign finances to legal defense, etc...

I am seeing similar emphasis here. Mostly lately it has been worst case emphasis on what the foreign military conflicts might lead to. I wonder what happens to the various aggressors when Trump loses. If the idea that a strong alliance can counter aggression triumphs, where will that lead them?

I'm still leaning towards a shift to the high. After a generation of culture war conflict, we have a new dominant generation coming into power that is sick of the culture wars. Covid, murdering cops, race riots and insurrection are being resolved satisfactorily. The mood shift that come with the sudden change to Harris is a reflection of moving on. The timing is about right. The Supreme Court is still corrupt. Netanyahu's government is still acting on staying in power by continuing the war. He knows he will lose the elections that would come with a cease fire. There are still issues out there. Still, the mood is changing.

The Republican alliance has long been diverse and fragile. Bigots are against minorities in an increasingly diverse culture. There are those who value superstition over democracy. There are those who want tax cuts for the rich and the resultant deficits. In common, there are those who want to stay the same, to perpetuate the problems these positions have resulted in.

Time to move on.

[FullMoon]

Time to move on.

We can all agree with this point. Enjoy your last days in hope for a better future. It's probably better than being depressed thinking about all the ways it's not going be better.

[Bob Butler]

Time to move on.

We can all agree with this point. Enjoy your last days in hope for a better future. It's probably better than being depressed thinking about all the ways it's not going be better.

I have always thought Reagan’s small government was about race. If you do less for the poor, you do less for minorities. You play that card often enough you end up doing too little for everybody. Part of the recent Harris phenomenon is reversing that. Do more for the people.

Part of small government is perhaps justifiable. With the civil rights movement and war on poverty of the 60s and 70s, the Democrats went perhaps too far. Like a pendulum swinging, we have been overcorrecting. Too much government helping the people followed by too much tax relief. Back and forth. Perhaps we are homing in on just right? Perhaps after each overly wide swing we pick up lessons learned?

But that’s just economics. That’s the traditional argument of conservative and liberal. There is something more. Trump is realistically perceived by many as a selfish, narcissist, criminally inclined, lying, fraudulent rapist and insurrectionist. The recent convention underlined the perception. I have never really thought that the people of America would support this. If anything, I believe it more now. If the conservative alliance is in great part an alliance between bigotry, superstition and elites, it is time for a crisis, a time for a new birth of freedom.

The Democrats didn’t invoke S&H. They didn’t quite say that a generation was aging out of power, that the culture war conflict had raged long enough, that it was time to shift turnings to a high. Still, the mood shift of the last month seems to be just that. The inevitability of the turning shift seemed to be there. “We’re not going back.” “When we fight, we win.”

You can believe that the usual collapse of conservative thought at the end of a crisis will not occur. You can enjoy your last days believing it won’t happen again. It's probably better than imagining all the ways it's going be worse.

[FullMoon]

You can believe that the usual collapse of conservative thought at the end of a crisis will not occur. You can enjoy your last days believing it won’t happen again. It's probably better than imagining all the ways it's going be worse.

Doubling down is par for the course. Gaslighting is a term brought to life through the Leftists. Living to regret mistakes also par for the course historically. For those of us not in retirement with a posh position, the future is not taken so easily and with apparent disregard.