tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post8744710011805485387..comments2024-03-28T19:41:49.974-04:00Comments on the daily howler: STARTING TOMORROW: Curtain drawn back!<b>bob somerby</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963464534685954436noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-18237331967368182342022-12-13T00:26:34.339-05:002022-12-13T00:26:34.339-05:00Anonymouse9:01pm, good thinking. Anonymouse9:01pm, good thinking. Ceceliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15162272807640653299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-66078551725825522122022-12-12T21:33:06.597-05:002022-12-12T21:33:06.597-05:00All right!
Stop whatcha doin'
'cause I'...All right!<br />Stop whatcha doin'<br />'cause I'm about to ruin<br />the image and the style that ya used to.<br />I look funny,<br />but yo I'm makin' money, see<br />so yo world I hope you're ready for me.<br />Now gather round<br />I'm the new fool in town<br />and my sound's laid down by the Underground.<br />I drink up all the Hennessey ya got on ya shelf<br />so just let me introduce myselfAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-14544377114791313132022-12-12T21:01:21.824-05:002022-12-12T21:01:21.824-05:00I don't trust any woman that enamoured of guns...I don't trust any woman that enamoured of guns.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-42227610015797364462022-12-12T18:17:28.300-05:002022-12-12T18:17:28.300-05:00Bob having a problem with “rather selective news” ...Bob having a problem with “rather selective news” should be enough irony to get you through the week. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-23516922355257882062022-12-12T16:58:54.947-05:002022-12-12T16:58:54.947-05:00If you respect Jeanne Dielman’s work, you’re telli...If you respect Jeanne Dielman’s work, you’re telling on yourself.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-86916402610264320232022-12-12T16:07:00.640-05:002022-12-12T16:07:00.640-05:00Marjorie Taylor Greene makes others connect and en...Marjorie Taylor Greene makes others connect and engage with her, thereby building a sense of trust. That is perhaps why she continues to have something that leaders dream of—a sway over people across party lines, national borders, race and community. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-43107684874747035602022-12-12T15:24:20.152-05:002022-12-12T15:24:20.152-05:00It's funny, if you Google "Bruce Friedman...It's funny, if you Google "Bruce Friedman florida"<br />the first page of hits are one after another stories in right wings rags about how the poor guy's mic was cut off at a Clay County school board meeting.<br /><br />He's the victim, you see. I don't suppose they see the irony.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-63894059632229162952022-12-12T14:26:13.481-05:002022-12-12T14:26:13.481-05:00Elites are not "dueling." They are not e...Elites are not "dueling." They are not even elites. Our society is so diverse and muti-faceted that everyone specializes in something -- there are no more generalists or polymaths. That doesn't make them an "elite." <br /><br />elite definition: "a select group that is superior in terms of ability or qualities to the rest of a group or society"<br /><br />For one thing, people are not selected by anyone. People self-select into their careers and interests. Second, acquiring a deeper understanding of a narrower domain doesn't make anyone superior to anyone else socially speaking -- it makes them more knowledgable. I am willing to stipulate that a film critic has watched more films than I have and that such a person knows more about film as a result of that watching and study and reading about films, and whatever film critics do to become expert. It doesn't make them superior to me or anyone else, except in terms of what they know.<br /><br />Somerby's goal is to attack knowledge, so he tries to pit us, the regular guys, against experts who he labels are elites, in order to undermine the idea that people with knowledge should be listened to when they speak, can and should be criticized, but are not to be automatically rejected or doubted because they have expertise. <br /><br />When one critic has a list that differs from another, they are not "dueling." They are engaging in what makes their job fun, comparing decisions based on various criteria. It is also fun to compare their lists against our own. We aren't dueling with them either, when we do this. <br /><br />Somerby says there are no right decisions, but then he immediately proceeds to make the critics wrong and himself right, pretending that he himself is one of the masses and not a Harvard grad with a career as an entertainer, who lives as a bachelor rereading Wittgenstein. This is silly on the face of it, but his ulterior motive is to cast distrust on all who know things, to soften up his readers to reject facts and accept Q-Anon conspiracies and preaching by the likes of Tucker Carlson. He wants to undermine our ability to think -- even about matters like films and books. Because mind control requires gaslighting on the sources of alternative viewpoints that might conflict (or duel) the pablum the right wishes to feed the masses as it tries to take over our country in the same manner as Hitler took power in Germany. <br /><br />There may be dueling interests, but they aren't the ones Somerby pretends are happening. Critics are not dueling. Power mongers are trying to grab more power, but experts stand in their way, as do people who recognize what they are trying to do. Somerby is on the wrong side with this. When he makes fun of Jeanne Dielman and those who respect her work, he is attacking the right of film makers to make films with whatever content they choose, just as Hitler labeled jazz and modern art degenerate and had it removed from museums. Mocking art is part of dictatorship.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-4495827994538073832022-12-12T14:08:57.512-05:002022-12-12T14:08:57.512-05:00He is getting his titles to suppress from lists th...He is getting his titles to suppress from lists that are being circulated by right-wingers.<br /><br />Is Somerby perhaps engaged in a similar effort to attack books on lists published in major newspapers? He is being coy today, but perhaps tomorrow we will find out which books he thinks are too woke to buy for Christmas, or which films shouldn't be watched, or whatever he has up his sleeve to supplement Friedman's efforts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-41529315447286479672022-12-12T14:06:08.324-05:002022-12-12T14:06:08.324-05:00Here is a film Somerby might consider watching:
&...Here is a film Somerby might consider watching:<br /><br />"“Free Puppies” will be released on DVD — and as video-on-demand on Apple and Amazon — on Dec. 13. The heroes of the film are Monda Wooten, Ruth Smith and Ann Brown, three pet rescuers who live in the area where Alabama and Tennessee share a border with Georgia. Their work to remedy local animal suffering is the narrative lens through which the film considers this regionwide problem."<br /><br />Like so many other social problems, statistics on animal mistreatment are much worse in the rural South than in the rest of the country. But I also find myself wondering whether the lack of empathy endemic in the right wing, doesn't also contribute to the neglect and abuse of dogs in the rural South, where the right wing dominates. People who don't care about other people seem unlikely to care about the well-being of dogs either.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-28409169378547196192022-12-12T13:38:12.599-05:002022-12-12T13:38:12.599-05:00"Wall Street Journal: “A rising number of old..."Wall Street Journal: “A rising number of older people around the United States are on the verge of homelessness or now living on the streets after falling on hard times. Homeless shelters and aging-service groups in numerous cities say they are seeing more elderly people in desperate need of housing than in years past.”<br /><br />But Kevin Drum can show us with graphs that there is no housing shortage.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-57035028086593359992022-12-12T13:27:05.278-05:002022-12-12T13:27:05.278-05:00typo: 41st should be 42ndtypo: 41st should be 42ndAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-76954807259830502772022-12-12T13:25:57.350-05:002022-12-12T13:25:57.350-05:00In 2016 and thereafter, I voted for Chad Mayes, a ...In 2016 and thereafter, I voted for Chad Mayes, a Republican, because he left the Republican party rather than be associated with Trump and MAGA Extremism. He became an Independent. I respect the integrity represented by that action. He is also the only candidate for any office in my district who went door to door personally, to meet voters and talk about their concerns. Old style -- not coincidentally, the Fulbright style of campaigning adopted by Bill Clinton and Hillary in her Senate race.<br /><br />"Chad Jeffrey Mayes is an American politician currently serving in the California State Assembly. He is an independent representing the 42nd district, encompassing parts of Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Prior to being elected to the State Assembly, he was a Yucca Valley Town Councilman. Wikipedia"<br /><br />He was educated at Liberty University, but he didn't follow the MAGAs blindly down a path of corrupt self-interest. There are some good Republicans but they too recognize what their party has become. Mayes showed political courage because his 41st district is solid red. He also has done a good job for his constituents, since he was re-elected despite leaving his party.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-67984886330518944702022-12-12T13:24:41.924-05:002022-12-12T13:24:41.924-05:00Is there no list of great explanations of relativi...Is there no list of great explanations of relativity?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-18488221911497199552022-12-12T13:17:39.529-05:002022-12-12T13:17:39.529-05:00My father, who called himself a socialist, regular...My father, who called himself a socialist, regularly voted for Thomas Kuchel, a Republican, for senator:<br /><br />"Thomas Henry Kuchel was an American politician. A moderate Republican, he served as a US Senator from California from 1953 to 1969 and was the minority whip in the Senate, where he was the co-manager on the floor for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965."<br /><br />This what at least some Republicans were like. Or maybe there is something in the water in California.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-53528132628773985552022-12-12T13:11:24.569-05:002022-12-12T13:11:24.569-05:00Richard Nixon was an environmentalist and did some...Richard Nixon was an environmentalist and did some beneficial things for Hispanics. Ronald Reagan created the bracero program which enabled migrant farmworkers and other laborers to work in the US without being considered undocumented, then return to Mexico freely. Eisenhower created the interstate highway system. <br /><br />What happened to the sense of patriotism, shared interest in improving our communities, dedication to public service that used to embody both parties? When did Republicans become such crap human beings? I blame racism. When Republicans became a haven for fascism, racism and greed, they attracted the worst element and pushed their own conscientious politicians out of their party, much as Trump has done. <br /><br />Biden and Romney remember bipartisanship. The rest of Republicans have lost interest in working for the good of our nation. It is only about power now, and shoving coke up their noses, soliciting teenagers, indulging gun fantasies, spending Russian oligarch money, persecuting Dems and the unfortunate or divergent, and toadying to party bosses (Trump esp) who make them feel important. No wonder the GOP is a mess.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-16987182664024815902022-12-12T13:01:41.529-05:002022-12-12T13:01:41.529-05:00I'll bet he rewatched Jeanne Dielman, just to ...I'll bet he rewatched Jeanne Dielman, just to reassure himself it was as bad as thought it was.<br /><br />Then he sat beneath his pear tree and watched the leaves fall and annoy his neighbor, while ignoring all humans in the vicinity.<br /><br />He wrote a letter to the editor complaining about those dratted "best of" lists and submitting his own 10 worst things about the Washington Post suggestions, but accidentally sent it to the NY Times instead of the Post.<br /><br />He spent a few minutes reading Kevin Drum's blog looking for any mention of his own name. <br /><br />The rest of the time he spent writing a long letter to Wittgenstein, until someone reminded him the guy is dead, whereupon he switched writing a critique of Godel to send to his estate. Then he rewatched "A Promising Young Woman," while pleasuring himself and went to bed early.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-37748688754423821192022-12-12T12:01:31.574-05:002022-12-12T12:01:31.574-05:00The GOP had some good ideas, they just took them t...The GOP had some good ideas, they just took them too far.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-13481825048981704452022-12-12T11:59:59.571-05:002022-12-12T11:59:59.571-05:00Bruce Friedman is the epitome of Right-wing freedo...Bruce Friedman is the epitome of Right-wing freedom.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-12898195497840736182022-12-12T11:58:49.165-05:002022-12-12T11:58:49.165-05:00“we're going to let you ask us about our weeke...“we're going to let you ask us about our weekend.”<br /><br />Let’s see. What did he do?<br /><br />He went to the Baltimore ghetto and told the blacks their wokeness was losing elections for Democrats?<br /><br />He went to a soup kitchen and berated the liberals behind the counter serving soup for being virtue signaling elites?<br /><br />He went to a joint meeting of the Young Nazis and Young Republicans and apologized for being a liberal?<br /><br />Just guessing…mhnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-29633558455600409862022-12-12T11:05:33.862-05:002022-12-12T11:05:33.862-05:00Speaking of books, check this out.
**********
Th...Speaking of books, check this out.<br /><br /><br />**********<br /><em>This year, at least 102 books have been removed from the shelves of school libraries in Clay County Florida<br /><br />Many of these books were pulled at the request of 1 man: Bruce Friedman<br /><br />A conservative activist and longtime resident of New York, Friedman moved to Clay County in May.<br /><br />5. The Girl From The Sea has been removed from Clay County school libraries because of a new policy, implemented in July, that requires books to be pulled as soon as a challenge has been properly filed.<br /><br />Friedman has exploited this policy by flooding the district with challenges.<br /><br />8. In an interview, Friedman acknowledged that he filed challenges over the summer WITHOUT READING THE CHALLENGED BOOKS.<br /><br />Friedman said he has already filed more than 350 challenges.</em><br />******************<br />https://twitter.com/JuddLegum/status/1602301844100993024Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-62748028419946964142022-12-12T10:53:13.177-05:002022-12-12T10:53:13.177-05:00In all of this, Somerby doesn't tell us what h...In all of this, Somerby doesn't tell us what he finds missing. He doesn't tell us what he was struck by. He tells us nothing except to list the various lists that pretty much always appear in the NY Times around this time of year, so that people can use such lists to do Christmas shopping.<br /><br />There is no point to this. I have been buying books off the 100 notable books list for years now. So what? It is a service to readers. It has nothing to do with Tucker Carlson or politics. <br /><br />And these teasing essays with no point, requiring readers to wait until tomorrow (or never) to hear Somerby's beef, are a huge waste of everyone's time. I have better things to do today than play Somerby's stupid game.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-24390949468746373412022-12-12T09:16:48.959-05:002022-12-12T09:16:48.959-05:00Shouldn't Tucker get the Children's Author...Shouldn't Tucker get the Children's Author Award, too, for his writing with an emotional maturity level of a twelve-year old?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-29151354204049838802022-12-12T09:14:33.025-05:002022-12-12T09:14:33.025-05:00Tucker should win the Fantasy award, for his piece...Tucker should win the Fantasy award, for his piece about Republicans not really being bigots.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com