But WHAT is accomplished depends at least in part on what was believed, although the accomplishment is not necessarily in accord with the belief. I don't believe in "polar opposites" other than as a heuristic. The academic who can't find the way out may be just another species of huckster.
On Sun, Apr 22, 2012 at 5:20 PM, Ray Harrell <[email protected]> wrote: > The polar opposite of the huckster is the academic who can't find the way > out. One should remember that belief is a powerful tool in accomplishment > as is competence and mastery. **** > > ** ** > > REH**** > > ** ** > > *From:* [email protected] [mailto: > [email protected]] *On Behalf Of *Tom Walker > *Sent:* Sunday, April 22, 2012 8:01 PM > > *To:* RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME DISTRIBUTION, EDUCATION > *Subject:* Re: [Futurework] Being Green Then and Now**** > > ** ** > > Why be cynical? The long answer is in my message from last week, "What's > the Mythology For, Anyway?" > > The short answer is we are contending with two competing aphorisms here: > "not letting perfection be the enemy of the good" and "bad money driving > out good". What I am cynical about is the Music Man effect. Every good > cause sprouts hucksters like dandelions and the hucksterism soon becomes > the only show on the bill. The romantic/triumphant ending of the Music Man, > recall, was fiction. > > **** > > On Fri, Apr 20, 2012 at 8:36 AM, michael gurstein <[email protected]> > wrote:**** > > Tom,**** > > **** > > Why be cynical about something that is in large part a good news story...* > *** > > **** > > There is so much quite legitimate bad news and bad judgement and bad faith > around that any glimmer of light even if flawed, is worth cherishing IMHO. > **** > > **** > > M**** > > -----Original Message----- > *From:* [email protected] [mailto: > [email protected]] *On Behalf Of *Tom Walker > *Sent:* Friday, April 20, 2012 12:14 PM > *To:* RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME DISTRIBUTION,EDUCATION**** > > *Subject:* Re: [Futurework] Being Green Then and Now**** > > By the way, what do people think of "Gross National Schadenfreude" as a > counterweight to the nauseatingly coy Gross National Happiness panacea with > their fairytale Bhutanese king? Where could OUR Bhutan be? Iceland?**** > > On Fri, Apr 20, 2012 at 8:09 AM, Tom Walker <[email protected]> wrote: > **** > > Just to be absolutely unambiguous, I'm as cynical as anyone about the > sincerity of the greenwashing industry -- "if you can fake sincerity, > you've got it made". My stuck-in-the-head quote these days is Orwell's "All > left-wing parties in the highly industrialized countries are at bottom a > sham, because they make it their business to fight against something which > they do not really wish to destroy." But it doesn't follow that all > right-wing parties are therefore NOT a sham. > > I think one of the functions of schadenfreude is to reward and reinforce > cognitive dissonance. The ironic chuckle of "Being green then and now" is > at bottom a schadenfreude experience, which, in true cognitive dissonance > style, "absolves" the chuckler of his or her peccadilloes. **** > > ** ** > > On Fri, Apr 20, 2012 at 7:54 AM, Tom Walker <[email protected]> wrote: > **** > > Would you have in mind something along the lines of the aptly-named > "Titanic Eco-Spa"? Green buildings, spring water and towels and a "spa > traveler award". I kid you not. **** > > ** ** > > On Fri, Apr 20, 2012 at 7:39 AM, Arthur Cordell <[email protected]> > wrote:**** > > Would also add to the cute message that oh so many greenies are recycling > this and that and then without a thought jump on a jet to go off to this or > that conference or vacation spot without a thought as to what these and a > host of other personal activities are doing that run counter to the > religion > of being green. > > arthur**** > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Mike Spencer > Sent: Thursday, April 19, 2012 10:49 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [Futurework] Re: Being Green Then and Now > > > Tom Walker wrote: > > > Cute but false and misleading. > > [snip] > > "Cute" bullshit is still bullshit. > > Well, yeah. But not any greater or more tedious bullshit than many of the > putatively "green" odds & sods that we're expected (or forced) to embrace > today, many of which (IMHO) are ways of externalizing some large entity's > cost onto the consumer or create a profit ex novo. > > Yes, the vast volumes of toxics and particulates fired up smokestacks, down > drains and off tailings dumps before regulation outweigh, in global effect, > plastic bags or gas lawn mowers. The point of the "cute" piece was to > ridicule self-righteous Greenness among those who adopt and evangelize the > Green Consumer Catechism without critical thought or meaningful knowledge. > > Or so I understood it. > > > - Mike > > -- > Michael Spencer Nova Scotia, Canada .~. > /V\ > [email protected] /( )\ > http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/ ^^-^^ > _______________________________________________ > Futurework mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > _______________________________________________ > Futurework mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework**** > > > > **** > > -- > Cheers, > > Tom Walker (Sandwichman)**** > > > > > -- > Cheers, > > Tom Walker (Sandwichman)**** > > > > > -- > Cheers, > > Tom Walker (Sandwichman)**** > > > _______________________________________________ > Futurework mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework**** > > > > > -- > Cheers, > > Tom Walker (Sandwichman)**** > > _______________________________________________ > Futurework mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > -- Cheers, Tom Walker (Sandwichman)
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