“I want truth. Period.” – Chris “I say, if you have a point, stand on it, and live by it.” – Chris
“…Sad…allowances for their piss poor behaviour and utter lack of moral or ethical integrity.” – Chris Chris, these appear to be core tenets for you. You do appear to be seeking some sort of moral clarity. No doubt this has some foundation in your childhood “devoutly Pentecostal environment, meaning I grew up with fantasy as reality, and now I abhor it.” This is entirely understandable. And, perhaps even laudable. I even applaud your radical skepticism as no doubt you already know. A cautionary note here though is that any position or attachment to ‘cause’ can all too easily turn into fanaticism…even the search for truth and moral integrity as has been demonstrated forever. It is in these areas, after the healthy rants we all have now and then that I find most ‘truth’…even though one all too often isn’t even aware of the ingestion of Kool-Aid. On Dec 1, 8:01 am, Chris Jenkins <[email protected]> wrote: > What's an occasional towel boy between friends? ;) > > I have the same issue with many so called "thought leaders", which was why I > pulled from the GOP for my allegory. It particularly inflames me when such > blatant hypocrites have followers who are Jim Jones-esque in their > acceptance of the Kool-aid, and flat disregard for evidence that all is not > as pure as it seems. See: Michael Moore, Al Gore, Steve Jobs, U.S. > Senators. > > I want truth. Period. I was raised in a devoutly Pentecostal environment, > meaning I grew up with fantasy as reality, and now I abhor it. I question, > criticize, hold up skeptically, tear apart, debunk, in a never ending search > for truth. Because of this, I catch more than my fair share of aspersion > when others presume a political slant of one direction or the other as > motive. > > I like the idea of a free market; I like the opportunities of capitalism. I > also like the idea of a level playing field where all have the opportunity > to be educated, receive medical care, and go about pursuing their > opportunities with life's basics covered. > > Capitalism is not a shining beacon of hope for the masses, but it does have > some practical benefits, such as allowing the creation of wealth based on > personal accomplishment. In the end, however, there will always be only one, > because capitalism is setup as an exercise in game theory, with winning > being the ultimate goal. I don't think anyone with a basic understanding of > the model questions this. It all comes down to whether or not you think this > is a good idea. > > > > On Tue, Dec 1, 2009 at 10:36 AM, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > It's certainly a possibility Chris. I found him a gentle guy, unlike > > Harold Garfinkel who was a prat - your tale should have been told at > > an ethnomethodologist conference full of such hypocritical, almost > > entirely white dorks in Manchester a few years ago. The idea that > > capitalism is based on free trade is, of course, propaganda - some of > > you seem to want to believe the fairy tale. Even in the days of my > > youth (no doubt when I walked with dinosaurs), the right-wing > > Telegraph my father left at the breakfast table used to take the piss > > out of the industries of rebellion a bit like Chris. I assume he > > doesn't intentionally want to catch up with the 1960s! The column was > > called 'Way of the World' and pretended to be its own mini-universe. > > I'd have told Dad the Torygraph wasn't proper reading for a socialist > > family if it hadn't been so funny. Dr. Heinz Kiosk ran about shouting > > 'We are all guilty', people drove Boggsmobile Standards and dreamt of > > the time when the whole world was covered in tarmacadam. This doesn't > > stop me agreeing with Chris. In more than 20 years in academe I don't > > think I met anyone who wasn't just cashing in, apart from a few of us > > who tried to teach the suckers given into our care. I'd only disagree > > in the sense that it is too difficult to bring genuine change so > > pisswitter happens much like chatter in the trees behind the alpha's > > back (though he is intended to hear in this ape politics). One should > > point out, that generally in capitalism, the idea is to hoard until > > you can out-buy your opponents. One might add we don't have towel > > boys in the UK and ponder, Jenkin's-like, whether this is why Chris > > left - if you follow the drift of casting aspersions on motivations. > > He may still be right and would have been on Horkheimer in the > > generation before Chomsky. > > Anyone still stuck in partial US-school economics for dummies should > > read Michael Porter for a grasp of capitalism. He is eventually > > wrong, but at least won't leave you thinking its about free trade and > > move you on to competitive advantage. I can put you straight from > > there, but don't teach pre-school. > > > On 1 Dec, 15:00, Chris Jenkins <[email protected]> wrote: > > > This is what has always irked me about Noam. If the system is as horrible > > as > > > he decries, then his aggressive use of it is either: > > > > A. blatant hypocrisy which undermines his rantings on the topic. > > > B. a conscious decision to profit from a system he believes to be evil, > > thus > > > calling into question his personal morals and ethics. > > > C. a combination of the two. > > > > Chomsky strikes me as one of those guys you see all too often in the GOP: > > A > > > flaming right winger who rants on the evils of homosexuality, making > > every > > > move to block legislation guaranteeing equality for gays, and then > > secretly > > > getting sucked off by a towel boy at the country club. It's all bullshit. > > > > On Tue, Dec 1, 2009 at 9:46 AM, Lee <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Heh quite something that huh. > > > > > Still I can't help but think that he is only taking advantage of the > > > > schemes open to one of his wealth in order to keep it, as the rest of > > > > his ilke do I guess. That it is incredibly hard to live a life bound > > > > by ones morality when all others in a similar situation to you take > > > > advantage of the system, and that if fair laws were intruduced and > > > > things like these tax havens simply did not exist so that a rich man > > > > paid his tax burden like the rest of us, then he would be more able to > > > > live live in an un-hypocritical way. > > > > > Although it is a good point well made, bloody hypocrit! Heh then > > > > again, point me out just one person who truely practices what they > > > > preach 100% of the time. > > > > > On 1 Dec, 13:17, Chris Jenkins <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Noam certainly knows something about wealth and capitalism... > > > > > >http://www.hoover.org/publications/digest/2912626.html > > > > > > On Tue, Dec 1, 2009 at 3:39 AM, ornamentalmind < > > [email protected] > > > > >wrote: > > > > > > > An interview with Noam that includes a deeper analysis of wealth, > > > > > > distribution and government than that found on corporate news: > > > > > > >http://anarchismtoday.org/News/article/sid=74.html > > > > > > > ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > > > > > > “I’m concerned that students not become passive acceptors of the > > > > > > official doctrine that’s handed down to them from the White House, > > the > > > > > > media, textbooks, teachers and preachers” – Howard Zinn > > > > > > > On Nov 30, 7:47 pm, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > Brilliant Don! I concur, ditto. > > > > > > > > On Nov 30, 3:48 pm, Don Johnson <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > More wealth redistribution ideologuery. If the man knew about > > > > feeding > > > > > > > > the needy he wouldn't spout such non-sense. Meals on Wheels > > has > > > > > > > > nothing to do with Social Security. Community service, by > > > > definition, > > > > > > > > is local and supported by local businesses and private donors. > > SS > > > > is > > > > > > > > nothing but an enormous Ponzi scheme that soon will fail unless > > > > > > > > massive amounts of money are pumped into it. It is consumed by > > > > fraud > > > > > > > > and waste. This is what happens to enormous federal entities. > > > > > > > > Proponents of single payer HC should sit up and take notice. > > > > > > > > > Community service isn't subversive it is being phased out by > > the > > > > > > > > federal government. Our earnings are increasingly being > > > > confiscated > > > > > > > > and we have less to help our local citizens out. The money is > > > > being > > > > > > > > used to fund politicians pet projects and as bribes to get new > > > > > > > > colossal spending bills passed. See the New Louisiana > > Purchase. > > > > Mr. > > > > > > > > Chomsky has it backwards and I think he probably knows it. > > > > > > > > > -Don > > > > > > > > > n Mon, Nov 30, 2009 at 10:20 AM, ornamentalmind > > > > > > > > > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > > Other than the obvious irony, how would you criticize this > > recent > > > > > > > > > quote by Noam? > > > > > > > > > > "Social Security is based on an extremely dangerous > > principle: > > > > that > > > > > > > > > you should care whether the disabled widow across town has > > food > > > > to > > > > > > > > > eat. The Social Security "reformers" would rather have you > > > > > > concentrate > > > > > > > > > on maximizing your own consumption of goods and subordinating > > > > > > yourself > > > > > > > > > to power. That's life. Caring for other people, and taking > > > > community > > > > > > > > > responsibility for things like health and retirement — that's > > > > just > > > > > > > > > deeply subversive." – Noam Chomsky > > > > > > > > > >http://www.zcommunications.org/zquotes/2600 > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > > > > > > > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the > > > > Google > > > > > > Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. > > > > > > > > > To post to this group, send email to > > [email protected]. > > > > > > > > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > > > > > > [email protected]<minds-eye%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups.com> > > <minds-eye%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups .com> > > > > <minds-eye%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups.com> > > > > > > . > > > > > > > > > For more options, visit this group athttp:// > > > > > > groups.google.com/group/minds-eye?hl=en.- Hide quoted text - > > > > > > > > - Show quoted text - > > > > > > > -- > > > > > > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > > > > Groups > > > > > > ""Minds Eye"" group. > > > > > > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > > > > > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > > > > > > [email protected]<minds-eye%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups.com> > > <minds-eye%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups .com> > > > > <minds-eye%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups.com> > > > > > > . > > > > > > For more options, visit this group at > > ... > > read more »- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. 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