In is out. Yes is maybe. No is yes. Right is wrong. Down is up. If not, change the definition of "up". What do you mean by "is" up, any way?
The words have new meaning, you say? Yes, and the rules have changed. Rather, the rules are not there. The post-modernists have absconded with all the foregoing.
We recall the furiously righteous indignation of the Left at the thought that America would invade Iraq "for oil". Never mind the absurdity of the charge (when do we get that Iraqi oil, any way?); the larger point was that it is a dastardly crime indeed to fight ... to risk innocent lives ... for mere profit.
Now, with the pathetic, public implosion of the Labor government via the Megrahi matter, we see that to the post-modern Left, it's perfectly okay to surrender for oil -- that is, to get something of monetary value in exchange for the release of a mass murderer.
So, if we understand correctly, the problem is not that an act is done for oil, but rather it is wrong to fight bad guys for oil. But doesn't surrendering to or appeasing evil risk innocent lives? Neville Chamberlain comes to mind. But never mind. Got it. Giving in for oil is is fine.
This is where post-modern thinking and situational morality leads -- into a deep and dark abyss. Cultures awash in such thinking are in grave danger, as is Europe today. Not surprisingly, murderous jihadis have emerged from their caves and unapologetic Islamists are on the march. As a shark smells blood in the water, they sense cowardice in the air.
Europe, and in truth much of the West, has wanted to be rid of the shackles of old traditions and faith for some time. Judeo-Christian ideas about God, country, duty, honor, and such, are well, so very ignoble and common. How can a thinking culture be weighted down with such klunky artifacts as it speeds toward a better day?
However, the problem with such thinking is that the virtues needed to fight evil and preserve a way of life -- courage, loyalty, justice, and perseverance, to name a few -- spring from a culture that at least respects the faith and unchanging values that made it great.
Courage is a moral virtue. Why would one man risk his life for others unless there was something beyond his continued existence on this earth that mattered?
The post-modernists say that there are no "metatruths", or some such gobbledygook. In other words, nothing is innately special, right, eternal, or unchanging. Simply put, the rules change as situations change. Not just some rules (certain ways of behaving do change, by necessity over time), mind you, but all of them are on the table. Yes, all rules are subject to change or cancellation, and without notice. Thus, doing something for oil is now good, you see, because our betters wish to do a good deed for a purportedly dying terrorist. Compassion is good in this case, of course.
And by the way, you puritannical dinosaurs, do not concern yourselves with the irrelevant moral indiscretions in the Left's preferred leaders. And please step aside while the opposition is vilified for the same, or even less severe, conduct. Lying is okay to advance the greater good of providing the people with "basic fundamental rights", whatever those are in the minds of the relativist, by the way ... and so on.
Confused? Don't be. Remember, they make the rules, and the rules change when necessary to expand or maintain control. And there is no truth outside what an individual declares for himself. Sounds rather authoritarian, doesn't it? But wait, I thought authority wasn't absolute. Indeed, post-modern authority is maintained by power rather than by moral authority and/or the consent of the governed.
When each man or woman is utterly without moral constraint, each day is a bet against the chance that one doesn't have to encounter some one stronger than him in a dark alley. But eventually, the law of probability kicks in and he meets that some one and perishes.
When post-modernists assume control of an organization or government (which, by definition require adherance to standards to survive), then all under their charge are at risk. After all, who says that one person or group's right to assert a standard is superior to another's? And what is the reason for fighting, rather than seeking "peace", with jihadis? Unmoored post-modern thought takes away the reason to live -- or die -- for anything beyond one's personal comfort, peach and affluence. Human beings are mere predators and prey.
The post-modernists have made inroads in America, as evidenced by the election of Barack Obama. However, they still have a steep hill to climb here.
Indeed, they can have my Bible (and my keyboard) when they pry my cold, dead fingers from them.
27 comments:
I'm a little weak on postmodernism - it's broadly theoretical on objective reality and our final ability to know anything.
Whatever it is, it's still inadequate as the philosophical basis for a nation's conduct in a Hobbseian world.
You can sense that there are several, or limitless, realties, but the one that matters most is the reality of the guy who wants to kill you.
Around the fire and beer, you can noodle on the nature of the world, but you don't do that on patrol.
Britain, anyway, is still whinging about Parliament's expense scandals (from what I hear). The oil deal will have to wait in line.
I understand where you come from, Rhod ... patrol. The truth is, though, that we won't have any one left to go on patrols if we don't continue to produce a people grounded in the truths that the founders held to be self-evident.
It's too late to muse about the nature of the world after the bullets have started flying ... or really before one raises his right hand. This is a long-term investment -- a commitment of thought and purpose -- that must be paid in advance.
For me, post-modernism is important to understand because it is the roadmap to understanding the Left. The more committed to post-modern thought one is, the more left on the ideological scale he or she goes. Same is true on a larger or national scale.
Calling out the error and un-Americanism of such a viewpoint -- yes, that it is what it is ... the founders held certain truths to be unalienable ... exposes the philosophy and the actions that grow from them as false and destructive of what we hold dear.
America was founded on the principle that mankind was endowed by God with the right to live free.
You won't get any argument from me, DC.
Postmodernism and its kin have one thing in common - that life is immediate phenomena and everything is contingent.
In this way it rejects absolutes (except its own absolute relativism)and would naturally dismiss most, if not everything, that made up Western civilization, especially natural rights and Judaeo-Christianity. That's why it's on the left, I think.
No matter how you read and understand this relativistic crap, it makes no prescription for living, because it's only a prescription for thinking.
It can lead to almost anything.
Modern America... Obama's America... looks to Europe for leadership. And why not?
They are stylish, eat good food, drive cute cars, and have free health care. They are enlightened and we are not.
Obama's America wonders why the USA is always involved in some sort of belligerent military action while Europe enjoys peace and secular freedom. They must have some magic something that allows them this lifestyle.
Bill Richardson? "Judeo-Christian ideas"? Post-Modernism? Courage? Honor? Duty?
You're speaking Gaelic to Basques. Never before in this nation's history has the great unwashed been so unwashed, vocal and powerful.
I don't see the hill as being all that steep.
By the way, DC. How's business at your Cash Hacienda?
In the post modern world the business of government is business. The idea of there being a left wing in politics anymore is just silly. When Margaret Thatcher was asked what her greatest achievement was she replied: "New Labour". All parties now answer to mammon and nothing must be allowed to stand in the way of the right of business to make a buck.
It is not just morality and the founding principles of a great republic that are being cast aside but the very idea of nationhood itself. Nations are bad for business and must be rationalized into ever bigger conglomerations.
Just like the ECM/EEC has morphed into the EU so NAFTA inevitably will become the NU. Eventually everyone surrenders their sovereignty 'cause it's all about trade.
BTW - apparently the US ( with help from those sniveling cowards in the UK ) invaded Iraq to secure the oil for China, and the fact that Halliburton is making billions out of the war had nothing to do with Dick Cheney
Rhod, I didn't see it until now. No wonder my phone has been ringing all day. I am glad make some small contribution to Western Civ. by getting that mullet off of LL. The horrah.
BTW, notice how everything got real quite around here? It happens every time I mention "metatruths".
Very interesting points, Scunnert. I disagree wholeheartedly that there is no such thing as left wing politics any more. I suspect that much of America would, too. We are getting a bushel of it a minute right now.
But your larger point that nationhood is threatened by postmodern thought, and that multinational corporations are righ in the center of it, is right on. They are hardly conservative (i.e., believing in free competition free of government support, subidy or regulation ... big co's are at an advantage in such an environment). I could have mentioned BP's complicity in the Lockerbie deal. Of course, they don't bat an eyelash. It's all about the material, about peace and affluence. Nothing else matters. I would argue that in addition to trade, it is also about control of markets and restricting competition, so the BP's of the world can dominate. What is conservative about that? Sounds left to me.
My point is simply this -- The more one tends to embrace post-modern thought (virtually all people fall somewhere on that continuum, with even Christian conservatives harboring some heresies, if you will), the more one becomes a committed leftist.
It's the core belief of Barack Obama. It's the core belief of the Daily Kos. And again, Scunnert, with all due respect, we still recognize Kos and Obama as leftists here in the States. To ignore this is to redefine the word.
There's also "metanarrative" - the explanation for all things by a general theory - which postmodernism denies.
The kind of thing Scunnert just proposed is a metanarrative.
I would also say that Scunnert once claimed, as his own, the philosophy of the greatest benefit to the greatest number.
The situation he describes must fulfill that requirement.
Good points DC: "believing in free competition free of government support, subidy or regulation", But I don't think there's any "conservatives" left in government either - they're all neo-liberals these days.
"Scunnert just proposed a metanarrative." Really Rhod? I deny it!
"I would also say that Scunnert once claimed, as his own, the philosophy of the greatest benefit to the greatest number.
The situation he describes must fulfill that requirement."
Never!
Scunnert, indeed there is a dearth of true conservatives in government. If you think about it, though, being there is in a lot of ways antithetical to what we believe. We are out there living our lives, making things go, paying for all this stuff.
But this should not come as a surprise to those of us who know this is a fallen world. We take the best we can get. Even now, McCain (no great candidate, for sure) would be worlds better than Obama. It's about picking the best of the imperfet choices.
An old prof of mine (an athiest, by the way, but a conservative) used to say that a liberal wakes up every a.m. and thinks what good he can do today, while a conservative wakes up and thanks God his throat wasn't cut in the night.
I do appreciate your perspective that a lot of us on the right need to open up to more -- big business is not the bosom buddy of liberty.
Man, my spelling in the prior comment was atrocious. I think it might be time to call it a night. Then again, I might just change the spelling rules. Post-modern heresy of mine.
"Pathetic" just doesn't seem to do it.
The UK with Tony Blair was the UK that told Saddammo to go to hell, when France, Russia and Germany turned a blind eye to Saddamo's mass grave creation for a share of black market oil, during the oil for palaces program.
At this point I'm glad Obama gave Gordon Brown 25 DVD's in NTSC format to take home to his PAL format DVDland.
In a way.
We must remember that the Dems have shut down oil production around the US, and a similar experience might be had with the US in the spotlight. I'd say Manurelight but it doesn't sound right.
Anyway who wants to team up with me and start a new Dictionary for today's world.
Like Pathetic would be something like: Picture Al Gore as an electrical engineer and software guru creating the internet while simultaneously holding a mental grasp on the total Freakin structure of the Earth's Climate Model not only today but Decades Into The Freakin FUTURE !
That might come close
Or how about let's tackle Hypocritical:
The moron Liberal Stance on Seperation of Church and State during GW Bush's term when having a Ten Commandments plaque on a State or Federal Court of Law Building was something that should take your breath away, but when B. H. Obama is in the White House, having the President of the United States Implore Church Leaders to sell his Snake Oil Health Care Plan is Cheered by the very same Liberal !
I'm sure you all have your own examples.
Help, Nick. Our post on post-modernism must have triggered all the spam search engines, including the guy from Germany with the giant tuna.
Kid, exactly. Just mix up them words however you wish. If some one objects, punch them in the nose. If they don't like that kick them in the groin. Tell them you are playing within the rules (yours). Eventually, they will go away.
DC, I keep trying but they won't go away..
On the 70th anniversary of the German blitzkrieg on Poland, it would be wise to reflect on the consequences of appeasing barbarians over taking the action necessary to protect your country.
http://ronmossad.blogspot.com/2009/08/why-we-fight-in-defense-of-preemptive.html
1938: Neville Chamberlain signs the Munich agreement and 50+ million people die.
1967: Levi Eshkol launches a preemptive assault on 4 Arab nations and saves his country.
It is clear that in a choice between appeasement and victory there is no real choice to make at all. We can either put an end to the Iranian menace now or we can wait until they are on equal footing with us and the job becomes exponentially worse. For both sides. In the history books intentions are irrelevant, only results are remembered.
RonMossad
Yes, unfinished work becomes more difficult exponentially as time goes on.
N Korea, Iran, Iraq
Those post modernists forgot to read Kipling.
I'm a post-deconstructionist. I like to put things back together.
Scunnert, you're too good-natured to be an anarcho-socialist.
Bakhunin once jumped from a coach to help a group of men burn down a building. He didn't even know why they were doing it. I don't see you in that way.
Ah, Kipple away, Opie...
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