Alarming News: I like Morgan Freeberg. A lot.
American Digest: And I like this from "The Blog That Nobody Reads", because it is -- mostly -- about me. What can I say? I'm on an ego trip today. It won't last.
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: We were following a trackback and thinking "hmmm... this is a bloody excellent post!", and then we realized that it was just part III of, well, three...Damn. I wish I'd written those.
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: ...I just remembered that I found a new blog a short while ago, House of Eratosthenes, that I really like. I like his common sense approach and his curiosity when it comes to why people believe what they believe rather than just what they believe.
Brutally Honest: Morgan Freeberg is brilliant.
Dr. Melissa Clouthier: Morgan Freeberg at House of Eratosthenes (pftthats a mouthful) honors big boned women in skimpy clothing. The picture there is priceless--keep scrolling down.
Exile in Portales: Via Gerard: Morgan Freeberg, a guy with a lot to say. And he speaks The Truth...and it's fascinating stuff. Worth a read, or three. Or six.
Just Muttering: Two nice pieces at House of Eratosthenes, one about a perhaps unintended effect of the Enron mess, and one on the Gore-y environ-movie.
Mein Blogovault: Make "the Blog that No One Reads" one of your daily reads.
The Virginian: I know this post will offend some people, but the author makes some good points.
Poetic Justice: Cletus! Ah gots a laiv one fer yew...
…but blogger friend Gerard picked up a tiny sliver of one of our ramblings that he thought was worthy of repetition. We did not think so in the moment in which the snippet flowed from our undulating fingertips, and we still did not think so when we went snooping ’round the “blogosphere” this morning to see the reactions to last night’s Big Event. But when we saw it snipped out and hung up in his sidebar, we had to admit that, once again, our older and wiser friend was correct and we were wrong.
People will flock, like moths to flame, to a way of showcasing some inner decency that is costless.
One the one side of the spectrum is laying down on a plank of wood so a bunch of Roman assholes can nail your hands and feet to it, and hang you on it all afternoon until you’re dead.
On the other side of the spectrum is voting for Barack Obama.
On the cross-hanging side, you have something nobody does willingly.
On the voting-for-Obama side, you have something “everybody” does. In fact, that’s really about the only good thing they themselves can say about the decision they made. Popularity. Togetherness. They stuck it out and battled a boogeyman…whom now, logic and reason must doubt was ever there in first place.
On the cross-hanging side, the inner decency is undeniable, for the side-benefit of having people squawk away about what a swell guy you are, surely must be discounted as a motivating factor. That’s a true sacrifice. It was done for the benefit of others and not to get props.
On the voting-for-Obama side, it is the childlike hunger for positive strokes from others, that is undeniable…it is the concern for others, that must be exposed to scrutiny, question and skepticism. We know they did it “to be a part of this thing” and to exchange high-fives with others who were part of it. We heard them say it all year long; last night, we saw ’em doing it. We don’t really know if they were motivated by anything else.
History is just, and ironic too. Those who act solely out of a desire for thumbs-ups from total strangers, deprive themselves of any other benefit, and soon lose that as well. Those who sacrifice their personal well-being out of a desire to make things different for the total strangers in a positive way, and not to showcase this inner decency, end up showcasing it — and they receive the thumbs-up denied to others, that didn’t even motivate them.
Let December 25th be a reminder of this powerful irony. Because that’s exactly what it is.
We now return you to the pre-coronation festival of Ozymandias.
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That’s a good point. But I still think most people voted in this election because they agreed with the principles of their candidate. The problem as I see it is that too many people don’t understand that socialism is merely the precursor to the suffering that happens later. There’s a disconnect, because the idea of robbing a few to give to the many makes many people happy… up until the money runs out. But too many people think of socialism as only the reaction to the money running out. They don’t see a problem with the policies that cause the money to run out in the first place.
America has voted to support those policies. I think the best we can do is continue to try to explain that these policies cause suffering in the long run. That’s gonna be especially difficult when people are enjoying their share of other people’s money, but we have to do our best.
- JohnJ | 11/05/2008 @ 11:38In the weak, inner anything-decent always stays inner out of fear and cowardice, anyway. They would never have the strength to show it if they believed their “boogeyman” was real.
- Andy | 11/05/2008 @ 15:13“I still think most people voted in this election because they agreed with the principles of their candidate.”
Really? Well I still stand with Mark Twain:
“”You tell me whar a man gits his corn pone, en I’ll tell you what his ‘pinions is.””
- vanderleun | 11/05/2008 @ 16:38In fact, i think I’ll bring that back.
- vanderleun | 11/05/2008 @ 17:09