[lit-ideas] Re: Max Boot
- From: "Lawrence Helm" <lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 1 Jan 2007 13:19:56 -0800
Simon wrote, "As for Lawrence, I think we all know by now that he is the
devil incarnate [says the athiest trying not to grin]."
Since Simon has never done terribly well debating me, I can see why he might
ascribe this fact to my possessing supernatural abilities. Let me hasten,
before I suffer the same fate as Nebuchadnezzar, to assure everyone that I
make no such claim.
Lawrence
_____
From: lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Simon Ward
Sent: Monday, January 01, 2007 12:52 PM
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Max Boot
Brian,
I doubt you'll find many on the left who have a true concept of evil in the
sense of a profoundly flawed soul. That's far too spiritual. Instead, those
on the left will talk about motives, sometimes in a conspiratorial manner,
but often in terms of economic greed, not personally, but in a partisan way.
It's motive that matters far more than the individual, because motive covers
the broader range of decision making activities. Nobody on the left would
say that Bush is evil, many, if not all, would say that he is a misguided
idiot.
As far as Eric is concerned, I for one find his views divergent from his
nature. In one post he will talk fondly of the bear in the orchard, in
another he breaths fire about an arab in a cave. Given that he is a
Newyorker, I think this is understandable, sad yes, but entirely
understandable.
As for Lawrence, I think we all know by now that he is the devil incarnate
[says the athiest trying not to grin].
Simon
----- Original Message -----
From: Brian <mailto:cabrian@xxxxxxxxx>
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, January 01, 2007 3:27 PM
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Max Boot
Simon, there was no vitriol present. I was demonstrating Irene's absurdity
by being absurd. She has a bad habit of speculating about the psychology of
people she doesn't know and imposing a template from the therapeutic/victim
culture onto them. And I don't see how it in any way negates her apology or
my accepting it. In fact, I think her admission of error would be stronger
if she had left it at that instead of pretending I brought up Bill Clinton
in a completely different context to deflect from Max Boot's crushing
analysis of a position I haven't staked.
I think you're quite wrong about Rightists. By-in-large conservatives
believe the Left is wrong but the Left believes the Right isn't just wrong,
but bad and often evil. We see this time and again, both in the larger
culture and on this list, with President Bush. It isn't enough to say his
policies are wrong but that he is a bad person and a force for evil in the
world. How many times has Eric taken a more conservative position and been
personally attacked for it?
~Brian
On Dec 30, 2006, at 4:44 AM, Simon Ward wrote:
Seems Lawrence's surrogate didn't waste too much time descending into
vitriol. Par for the course with these Rightists. Some advise: never waste
an apology, you might not get another.
Other related posts:
