28 Jun 2013

Placating the People of the Left


We really mustn't accept this.

Typed on my Underwood Leader

11 comments:

  1. Look forward to the blissful numbness that comes when you finally ask yourself "What am I going to do about it?", and you are honest enough with yourself to realize that the answer is "Not enough."

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    1. Honestly, I think I passed that stage the first time a while ago and I figure all I really should do for myself is move out of the country eventually.

      It's just occasionally things happen that give me cause to think, wish, and hope for just a short time that there really is great progress being made. And I feel okay about it. And then I realise what actually just happened, and how I fell into the trap yet again.

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  2. What actually are you referring to when you say DOMA and what do you mean by "the people of the left"?
    If you mean political left then I have stumbled into a political blog and not a typewriter blog or am I mistaken?

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    1. I shouldn't have to defend my blog--but I am anyway because it's interesting for me to think on and write about. I enjoy such mental stimulation from time to time and this brief time spent has helped me get a clearer view of what I am doing with my blog.

      I've never considered this to merely be a typewriter blog (even the blog name of Philosophothought indicates as such), in fact when I still had the blog description as part of my header it included "opinions on controversial topics" as well as strange humor and typewriters as worthy topic material.

      In fact, near the beginnings of the blog I had the occasional politically slanted typecast, whether serious or in humor. Therefore, this has never been a political blog nor a typewriter blog. I am not considering my readers as "the people of the left". That is merely a title to a typecast expressing my frustration with the state of things.

      I consider it a strength when a typecasting blog diverges from the topic of the typewriter. You may be surprised to find that many typecasting blogs do so, whether it be into cycling, cameras, or cuisine. I choose to devote almost all of my posts to my typewriters, as they are an exceedingly noble and interesting topic. But occasionally I find something that is also important. Certainly, the decline of a great nation is as such!

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    2. Well, there is a fair amount of political commentary in typewriter blogs but mostly it is milder-- a wink, a hint, or offhand comment--so it passes. In other cases, maybe you just don't see that blogger, or you agree with the blogger so you don't notice the bias.

      But, Nick, the text doesn't make clear the title; what is "placating the people on the left"? And the phrase "... there has been a lot about _lately_." betrays either a youthful innocence or a bias on your part--there has been a lot of it going on for a long time, not just lately.

      Happy about DOMA, though. Did you mean that DOMA is a sop to the left to distract them from other transgressions, or what? If you're gonna be political, ya better be clear.

      Ted is really onto a truth when he suggests that citizens are so comfortable that they (we) don't feel the need to take action.

      I don't mind the variety. I think you pay your typewriter dues on your own blog.

      == Michael Höhne

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    3. By 'a lot about, lately' I am alluding to the increase of first amendment infringements that comes with the internet. So by lately, I might mean the past X number of years. Of course it's been there much, much longer. There certainly have been other dark times for the first amendment.

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  3. I'll just note that I agree with you, Nick, that typecasting blogs do not have to be all about typewriters. They can simply USE typewriters to convey any idea under the sun. I can think of several people in or near the typosphere who hardly ever discuss their typewriters. I think this is a strength of the community.

    I'll also point out that there is a link between questions of privacy and the medium of the typewriter. To use a typewriter is to elude, at least for a moment, the information-processing order, which is necessarily a political (and commercial) order. There is at least an implicit political dimension to the "insurgency."

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    1. Very true. Hence why I felt as if a bit directed at the invasion of privacy a perfect topic for here.

      Regardless of your political disposition, it's difficult to look at the entire sphere of politics here and not be confused and slightly angry. Nothing on a national level is actually being done for the benefit of the nation or its people.

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  4. No one is asking you to defend your blog just an explanation of what you are trying to say so that we can join in the conversation or not.....I am generally just interested in talking typewriters, to be clear, and also to head off any paranoia building up, your blog is not under any attack, at least not by me.
    I am still none the wiser about DOMA but if it does not relate to typewriters never mind.....

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  5. Just my two cents:

    I've done a little political comment on my blog, but I tend to avoid it. Not because I don't think I should be writing it on my blog, but because local politics would be of little interest to the 93% of my read.

    I'm not going to comment on the DOMA legislation, only because it is not my country's legal/political system. I've learned in the past - that often outsider's opinions aren't welcome on such politics. I've heard 'We're American, we do things different' too often - and never enjoyed the result of trying to discuss how that makes people blind of new ideas.

    However, I will say - I feel that it is dangerous to consider legislature as an act of free speech. Under those principals it would be possible for, say, Scientology to legislate that the people of earth are descended from Alien visitors - just on the principal of free speech.

    If the DOMA act was enacted by vote, mandate or referendum - then removing it would be considered undemocratic, not a violation of free speech.

    The moment legislation - no matter what country you are in, becomes an issue of free speech, then it is actually self violating. Legislation is about setting law - what you can and cannot do. Free speech lets your criticize those law and lets you establish them. If it were the law itself, it would be violating free speech by not allowing opposing laws to exist.

    I can't see how having those laws opposed and taken down, as being an issue of free speech. But I can see how it would be undemocratic.

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  6. 93% of my readers. Sorry, hit send a bit prematurely.

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