Re: They Just Don't Make 'Em Like That Any More!

David:

Wrong again, actually. I considered writing for entertainment's sake
as a goal, but noted that your approach precludes entertaining anyone
except the people who already agree with you. Thus "pandering".

I suppose that's, arguably, within the definition of pandering. One
might also say, "propagandizing," or "reaffirming". Doesn't really
matter. It's one of those words that not only have multiple meanings
but multiple implications. I am sure that, to you, the negative
implication is the important one. Have at it. No problem, as long as
it makes you happy.


In the first place, few of them exist

I'm sure you believe that.

I do. The number of genuines moderate may be greater than tiny, but as
a measure of their political assertiveness and importance...well,
they're just moderates. It would be nice if they were committed,
effective, assertive and militant moderates. There are some of those
of course. I believe I know both of them.

In the second place, nearly everyone, no
matter where they sit on the political spectrum,

The fact that you think it's a linear spectrum makes it clear that you
don't really understand non-fanatics.

There has been much criticism of the left-right spectrum. Others have
been proposed, both circular and Pournelle's X-Y axis. The reason I
reject Pournelle's, as a theoretical matter, is twofold. One is that
his axis measures 1) attitude to planned social progress and 2)
attitude to government. I think this misses the important thing:
belief as to the nature of man (nature-nurture, if you will...or even
if you won't). I would add that axis to make an X-Y-Z chart. That
said, even an X-Y-Z chart hardly matters as people will still tend to
group along lines much like that of a right-left spectrum The
right-left spectrum is, I believe therefore, more descriptive of how
people actually believe and act, in the main, with those outside of it
being, however important to themselves, not really very important
overall. The other reason left-right works fairly well is that the key
question is, and always has been, "nature of man". Those on the left
of the left-right spectrum tend (and I'd say, "overwhelmingly") to
believe man is more or less perfectable by training and education (see
original draft of the port Huron statement. See Lenin's "New Socialist
- or was it Soviet? - Man) or, in the alternative, that our rotten,
unfair and unjust society has made man, who is naturally good, into
something selfish, grasping and evil. Those to the right tend to
believe he is not perfectable by training and education or by social
engineering. There is a subset on the extreme right who also tend to
believe man is perfectable through breeding. We call them...nazis.
Note I was very careful not to put myself in that group.

There's a true center, but it's rather small and by nature wishy-washy.

The space of political opinions is much more complex than your bipolar
projection of it, and it doesn't have a meaningful 'center' (or any
other summary statistic worth caring about). I'd probably agree that
anyone inhabiting such a 'center' would have pretty lukewarm views --
but then, such a person would not be at all typical. No more typical
than you or your enemies on the 'left'.

Ummm...we'll probably have to agree to disagree. For the reasons I
gave above I simply don't agree that very many people really fall
outside the left-right axis and absolutely disagree that those few
matter.

As for the left, they _are_ the other side, David. Why should I deny it?

Because it is only true to the extent that it's misleading? Because it
implies the validity of a nonsensical collapse of many dimensions of
political thought onto a bogus 2D scale? Because it denies the
existence of anyone whose views can't be characterized as "the opposite
of" some particular Nemesis? Those seem like good reasons to me.

And, alternatively, it allows one to identify the friends and enemies
who _matter_...which, again, most do not.

Say rather that you (and your nemeses) live in a subculture of
extremism. It certainly seems like you (and your nemeses) would prefer
that everyone join you in that particular ghetto, but we're not there
yet. From where I sit, your assumption that (almost) everyone is
either 'right' or 'left' is 3 parts projection and 7 parts "if you
ain't with me, yer agin me". Neither is very attractive.

I'll be sure to let you now when I come around to the idea that
something has to be attractive, aestetically pleasing, to be valid.
Don't hold your breath.

As I said in the earlier missive, left and right no longer
inhabit the same conceptual universe

True.

are effectively insane to each other

... and to the rest of us...

The vanishingly _small_number_ of the _irrelevant_ rest of you.

and simply cannot talk, as a general rule, civilly or intelligently with one another.

Orwell again: "You can argue with an
opinion. A conviction can only be shot." (I think that's not an exact
quote but does capture the essence of the thing.)

All too well.

Sad, ain't it? We live in interesting times, David.

Tom

.

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