On Nov 8, 2010, at 5:20 PM, Wojtek S wrote:
> Shane: ""Antipathy towards *the* government" signifies an attitude
> towards a
> *specific* government, that corrupt..."
>
> [WS:] All I am saying is that this is what the Repug noise machine
> has been
> spewing for for the past twenty plus years
Wake up. The Repugs have been the national government more than half
of those 20+ years and the state governments and the local
governments. Government is "bipartisan", and equally corrupt on both
bipartisan sides.
>> Re: "I'm the one who thinks that in the US antipathy towards the
>> government is both rational and praiseworthy."
>>>
>>> [WS:] If I wanted to hear anti-government rant, I would join a
>>> right wing
>>> or libertarian group. They do it much better.
>>>
>>
>> Among things you don't understand are syntax. "Anti-government"
>> signifies
>> a general attitude towards government as such, government in the
>> abstract.
>> "Antipathy towards *the* government" signifies an attitude towards a
>> *specific* government, that corrupt gang ruling "in the US." The
>> people
>> know that the government (called "Washington" or "City Hall" or "Wall
>> Street") does many needed things--badly, and many more of vicious
>> things--quite well.
>>
>> Shane Mage
>>
>> The communist creed: From each according to his ability, to each
>> according
>> to his need. The capitalist
>> creed: From
>> each according to his gullibility, to each according to his greed.
>>
>> Joe Stack (1956-2010)
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>>> Shane: "your caricature of the philistine notion of mass
>>>> irrationality"
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> [WS:] If there is any caricature here, it is the above
>>>>> statement. I did
>>>>> not
>>>>> say it is "irrationality" but rationality of a different kind
>>>>> than the
>>>>> Weberian "purpose rationality."
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> Well, you are the one who wrote about "irrational antipathy towards
>>>> government." And I'm the one who thinks that in the US antipathy
>>>> towards
>>>> the
>>>> government is both rational and praiseworthy.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> It is the same rationality as one underlying magic rituals since
>>>> the
>>>>
>>>>> beginning of humankind. Check out Malinowski's anthropological
>>>>> studies
>>>>> of
>>>>> myth and magic or Meyer & Rowan's
>>>>> work on myth in modern organizations.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>> How amusing to hear that these eminent empirical sociologists
>>>> have some
>>>> pipeline to the "beginning of humankind." Despite being good god-
>>>> fearing
>>>> Christian gentlemen, they have not the least conception of why
>>>> every
>>>> myth,
>>>> every religion, every magic ritual expresses the notion that *the
>>>> gods
>>>> are
>>>> to be feared. the gods are greatly to be feared*
>>>>
>>>> Shane Mage
>>>>
>>>> God said to Abraham, kill me a son
>>>> Abe said man, you must be putting me on
>>>> God said you can do what you want, Abe
>>>> But the next time you see me coming, better run.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> [WS:] So face it, lefties, the voters decided to sacrifice
>>>> Democrats to
>>>>
>>>>> avert bad luck and vent their irrational antipathy towards
>>>>> government.
>>>>>>> Blaming O's administration is blaming the victim of this
>>>>>>> sacrifice.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> So you say nobody can know what motivates
>>>>>> Obama/Summers/Geithner/Bernanke
>>>>>> &
>>>>>> co., but you *know* that the *Obama-2008* voters who dumped the
>>>>>> dumbos
>>>>>> were
>>>>>> motivated (to stay home, to vote Repugnicon, to spoil their
>>>>>> ballots) by
>>>>>> your
>>>>>> caricature of the philistine notion of mass irrationality.
>>>>>> Staying
>>>>>> home
>>>>>> as
>>>>>> an apotropaic ritual like the Sacrifice of Isaac!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ___________________________________
>>>>>
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>>>>
>>>> ___________________________________
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>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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