tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695598.post5881126430410754817..comments2023-12-17T19:35:07.459-08:00Comments on Bouphonia: The New GroupsPhilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15849261651028725772noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695598.post-88257319331356988372010-05-21T10:23:19.115-07:002010-05-21T10:23:19.115-07:00It's not that Geyer dislikes Jews, or anyone e...<i>It's not that Geyer dislikes Jews, or anyone else. It's just that she tends to prefer the Eastern Protestant Establishment, like all thoughtful people who appreciate Civilization. It's nothing personal, though: Ethnic arrivistes like Kagan may seem vulgar and contentious and ill-bred, "at least compared to the old establishment with its fine manners. But that is simply natural, for the new groups, no matter their talents, have no common faith, principles and duties at their core."<br /><br />One must be tolerant, within reason, no matter how culturally and spiritually defective one's inferiors may be. This, too, is part of the Protestant legacy.</i><br /><br />It won't mean much in this context, but I'm suddenly reminded of a local radio show that used to be on the Pacifica affiliate here (and may still be; but for reasons that will be obvious in a moment, I don't really care to find out). Local university professor and Green Party member (he made sure you knew both about him every week) would opine, sometimes quite intelligently, on the matters of the day.<br /><br />Then came the day he had a guest on, clearly German (from her accent), and clearly well-educated, and talk turned to kultur and education and apparently neither item could be found in sufficient quantity here in Texas.<br /><br />I thought first of the irony of B. Franklin's complaint that the Germans were coming to America, and bringing nothing good with them. Nor did these two seem aware of the German heritage in central Texas, mostly from 19th century immigrants. No, no, the only source of kultur and knowledge in America was found on the east coast, largely in New Yawk City, among the cognoscenti who settled there and appreciate the finer things in life, things the rubes and boobs of Texas could no more enjoy than a monkey could admire the Mona Lisa.<br /><br />And these two would have considered themselves quite liberal and open-minded, unlike the people in Texas they were forced to put up with. Needless to say, I quit listening to that program after that. I'd had enough.Rmjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06811456254443706479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695598.post-64065220159747711422010-05-20T09:01:06.616-07:002010-05-20T09:01:06.616-07:00This is the first article by Ms Geyer that I'v...<i>This is the first article by Ms Geyer that I've read, and I'm trying to figure out whether she's a genius who's being ironic or a moron who really means it.</i><br /><br />I've been following her for a while -- I may be the only person on earth who can say that —- and I'm quite sure she's sincere.<br /><br />As far as I can tell, she's a "racial realist" who finds racism offensive to the extent that it's vulgar. She's an admirer of Shelby Steele, the black historian who has lamented "the world-wide collapse of white supremacy as a source of moral authority," and she's been writing increasingly bitter elegies on that theme for years. (See <a href="http://bouphonia.blogspot.com/2010/02/cleansing-and-clarifying.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>, for instance.)<br /><br />In this column, I think she believes she's being positive and gracious about minority aspirations, rather than paternalistic and dismissive. The "Protestant" angle is simply crotchety tribalist prattle, IMO; it isn't based on any real grasp of history or religion.Philahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15849261651028725772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695598.post-75728199372945347872010-05-20T00:23:06.385-07:002010-05-20T00:23:06.385-07:00This is the first article by Ms Geyer that I'v...This is the first article by Ms Geyer that I've read, and I'm trying to figure out whether she's a genius who's being ironic or a moron who really means it.Makarioshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08392249532355639518noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695598.post-80183534100548411142010-05-19T18:31:51.500-07:002010-05-19T18:31:51.500-07:00Anyone who isn't already familiar with the Won...Anyone who isn't already familiar with the Wonkette series on Dame Peggy Nooningtoneth already, will no doubt enjoy it!<br />http://wonkette.com/?s=peggy+noonGail Zawackihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01800944469843206253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695598.post-12005768580063597562010-05-19T17:03:31.346-07:002010-05-19T17:03:31.346-07:00Wow. I might go read Heyer's whole article. Bu...<i>Wow. I might go read Heyer's whole article. But I'll need a couple of stiff drinks first.</i><br /><br />Good luck with it! It's pretty garbled, even by her standards. <br /><br />My interpretation of it is pretty uncharitable, obviously. YMMV.Philahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15849261651028725772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695598.post-83539689876176618492010-05-19T15:26:22.186-07:002010-05-19T15:26:22.186-07:00Wow. I might go read Heyer's whole article. ...Wow. I might go read Heyer's whole article. But I'll need a couple of stiff drinks first.<br /><br />I wander what she thinks of out Lebanese-born Miss America?<br /><br />Cheers!<br />JzBJazzbumpahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07337490817307473659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695598.post-33475180302783784572010-05-19T14:32:48.848-07:002010-05-19T14:32:48.848-07:00Speaking as a half-a-WASP, I think you did a disse...<i>Speaking as a half-a-WASP, I think you did a disservice in accusing Eastern elites of being uniformly against the Welfare State.</i><br /><br />That wasn't my intention, though I can certainly see how it could be read that way.<br /><br />In that paragraph, I was trying to poke fun at Geyer's opportunistic interpretation of "Eastern Establishment" values, based on her admiration for Bush I, and on stuff she's said (and I've criticized) in her other columns. <br /><br />Basically, I was just ridiculing the idea that there's some obvious "original Protestant thesis" that justifies or ennobles her creepy political ideas.Philahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15849261651028725772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695598.post-28610851177264555202010-05-19T13:58:52.219-07:002010-05-19T13:58:52.219-07:00Speaking as a half-a-WASP, I think you did a disse...Speaking as a half-a-WASP, I think you did a disservice in accusing Eastern elites of being uniformly against the Welfare State.<br /><br />The rest of it though, is perfectly accurate. You left out though that they have presided over 2 centuries of flat-out global resource depletion and burned enough fuel to destroy a habitable climate, which is soon to cause total social collapse and mass famine.<br /><br />So, they saw the party virtually to its end. Getting out now is the smart thing to do.Wit's Endhttp://www.witsendnj.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.com