[Philadelphia, 5/25/16] When two commenters got a bit heated, with biff calling ebear “dumbass,” which got “grow the fuck up” as retaliation, I jumped in, “OK, guys, let's just cool it. Let's get back to discussing the many issues raised in the article. Thanks!—Linh.”
I fantasise about having a column where commentators are forbidden to use the word “fuck”. They shall have to use more creative language to demean someone or something. Expand the creative use of the English language. Damn someone with faint praise. Stimulate new pathways and byways in degenerative neurons. In school the English teacher forbade us to use the word “nice” to describe anything, especially your recent holiday. That steered me, an Afrikaans kid from the railways, to words like “phantasmagoric” and “quaint”. Linh, you could set the example by substituting your f’s with a more expansive use of the English language, which you both loath and love. Greetings!
Good column, if a bit dark or harsh. American cities are probably doomed, but there is life and people still relatively normal in the U.S. countryside. The main problem as I see it is American (or "American") degenerate culture spreading abroad like cancer. Italian and French pop music used to be pretty decent until the late 70s (perhaps some songs a bit corny but innocent, like that Vietnamese lyrics), but now they have degenerated into boring rap about sex and satanism, as everywhere else (although it's still not as bad as "Sacrifice" or Arianna Grande, yet). The "transgender children" craze also seems more pronounced in America than in the rest of the world, but it's spreading too.
I’m a solid believer in free speech as a constitutional concept. I think a big part of the problem certain people have with it is that they are trying to load it up with a lot of illegitimate baggage that applies to things other than a straightforward limit on government behavior.
Free speech to me means simply that government is not allowed to sanction you for saying whatever you want, and is not allowed to silence or censor you. That’s all. So free speech does NOT give you the right to force others to listen, and does NOT guarantee that you will not suffer any social sanction if others don’t like what you have to say.
The ‘rules’ on speech that apply to the behavior of individual citizens are formally non-existent, but are part of the unwritten social compact each person has with his/her society. The challenge the electronic forum presents to us is that it removes many of those constraints. It’s very easy to abandon civility in online forums. You avoid the unpleasantness of negative reactions to your words, and on top of that, you are often completely anonymous, further insulating you from that unpleasantness. It’s easy to forget yourself with these constraints on your behavior removed; I myself have certainly done so.
I think a good rule for civilizing some of the mob might be “Don’t say anything in an online forum that you wouldn’t say in a face-to-face conversation.” That will get us part of the way, but it would regretfully still leave us with too many stragglers.
You said: “To save Americans from themselves, and the rest of the world from the jewjacked USA, America can’t die soon enough.” Perhaps we can be more generous and look upon most of our founding ideas as good ones, and simply admit that we have lost our way, and are now honoring those ideas “more in the breach than in the observance.” As concepts, I think most of these ideas deserve to survive—it is Americans themselves that need to change. Maybe Emerson hit on it when he observed, “The true test of civilization is not the census, nor the size of cities, nor the crops – no, but the kind of man the country turns out.” We just need to figure out how to turn out better men again.
Three months of semi mindless meandering on northern Indiana highways and byways, mostly byways has made me intimately familiar with the perennial American Summer Psychosis. Wired, tired, pretty hungry sometimes it's easy to lose one's patience and join the other psychotics. A whole lot of intoxicated, desperate, scared and angry people out there. I've been one of them at moments and I don't like it. Two recovery quotes from some surviving assholes:
"In your worst moments, just be still." -Simon
"When it's (addiction, rage, psychosis, Jewish thought) on top of you, conduct yourself like a gentleman/lady" -Stephen
CNN is at it again. Last week they had a special on "Anti-Semitism in the United States" hosted by Jew Princess Dana Bash. Now, they have our old favorite, Little Lamb Blitzer, hosting a tour through the Holocaust Museum in NYC.
Hi Linh...you nailed that with the biff thing.... As for UnZ I still don't know what happened that you got 86ed? But biffer told me to go back and stay...What is his/her/its problem? Some are only happy breaking things.
I fantasise about having a column where commentators are forbidden to use the word “fuck”. They shall have to use more creative language to demean someone or something. Expand the creative use of the English language. Damn someone with faint praise. Stimulate new pathways and byways in degenerative neurons. In school the English teacher forbade us to use the word “nice” to describe anything, especially your recent holiday. That steered me, an Afrikaans kid from the railways, to words like “phantasmagoric” and “quaint”. Linh, you could set the example by substituting your f’s with a more expansive use of the English language, which you both loath and love. Greetings!
Good column, if a bit dark or harsh. American cities are probably doomed, but there is life and people still relatively normal in the U.S. countryside. The main problem as I see it is American (or "American") degenerate culture spreading abroad like cancer. Italian and French pop music used to be pretty decent until the late 70s (perhaps some songs a bit corny but innocent, like that Vietnamese lyrics), but now they have degenerated into boring rap about sex and satanism, as everywhere else (although it's still not as bad as "Sacrifice" or Arianna Grande, yet). The "transgender children" craze also seems more pronounced in America than in the rest of the world, but it's spreading too.
Thanks, Linh. Stuck here in the ol usa but at least I have a farmer husband who loves me and can play music too. Always happy to see you in my inbox!
I’m a solid believer in free speech as a constitutional concept. I think a big part of the problem certain people have with it is that they are trying to load it up with a lot of illegitimate baggage that applies to things other than a straightforward limit on government behavior.
Free speech to me means simply that government is not allowed to sanction you for saying whatever you want, and is not allowed to silence or censor you. That’s all. So free speech does NOT give you the right to force others to listen, and does NOT guarantee that you will not suffer any social sanction if others don’t like what you have to say.
The ‘rules’ on speech that apply to the behavior of individual citizens are formally non-existent, but are part of the unwritten social compact each person has with his/her society. The challenge the electronic forum presents to us is that it removes many of those constraints. It’s very easy to abandon civility in online forums. You avoid the unpleasantness of negative reactions to your words, and on top of that, you are often completely anonymous, further insulating you from that unpleasantness. It’s easy to forget yourself with these constraints on your behavior removed; I myself have certainly done so.
I think a good rule for civilizing some of the mob might be “Don’t say anything in an online forum that you wouldn’t say in a face-to-face conversation.” That will get us part of the way, but it would regretfully still leave us with too many stragglers.
You said: “To save Americans from themselves, and the rest of the world from the jewjacked USA, America can’t die soon enough.” Perhaps we can be more generous and look upon most of our founding ideas as good ones, and simply admit that we have lost our way, and are now honoring those ideas “more in the breach than in the observance.” As concepts, I think most of these ideas deserve to survive—it is Americans themselves that need to change. Maybe Emerson hit on it when he observed, “The true test of civilization is not the census, nor the size of cities, nor the crops – no, but the kind of man the country turns out.” We just need to figure out how to turn out better men again.
Three months of semi mindless meandering on northern Indiana highways and byways, mostly byways has made me intimately familiar with the perennial American Summer Psychosis. Wired, tired, pretty hungry sometimes it's easy to lose one's patience and join the other psychotics. A whole lot of intoxicated, desperate, scared and angry people out there. I've been one of them at moments and I don't like it. Two recovery quotes from some surviving assholes:
"In your worst moments, just be still." -Simon
"When it's (addiction, rage, psychosis, Jewish thought) on top of you, conduct yourself like a gentleman/lady" -Stephen
This one was fun to read. Thanks Linh!
Is it really true Japan's 'Jonatahan's is the ultimate American diner?
I think it misses a few things - one 1950's oldies playing on the radio or jukebox (or whatever they use nowadays)
2 - a pretty (or not!) waitress walking around filling up coffee.
Jonathan's is great I will admit but it's more of a hermetic introvert's paradise of a diner.
Linh
CNN is at it again. Last week they had a special on "Anti-Semitism in the United States" hosted by Jew Princess Dana Bash. Now, they have our old favorite, Little Lamb Blitzer, hosting a tour through the Holocaust Museum in NYC.
The propaganda machine is in full swing.
Bill
When some guys rant about the private life of John Derbyshire, and how his wife looks and cooks, that sounds like a frustrated and jealous incel...
Hi Linh...you nailed that with the biff thing.... As for UnZ I still don't know what happened that you got 86ed? But biffer told me to go back and stay...What is his/her/its problem? Some are only happy breaking things.
Z
Linh
In 1971-72, the varsity basketball team was on a bus trip to Ajo, Arizona. All of us were singing "Bye Bye Miss American Pie" to pass the time.
Let me at that juke box. Time for some Cash.
Yippie i ohhhh......Yippie i ayyyyy !
ps.... Is Biden still alive ?
Bill