Alt Reality

Ron Coleman Has an Epiphany: We Live in Different Moral Universes, and We Are No Longer Even Close to Being One People

I guess I had an epiphany. It is funny how we think we're "based now," but are, really, still stuck in old mindsets.

On the way to my new office I drive past the office of a relative whose law office I once worked in as an intern, many years ago. He was kind and generous.

Though we never grew close, I was always grateful for his early guidance and exposure to law practice. He is pretty successful. We have lived nearby, and stay in touch a bit.

But politics... politics, like sex, changes everything.

He is a committed Clintonite.

And as my public persona has become more and more political in recent years, we have clashed.

I have tried to avoid personal conflict with him, but above all I have been astonished at his intellectual dishonesty about the people and causes he supports.

And what I am often trying to do is justify myself, show him his attacks on my views (say, on Facebook, where they are mostly likely to be found) are based on mistaken premises, etc.

I always liked him. But now I am driving by his office regularly, and I don't stop in.

And I thought about this, and another relationship came to mind - one with a former college professor of mine whom I respect and like a lot. He is a liberal, too, but he is also fighting an important public cultural fight against a particularly ugly LW myth that is about.

We recently renewed our relationship when Mrs. C picked up his book on this topic, and we attended a public lecture of his nearby, and it was really very pleasant.

(This is why you go to the great universities, by the way.)

And we started corresponding.

And I should have known trouble was brewing because at this lecture, involving a topic in American history, there was a Q&A session, and inevitably Trump came up, and inevitably he reassured the audience that Trump was awful and deserved to be removed.

And we chalked this up to, well, the social milieu. He "has to say that." He even has to believe it.

Everyone can have his blind spots, and politics is, well, funny. After all, his generation was raised to believe that Nixon was the antichrist.

Nixon was not the antichrist.

But in the course of our correspondence about the culture war, in which we agreed about just about everything, the politics crept in, inevitably.

And rather than excerpt his comments, presumably meant to be private, let's just say what I hoped was not the case, is the case:

We do not live in the same moral universe.

This cannot be a matter of how we understand or perceive facts. The way people on the left describe facts is a manifestation of an outlook that is a set of choices.

These choices are not defensible any more, if they ever were.

And I was writing in this mode of trying to find common ground - and to his credit, he was, too... except that his "factual" premises (merely political conclusions) were just absurd. They were no more reasonable or measured, in and of themselves, than a Twitter exchange.

Although, again, the tone was, and this is not for nothing.

And I thanked him for this thoughts, and promised I would write back.

I have not written back.

I guess am tired of doing the work with ... these people.

"These people" who I like, as people. Who have been generous to me, who have extended themselves personally, who are humane and generous... but in the hyper-politicized world we all live in, it is I who have to prove to them, constantly, that no, I'm still ok!

I am certainly not going to go out of my way to antagonize "these people." I at least owe them that much.

But I guess I am tired of going out of my way to assuage them, reassure them, be the moderate one, pretend to think their takes could be reasonable.

To pretend.

Why I am pretending to tolerate people who believe I am in league with Literal Nazis and that in supporting Trump I am supporting, as another academic I have known for years said of him on Facebook, "the worst person who ever lived"?

He has tenure, and he wrote this publicly.

You can't go home again.

I don't know if I can ever stop in at that office halfway between my home and my work where I had my summer internship 35 years ago. I like my dad's cousin, because I like most people.

But I do not respect him. He does not respect me.

Is this a proper epiphany, though? Should we be as Marxists and indeed politicize everything and every relationship, even when there are common and human reasons to want to maintain them?

Or is it just rational to avoid inevitable conflict and inevitable retreat?

http://ace.mu.nu/

Infertility. Yes!

THOUGHTS FROM THE AMMO LINE

Ammo Grrrll resists TRANSGENDER TYRANNY, a Gateway Drug to Total Tyranny. She writes:

As a short, round woman, I was convinced that whatever life problems I had would definitely not be solved by becoming a short, round man, even with the silly little beard all woman to man transgenders affect. Jeez! Like I need somewhere ELSE to shave.

... Whether a fad, an attempt to gain a financial Diversity Advantage, or a profound confusion affecting a minuscule percentage of the population, transgenders got scant attention until suddenly, they leapt to the very top of the Oppression Food Chain. How so? This is me yelling: IT’S COMPLETELY VOLUNTARY “OPPRESSION”! In fact, a woman who becomes a man has now surrendered her Official Oppressed Person card to become a member of the icky “toxic male” oppressing class! Boo! Hiss!

... Fellas, do you want to wear women’s clothes? Mazel tov and have at it. You are welcome to the high heels, bras with uncomfortable underwires, whatever. Oh, you’re gonna LOVE one-size-fits-none pantyhose. And women have been wearing pants for decades. So what’s up, seriously, with the mutilation, amputation and drugs? Especially for children.

... Isn’t it fascinating with all the “settled science” denying that there is even such a thing as two biological sexes that when a transgendered person is MISTAKEN for the other sex that all hell breaks loose? Why? What’s the big deal if there’s no such thing as gender?

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2020/08/thoughts-from-the-ammo-line-339.php

Bullshit Everywhere

POSTED ON AUGUST 16, 2020 BY JOHN HINDERAKER IN CORONAVIRUS, MEDIA BIAS

COVID CONFUSION IS LARGELY INTENTIONAL

Following the news on a daily basis, it is hard to escape the conclusion that governments at all levels, along with more or less the entire journalism industry, are intentionally trying to convey an inflated impression of the impact of the Wuhan virus. Further, there is a growing body of empirical evidence, both nationally and internationally, that strongly suggests the cataclysmic shutdowns that have been imposed by governments both here and abroad have been more or less useless. Our governments have made mistakes that have resulted in the devastation of many millions of lives, and our reporters and editors want to keep that fact quiet. This isn’t surprising, of course: we all know what side they are on.

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2020/08/covid-confusion-is-largely-intentional.php

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Per CDC Data the COVID-19 Death Rate Peaked in the US in April – There’s More Pneumonia Deaths Than COVID-19 Deaths in 2020

By Joe Hoft

Published August 18, 2020 at 7:47am

• Eighty-five percent of reporting jurisdictions report a steep decline in Wuhan virus cases, despite almost 70 million tests.  This number of tests is greater than those administered in all of Europe combined.
• Nationwide, cases declined by 6%.
• Test positivity is 6.5%, which is a 71% reduction from April and a 15% reduction from mid-July.
• Hospitalizations have been halved since April.
• Nursing home and long-term care facilities have 1% of the U.S. population but account for almost 50% of fatalities.
• Retail spending is at an all-time high, with auto production alone surging 28%.
• The stock market is peaking again, and the NASDAQ is at an all-time high.
• China is struggling and has been buying massive amounts of corn, soybeans, and cattle from America.
• The administration continues to cut regulations.
• Small business optimism is higher than at any month in the Obama administration.
• Industrial production is increasing at the fastest rate ever recorded.

You really can’t believe almost anything reported in the MSM these days.  They want Americans to believe that COVID-19 is getting worse all the time.

It is not.

The only economies which are not growing now in the greatest recovery ever are those in inner Democrat led cities and states.  The rest of the US is in an economic rebound never seen before in history.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/08/per-cdc-data-covid-19-death-rate-peaked-us-april-pneumonia-deaths-covid-19-deaths-2020/

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NBC is pushing my Parallel

by Miles Mathis

... What Collins' article tells us is that those like Lively filming their confrontations are mostly other moles from Intelligence, creating division. They want people hating one another and infighting, because if we are screaming at one another we forget to ally against the real enemy. Just as they want blacks and whites fighting eachother now, and men against women, and old against young, they want to divide us down mask/anti-mask lines as well. This keeps our eyes off the Governors who are running this great con. It keeps our eyes off the trillions just stolen from the worldwide treasuries by the usual suspects. It keeps our eyes off the trashing of the Constitution, as state governors illegally bypass legislatures and rule by executive orders. And it keeps us from looking too closely at the riots, and from realizing they too are fake—more manufactured events from the CIA's theater department.

... Collins and Lively have also been hired to promote a new vocabulary, whereby researching mainstream events or questioning mainstream storylines is retagged as “doomscrolling”. The mainstream doesn't want you questioning anything, so they have to surround the idea with fear and dread. You are supposed to believe that if you go down any of the rabbit holes, you will end up depressed and suicidal. The last thing they want you doing is discovering a lie, and then following that lie to its logical end, and actually learning something. Instead, they want you to discover a lie, and then immediately shut down from fear. That has been their main wall all along, you know. They have been massaging that fear pill down your throat from birth. You are supposed to learn at an early age that you depend on them for everything, even the lies. Everything around you is propped up on these lies, so if you start tugging on them, everything will collapse and you will be left in a screaming wilderness of nihilism and chaos.

... Notice how Collins is trying (though failing) to create fear on both sides. If you are pro-mask, he is hoping you will read his article and find confirmation that those not wearing masks are fringe nutjobs, just hours away from the booby hatch. And if you are anti-mask, you will fear that if you continue down the current path, you will end up either insane or in jail, locked up as a dangerous dissident. These articles like those of Collins are meant to convince you can't win: you are not only outnumbered by mask-wearing sheep, but you are pitting yourself against the masters of the universe—who not only own the press, but also own the courts, the police, and the military. Best to shut up and get along. But again, I tell you it is all a bluff. Almost no one likes wearing masks, so you are not a minority. You can ally with the mask-wearers in a second, and when the revolution starts, you will. They will throw their masks in the gutter happily. And once they figure out this was all one more con, they will. Yes, this is moving too slow for those like you and me, and you may think the masses will never catch on, but I honestly believe they will. The lies have gotten too big to maintain, and the facade is crumbling all around us even as we speak. Way too slowly for my taste, but crumbling even so. But once the tide turns, you will be shocked at the speed it progresses. The anger of the common people will be unimaginable. No amount of drugging will be able to stop it.

http://mileswmathis.com/lively.pdf

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cOG dIS... 004

1) Wearing a mask inhibits oxygen flow and the body's ability to kill a virus.

2) 'Science' is being used to stifle dissent. Facts are inconvenient to some.

3) Muslims seem to be immune from the virus. 

4) AFL-CIO has no statement or stand on working people being labeled 'essential' or 'non-essential'.

5) How can you live in a free country with no common sense?

6) People love their government, not the people they live with.

7) Truth has no meaning in most people's lives.

8) Memorial Day is over. Can you explain to me what the 'ultimate sacrifice' was for?

9) Why would anyone volunteer to give up the thing that gives them joy?

10) There are some who still believe "every vote counts".

The Real Thing*

ALMOST JUST LIKE THE REAL THING:

1) Porn

2) Corn Syrup, Near Beer, De-Caf coffee

3) Skype or Zoom

4) Digital Therapy Dogs

5) Working from home

6) Police with masks on

7) Non-aural digital music

8) Photo-shopped digital images

9) Emogies

10) Society's so-called leaders

11) BONUS: The current Paul McCartney

ARE THERE GENUINE HUMAN BEINGS LEFT IN THIS COUNTRY?

cOG dIS ... 003

1) 1985 - doing blow and drinking til 4am. 2020 - in lockdown.

2) What is the ratio of virus vs.people killed from hitting deer with their cars?

3) How many crimes were committed by those released from prison, jail, or custody?

4) April 2024 Full Solar Eclipse 

5) Sunny Open Air Prison - SOAP - California

6) Our jailer will save us.

7) They express their freedom by loudly rattling their chains.

8) What is left are petty tyrants and order takers.

9) Slaves do not have privacy.

10) Rust never sleeps.

cOG dIS*... 001

Americans want entertainers for their made-for-TV politicians. Poor, dignified Mr. Bloomberg didn’t know he would face professional actors, not legislators. Eric Margolis

COGNITIVE DISSONANCE 

1) The Democrats made Congress spend 45 million dollars on a report absolving Trump of “Russian collusion” and may nominate a Communist who honeymooned in Moscow.

2) Bleating like a Quaker, "It's for the children" and supporting late term abortion.

3) The front runner to be sacrificed in November, today, is either a man who hates billionaires or a billionaire.

4) Is Mayor Pete the husband or the wife? Both?

5) The Democratic Party, for all is Civil Rights blather, was the original home of the Ku Klux Klan. Jackie Robinson was a Republican.

6) Hillary has a philandering husband and she decides to stay with him.

7) The Socialist candidate is a millionaire with three homes.

8) Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Buffalo, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles and New York City are Democratic strongholds.

9) There are too many candidates flying around the country in their private jets, screaming about climate change, carbon footprint and the end of the world. The great Beto O'Rourke kicked off his campaign with, 'Vote for Me or the World is Going to End'.

10) Nancy Pelosi lives in a compound with a ten foot high wall and armed security guards at the entrance. Barry and Mike bought a mansion 15 from the ocean shoreline. Joe Biden is still campaigning.

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March 12, 2020

The Left's Pretend Virtue

By Steve Matteucci

Pretend virtue is the leftists’ stock-in-trade.

They pretend to fight for women while they encourage them to give in to the men who want to use them for sex, to dress for men’s pleasure, to kill their own children, and now to accept men using their bathrooms and overrunning their sporting events.

They pretend to care about children but encourage them to be dangerously promiscuous, indoctrinate, rather than teach, them in school, scare them with tales of global catastrophes caused by their parents, and are now grooming them to accept as normal gender reassignments.

They pretend to be the great defenders of racial minorities while destroying their cities, splitting up their families, letting them kill each other off, and keeping them dependent on government.

They pretend to care about the poor while they advocate policies that hurt the poor, from rent control (reduces available housing thus increasing its cost), minimum wage laws (artificially increases the cost of labor, keeping the unskilled from getting a job that would get them into the workforce), lax immigration laws (increases the number of workers, holding down wages), taxes and regulation (increases the cost and risk of creating their own jobs), and welfare benefits (decreases the incentive to get a job and work their way out of poverty and dependency).

Cultural Ninjaneer

The Cultural Ninjaneer

http://www.wakingtimes.com/2017/10/26/cultural-ninjaneering-overcoming-newspeak-doublethink/

“The population suffers from a fear of change. Their conditioning assumes a static identity, and challenging one’s belief system usually results in insult and apprehension, for being wrong is erroneously associated with failure. When in fact, to be proven wrong should be celebrated, for it is elevating someone to a new level of understanding.” ~Peter Joseph

A cultural ninjaneer is an individual who is capable of entertaining a political, national, racial, and religious thought without accepting it. Using logic, reason, and probability, they are adept at taking things into consideration and not putting all their eggs into any particular basket. In short, they are able to culturally adapt and self-overcome.

A cultural ninjaneer counters newspeak and “limited spectrums of acceptable opinion” by questioning everything they read. They question all political parties, especially their own. And when they come up with what seems like a solid answer, they take it into consideration rather than believe in it. In other words: they entertain the answer without accepting it. They use the “answer” as a tool so that it doesn’t turn them into a tool.

As for doublethink, the same thing applies, but they must go Meta to counter the preconditioned Meta of doublethink. One way they do this is to cultivate and practice Joshua Green’s concept of metamorality. Which is based on a common ground that all humans can agree upon while proposing a utilitarian deep pragmatism that emphatically broadens the mind and compassionately opens the heart to the plight of us all as interdependent beings on an interconnected planet.

At the end of the day, the cultural ninjaneer realizes that the age of information inevitably comes with an overload of bullshit from all angles. Which is even more of a reason to keep their skeptics cap on tight and their question-mark sword sharp. They understand that it will be difficult to excavate Truth –tantamount to finding diamonds in the rough. But they have a sense of humor about it. They don’t take anything too seriously, especially their own opinion. They take everything with a grain of salt, and some things with the entire salt shaker.

They appreciate the difficulty of being a fallible, imperfect, prone to mistakes, tribally-biased and confused human in an otherwise confusing universe, where Truth has never been readily apparent. They laugh, and they laugh hard, at the cosmic joke of it all. But they have the courage and the audacity to turn that humor into art, into creative self-expression, and into The Press, which not everyone will always agree with. But so what if people don’t agree? They will never agree 100%… And that’s okay when you’re not taking yourself or your political agenda too seriously.