Thomas Frank: What's the Matter with Liberals?

[angus]

Neither downplayed nor ignored.  Just misunderstood.  I blame the schools.  And they're largely run by "liberals" so yes, I guess I blame the "liberals"

You feed the schoolkids a diet of processed fatty foods and constant political correctness, and you end up with a generation of hapless overweight geeks who decide they want to become "feminists"  That's just reality, man.  And bitching about it won't solve the problem. 

I also think there's some duplicity.  Flyers makes a good point.  But keep in mind that both sides are guilty of this sort of aggrandizing.  But as I pointed out in the Krugman thread, and Dazzleman points out here, this is typical of "liberal logic", or to use Frank's own words, they simply "misunderstand" the problem.  And it's going to get worse before it gets better.  That's one view I have acquired from posting here and reading posts.  The posters are mostly from the under-30 crowd, so it's a nice window on the failings of the American educational systems.

[angus]

So what is this 'political correctness' you speak of? 

the four-post conversation immediately preceding yours is a fine example.  of course, the most salient feature of that conversation is that they made some assumptions about each other that turned out to be false, which is not uncommon in our Label-driven thinking, and it's worthy of dicussion as well, but the brief conversation also gives a pretty good example of the political incorrectness of tracking.  Like WMS and Jfern, I also think tracking is a fine idea, by the way.  jfern and WMS and I probably agree on other things as well, but polictical correctness, lack of critical thinking, and, of course, complementary labels (not unlike Pepsi and Cocacola) get in the way.

also, yes, I do think there are things that are fashionable to say, and things that are unfashionable to say, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with accuracy.  this is unfortunate.  I consider Krugman, like myself, Howard Dean, StatesRights (the poster), and a handful of others willing to buck that trend.  And as you can see, the Politically Incorrect come from all points of the Compass.  I only bash "liberals" because it's fun.  And I only use the quotation marks to make sure you understand that by "liberal" I don't mean Liberal (e.g., PDF or Free-Market types, not unlike me and, in many instances yourself), but rather what some of those tests call "American Liberal" which is hardly Liberal in the Jeffersonian (or German or Scandanavian) sense.

[angus]

Thomas Frank is an excellent writer. Of course, he's biased, but for the most part his analyses are good.

He's not biased, he's right.  As liberal America almost always is. 

LOL, that is one of the stupidest things I've heard on this forum to date. I suggest you stop believing your own propaganda. Open your mind a little bit, and stop being such an ignorant fool.

Bob is developing nicely as a slightly more irreverent version of Carlhayden, the Least Democrat Democrat.

[angus]

My point was that the predominant 'political correctness' of 2005 is  conservative and religious, not liberal or secular. 

My god man!  That statement, in and of itself, is about as politically correct a thing as I can imagine.  (of  course what is PC in some circles such as the ones you like, may be anathematic in others, and vice-versa, but that's all part of the idiocy of political correctness in the first place.  part, of course, but not all.)

[angus]

My point was that the predominant 'political correctness' of 2005 is  conservative and religious, not liberal or secular. 

My god man!  That statement, in and of itself, is about as politically correct a thing as I can imagine.  (of  course what is PC in some circles such as the ones you like, may be anathematic in others, and vice-versa, but that's all part of the idiocy of political correctness in the first place.  part, of course, but not all.)

I don't see how identifying your opponents political philosophy, and recognizing its ascendancy, is 'politically correct'.  It is merely observing reality!

well, if you perceive an objective reality, but I suspect if we persue this line of reasoning you'll soon contradict yourself, since I don't imagine you do.  Anyway, well, by your own admission you're not exaggerating, so apparently you believe that tripe about "the ascendance of theocracy" and fascism.  Still, whether you choose to admit it or not, there's also a "liberal" political correctness.  Jeezus, I can't believe I'd ever have to type that last sentence in a serious explanation of anything.  some truths, we hold, to borrow a phrase from The Founders, "to be self-evident"  Remember, I'm the rare Sharpton Republican.  So I hedge just enough to observe bullshiit from both sides.  Yes, the thought-controlling Right has its own brand of PC, but surely you recognize that so does the thought-controlling Left.

[angus]

so you're a disaffected closet democrat?  that's cool.  I used to be.