tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010559333082508395.post7699863604078119050..comments2024-03-19T08:23:24.309-07:00Comments on Tom Cochrun /Light Breezes: CROSS CURRENTS OF POLITICAL CORRECTNESS Tom Cochrunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046822056852446079noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010559333082508395.post-27737384161693666372017-06-02T20:32:25.174-07:002017-06-02T20:32:25.174-07:00Mark-
It is always good and enlightening even to h...Mark-<br />It is always good and enlightening even to have you join the blog conversation.<br />In my own "twisted" way I think of this as a kind of set of entrails or tea leaves of our time and space. In some cyberway this is a record of ideas and observations and more importantly conversation. There are millions of these engagements but when our machine descendants or human heirs algorithmize their research of our time, perhaps a few of these morsels will shed light on a time when people thought, outloud and in public. They must know that we cared for intellect, for the mother earth, for our children and we believed in ideas that divided us, but made us caring humans. <br />I hope to continue your argument about the vital root in person. But for now-a pauper can know the individual liberty of thinking and speaking as he or she wishes without anything, not even the rags on their back. No private property is needed when we redact our discussion to ideas-the theatre of the mind. Jesus owned nothing, but was probably the most free idea merchant of our epoch. He spoke of an ultimate freedom and it got him killed. But of course you and I agree that didn't stop him.<br />Cheers my friend. We must continue.Tom Cochrunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046822056852446079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010559333082508395.post-6700540782144570462017-06-02T10:16:58.703-07:002017-06-02T10:16:58.703-07:00TC -
I'm sorry I missed this posting more than...TC -<br />I'm sorry I missed this posting more than a month ago. I would have engaged with you and your band of blog followers. I think much of what you said is dead perfect. But at a vital root, your thinking is twisted. Specifically, I don't believe it is possible to rationalize the idea that "liberals believe that government should protect INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY" and "conservatives believe that government should protect PRIVATE PROPERTY." In making this false distinction you have put your finger on a great misunderstanding (one that I failed to understand completely until the last decade... so it's not too late for you :-) ) There is no such thing as "individual liberty" without "private property." The two things are indistinguishable. This is not a matter of nuance or word play. It is at the VERY heart of one's political, economic and social philosophy. As with your friend Maryann -- who I would like to meet -- I don't think this can be discussed or resolved in blog format. Perhaps you should host a "conference" for your blog followers .... I should think we'd need 4 or 5 days. MLML1050https://www.blogger.com/profile/17591868550406323787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010559333082508395.post-54507710790294171782017-04-28T23:20:05.892-07:002017-04-28T23:20:05.892-07:00Journalism should indeed play the role of watchdog...Journalism should indeed play the role of watchdog. Real journalism, not news by flavor which is really more about commerce than information. Tom Cochrunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046822056852446079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010559333082508395.post-59811997939926392532017-04-28T00:19:57.136-07:002017-04-28T00:19:57.136-07:00Excellent essay, Tom. So much has changed in this ...Excellent essay, Tom. So much has changed in this new century, I wonder if California is still thought to prefigure U.S. political trends. When Darrell Issa succeeded in recalling Gray Davis, I was frankly surprised at how culturally involuted the Right had got. Happily (the Kennedys sent?) Schwarzenegger appeared, turned out to be a solid square-toed centrist and left the state in pretty good shape. Now the U.S. schism between Left and Right has widened beyond the measured adversarial system of government-by-discussion and that's a worrisome thing. Not sure how to fix it, but scrupulously accurate news reporting would be an excellent start.Geo.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16221314320558128986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010559333082508395.post-53498930699756034402017-04-24T14:46:25.469-07:002017-04-24T14:46:25.469-07:00Me too.Me too.Jagerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15854309313920685901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010559333082508395.post-53723917864510141972017-04-24T14:14:00.601-07:002017-04-24T14:14:00.601-07:00Maryann, as noted I knew people would take excepti...Maryann, as noted I knew people would take exception to my simplified definitions. The sources however were several, including texts-European and American-dictionaries, history pieces and asking self identified liberals and conservatives to identify their values. We will have to continue our chat. Would love it.<br /><br />I don't think you are giving Mr O'Reilly a pass are you? I suspect in your own ceiling breaking career you probably encountered the likes of him and others. As for Clinton, yes he was a womanizer and from what we know of the Lewinsky encounter he took advantage of an intern. That was wrong, ethically and morally. Some adore him. I am not in that number and my criticism goes beyond his lack of self control. He made policy decisions that were wrong.<br />And in my opinion he was not a liberal. Some may have called him that, but he actually was part of the DLC, a movement to shift the Democratic part from the left. His positions on NAFTA, repealing Glass Steagall alone are evidence of a lack of true liberal credential. The Clinton influence on the Democratic party has been, IMO, corrosive. I don't think history will be kind to him. He squandered opportunity because of character flaws. Hillary was an ineffective candidate, though certainly more qualified and experienced than trump, but she is no paragon of excellence either. I think you may be giving Bill more credit. What is your source for saying he's the most popular politician in the country? I'd want to challenge their polling samples. Maybe it is from the same source that predicted a Hillary victory in November. No double standard in my mind. O'Reilly was just a bag of gas who did his thing to earn fame and millions. Can we be sure he was ever sincere? Good riddance. Tom Cochrunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046822056852446079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010559333082508395.post-34241250966453474822017-04-24T13:49:03.706-07:002017-04-24T13:49:03.706-07:00Stephen, what you say demonstrates the act of bein...Stephen, what you say demonstrates the act of being a true liberal. Your thoughts need to be amplified especially on some campuses. Tom Cochrunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046822056852446079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010559333082508395.post-28169061143628757332017-04-24T13:47:06.156-07:002017-04-24T13:47:06.156-07:00Your idea is good. I've read it several times ...Your idea is good. I've read it several times over the years and now it seems especially prescient. Tom Cochrunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046822056852446079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010559333082508395.post-38825789993670393092017-04-24T13:46:24.680-07:002017-04-24T13:46:24.680-07:00Rick, you raise a tough issue. Censorship is not t...Rick, you raise a tough issue. Censorship is not the answer, as you know. I have no pat answer to how to counteract fake news, which is propaganda by another name except to suggest it starts with education. We need to prepare people to think and reason with critical judgement and evaluation so they can spot bogus information.<br />Another idea is to read and consume information from a variety of sources and perspectives. There is no such thing as too much information or a too well rounded flow of ideas. Too many people stay in echo chambers. And I second your idea about Homeland. It is a vivid portrayal of the issue which is particularly pernicious in social media.Tom Cochrunhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04046822056852446079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010559333082508395.post-89967828857428865022017-04-24T13:09:07.120-07:002017-04-24T13:09:07.120-07:00Love you, Tom, but, so much misrepresented here on...Love you, Tom, but, so much misrepresented here on 'definitions' but that's too much for a blog. In person some time? Anytime? (For the record, I'm not a Trump fan)<br /><br />Re: O'Reilly: Puh-leez. Clinton was a womanizer...picture the intern kneeling in front of him in the oval office with his...in her...well, you get the picture. "Real" Presidential. (What did we tell the kids?) And yet, the left adore him. He's the most popular politician in the country. Mind boggling double standard!<br />Maryann<br />maryannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13538320701175234471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010559333082508395.post-62409542359519220182017-04-24T09:57:25.474-07:002017-04-24T09:57:25.474-07:00I make no apologies for being a Liberal, but I thi...I make no apologies for being a Liberal, but I think it's a huge mistake to prevent anyone from speaking at the college level. Letting people with offensive opinions speak should always be tolerated. It's the best way to let people know how off-the-mark most of their opinions are.stephen Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17659054447637207734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010559333082508395.post-81602491819453342632017-04-24T08:58:35.240-07:002017-04-24T08:58:35.240-07:00You might want to re-read George Orwell's &quo...You might want to re-read George Orwell's "1984". I just did.Catalysthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03804837416104556928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3010559333082508395.post-33698774292389869442017-04-24T08:57:01.109-07:002017-04-24T08:57:01.109-07:00Near the end of your piece on political correctnes...Near the end of your piece on political correctness, you say "accuracy matters." Indeed. With fake news being so prevalent and pervasive and seemingly some significant portion of the population buying into it, how is democracy supposed to work? I've always been a strict proponent of First Amendment rights and still am, but I think there needs to be a discussion about how to limit or counteract the dissemination of fake news. For those who haven't watched it, I strongly recommend the sixth season of Homeland which deals with this subject and, while somewhat dramatized, is quite frightening.Rick Hoppehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14983414965650110591noreply@blogger.com