tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956838.post310287482723661621..comments2023-11-22T01:14:54.298-08:00Comments on amor mundi: Voting and ReasonablenessDale Carricohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02811055279887722298noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956838.post-76709855853202115452015-04-16T15:53:17.704-07:002015-04-16T15:53:17.704-07:00> Very privileged people are insulated from the...> Very privileged people are insulated from the risks and<br />> costs of their bad decisions. . .<br /><br />Unless the "bad decision" constitutes defiance of the sources of<br />your own privilege. Then, heaven help you!<br /><br />The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz<br />https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXr-2hwTk58<br />jimfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04975754342950063440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956838.post-68030239347574486972015-04-15T02:14:22.941-07:002015-04-15T02:14:22.941-07:00As a European and as a Swede. The last american el...As a European and as a Swede. The last american elections have always been weird to witness from the sidelines. I mean I have many things to complain about the swedish political system (How welfare state ensured that we have politcal parties that have incredible little differences from each other. How the ongoing process of neoliberalizations have ensured and increase increase in bureacracy and most unions have stopped fighting for workers rights because they are tied up in the government and mangerial structures. How the fact that the politcal parties have little differences and an increase in bureacracy ensured the rise in fascist, religious politcal parties.) But at least our mainstream politician try to cover their rascism and fascism.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05812503574018469872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956838.post-54059352097830026172015-04-14T17:09:41.357-07:002015-04-14T17:09:41.357-07:00Very privileged people are insulated from the risk...Very privileged people are insulated from the risks and costs of their bad decisions -- they are encouraged to treat politics as a theatrical exercise in which they engage in subcultural signaling of their moral and aesthetic fashion-choices for one another.<br /><br />Every conversation at every dinner table is political -- perhaps never more than when the politics are being disavowed. What could be more political than the living awareness that voicing your opinions might cost you your familiar friends or sources of support?Dale Carricohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02811055279887722298noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5956838.post-44107969856532587302015-04-14T16:21:04.875-07:002015-04-14T16:21:04.875-07:00> In a time of science-denialism, white-racism,...> In a time of science-denialism, white-racism, plutocratic deregulatory<br />> looting, gun-fanaticism, forced-abortion zealotry, loud and unanimous<br />> across the Republican Party, necessities make for quite easy choices.<br /><br />http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/13/opinion/it-takes-a-party.html<br />---------------------<br />[T]here has never been a time in American history when the alleged<br />personal traits of candidates mattered less. As we head into 2016,<br />each party is quite unified on major policy issues — and these unified<br />positions are very far from each other. The huge, substantive gulf<br />between the parties will be reflected in the policy positions of<br />whomever they nominate, and will almost surely be reflected in the<br />actual policies adopted by whoever wins. . .<br />====<br /><br />I was somewhat dismayed at a recent social engagement to hear the discussion<br />of the upcoming election among friends who, by any imaginable<br />standards, would be considered among the 1% -- if not economically<br />(though they're all more than comfortable, even by New York City<br />standards), then certainly in terms of intellectual gifts and<br />cultural sophistication.<br /><br />And yet, one insisted "I don't cast my vote for a political **party**!<br />I examine candidates on the issues." And another, "I'll never vote<br />for Hillary Clinton. She lied about Benghazi."<br /><br />I largely kept my mouth shut, even though I started it (I said something<br />like "Does anybody think there's any chance Hillary could be president?<br />Are the Republicans going to get the triple crown next year? Are we<br />going to have Bush III presiding over both senate and house majorities<br />of Republicans?"). However, they say you shouldn't bring up politics<br />or religion at the dinner table.jimfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04975754342950063440noreply@blogger.com