For the first time since Lefty died, I got a proper night’s sleep; I went to sleep at 1AM and woke up at 7AM and slept straight through. Sure, I’d prefer to get 7½ hours of sleep, but I can go indefinitely on 6 and this is better than I’ve been doing. I woke up before my alarm and had no trouble getting out of bed. Not to see if I can extend it to going to sleep at midnight and waking up at 8. I’ve been fine all day but writing about this just made me yawn. That’s the problem with observing yourself, you can’t even do a single-blind experiment. It’s hard to figure out what’s real and what’s in your head.
Every week I think this week’s edition of Gord’s Gold is the best ever. How do I know that it’s not just the Dunning-Kruger effect? The same goes with all the things that I think I’m good at. If I don’t get outside input, I won’t even venture a guess. When people tell me I’m good at something how do I know if they are just being nice or perhaps can’t judge quality themselves? I’m not lost in a sea of solipsism and rejecting objective reality. I’m just keeping myself aware that all my estimates have error bars. Keeping all that in mind, this Thursday’s edition of Gord’s Gold is the best and you should listen at 9 PM et and is repeated at 2 AM. You should listen and make sure all your friends do too. It will be your first chance to hear new music by Nora Brown and Debi Smith.
Do you have friends on both sides of America’s partisan divide? I hope so, keep that thought in mind. While I have friends on both sides most are on my side, the left side. I’m righthanded thus leftbrained. It doesn’t work that way but it’s a nice metaphor. If you have friends on the right, then you’ve probably seen the posts show an unflattering picture of Biden along with a picture that makes Trump look distinguished. With the caption that say something to the effect Now we have this, don’t you wish we still had that? You’ve also seen the posts that include both first ladies. That’s wrong on so many counts including we shouldn’t be judging people for their looks. There’s also we should all know that there are flattering and unflattering pictures of everyone, so it doesn’t even prove anything about their appearances. Many of my friends on the left are now saying, “Yes I’ve seen those, and Republicans are terrible for posting them.” Some of my friends on the left are honest enough to say, “I’ve seen many posts, with flattering and unflattering pictures reversed, posted by progressives.” I hope you are in the latter group and realize how wrong those posts are. They are wrong for everyone, not just for Those People. It’s always easy to find fault with Those People, even when we disagree who Those People are.
The thing that bothers me the most about these posts is that their only purpose is to inflame negative partisanship. Their purpose to spread hate. That is wrong on purely moral grounds and an anathema to the liberal philosophy. We’re the hippies, the ones that believe in peace, love, and understanding. It’s also wrong on practical grounds. When our hate is inflamed, it inflames the hate of our opponents. We’ve all seen it, people with the attitude, “I don’t care if we win as long as they lose.” When the Supreme Court outlawed segregation in places of public accommodation many towns throughout the south filled in their community swimming pools, they denied themselves something of value just to keep it from Those People. Rather than integrate schools in the aftermath of Brown v Board of Education, Prince Edward County, Virginia closed its entire public school system instead. The entire public school system remained closed for the next five years [The Southern Manifesto and “Massive Resistance” to Brown]. The left has done nothing nearly as egregious, but I have seen similar motivations by my friends, most often in good public policy which also give a windfall to the rich. The only levers of action that the Federal Reserve have work by pumping money into the economy through the bond market. This prevented a total breakdown in the economy during the financial crisis. Perhaps you don’t believe that, but to say that it wasn’t a risk is total denial. Some would rather take the risk to the whole economy rather that risk money going to the “undeserving rich.” The proper response is to give with one hand and take with other, redistribute that wealth not through hopes of trickle down but by money transfers through taxes and spending. I know we don’t get that, but the economy is not the second best option. Put your energy into redistributing the wealth, not on spreading the hate.
With today’s extreme partisanship acceptance by your tribe can depend on the vehemence of your hatred for the other side. It’s now politically difficult, almost impossible for any Republican to deny that the 2020 election wasn’t stolen by those socialist Democrats. I have been called a misogynist or a racist, for simply pointing out that calumnies against the right are not accurate. As if to deny any sin, is to deny all sins.
Every day I read something that by the right that infuriates me. I want to vent. I want to tell them that they are terrible people and get others to agree with me, to share my anger. Most of the time, not always, I resist. I’m going to give just one more example where I didn’t resist. A friend posted a picture of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, in her “Tax the Rich” dress at the Met Gala and said, “What an idiot.” I said, “Yes, anyone that would call someone an idiot for wearing that dress is an idiot.” AOC is the official boogieman (boogiewoman? boogieperson?) of the right. They make her not President Biden the face of the Democratic Party, the focus of their hate. Similarly, the left makes Marjorie Taylor Greene, the face of the GOP. I am disturbed that they are both women. Is their misogyny mixed in with this? I want to say that it is a factor for the hatred of AOC while MTG’s hate is earned. I think so but remember those error bars. I cannot say it unequivocally.
That’s enough pontificating for one day. I have to go food shopping and record the promo for tomorrow’s Gord’s Gold. TL: DR spread love does not hate.
Wise Madness 