Like a lot of ppl 2016-2020 along with own personal life turned to me really consider politics, political history, and intellectuals history. A great pleasure since I’ve always been a bibliophile. When I started to read/learn about radical history, both right and left, what interested me was how different the actual history of 1968 was and how liberals understand through the NPR, NY Times, liberal media presented. There is a lot you can criticize the left of the era for but the idea there wasn’t an eclectic rich body of thought is absurd. Yes, you got nonsense. But the fact that some of the best guides for me in understanding the major trends of our era come from ppl explicitly from 1968 is telling. And I don’t mean the fringe figures or the famous ones like Michel Foucault. I mean ppl like Joseph Weizenbaum, the creator of the first chatbot, who came to interrogate computings role in the Vietnam War and the dangers in its integration into all human relationships. Richard Barbrook who became interested in media/tech through pirate radio and coined the California Ideology and saw the dark side of the California Dream born out of combining libertarianism and the military-industrial complex. Immanuel Wallerstein who because of a decade in Africa understood the true reach of capitalism and redefined the field of sociology and economics through his ideas. Elena Ferrante who captured the complicated personal trajectories of her generation through her nuanced novels. Hell, even, with the right it’s telling that the most gifted and articulate members of conservatism became apostates, like Gary Wills and Joan Didion, and started writing in opposition to both liberals and conservatives in relation to the Civil Rights movement and the Vietnam War (Wills having the courage to tell Obama to his face that he needed to pull out of Afghanistan on their first meeting. He wasn’t invited back for a second visit). I really wonder at what pt the establishment takes the criticisms seriously if for no other reason than for survival.
I think the title could be “Against The Logic of the Trail” (a phrase from another veteran of 1968 Pierre Bourdieu) or “How about we actually read the books of the ppl we’re criticizing” or “Why I’m no longer a liberal after 38 years of living and reading” lol
A different thought exercise I’ve been going through. If Biden stays in the race and beats Trump. Would that be the ultimate ego blow to Trump?? He’s basically going to lose to… well you covered it. Trump is so flawed he loses the election to that!!! What excuse would he come up with… oh wait the election is rigged, I forgot, he’ll just hit the remix on that.
Like a lot of ppl 2016-2020 along with own personal life turned to me really consider politics, political history, and intellectuals history. A great pleasure since I’ve always been a bibliophile. When I started to read/learn about radical history, both right and left, what interested me was how different the actual history of 1968 was and how liberals understand through the NPR, NY Times, liberal media presented. There is a lot you can criticize the left of the era for but the idea there wasn’t an eclectic rich body of thought is absurd. Yes, you got nonsense. But the fact that some of the best guides for me in understanding the major trends of our era come from ppl explicitly from 1968 is telling. And I don’t mean the fringe figures or the famous ones like Michel Foucault. I mean ppl like Joseph Weizenbaum, the creator of the first chatbot, who came to interrogate computings role in the Vietnam War and the dangers in its integration into all human relationships. Richard Barbrook who became interested in media/tech through pirate radio and coined the California Ideology and saw the dark side of the California Dream born out of combining libertarianism and the military-industrial complex. Immanuel Wallerstein who because of a decade in Africa understood the true reach of capitalism and redefined the field of sociology and economics through his ideas. Elena Ferrante who captured the complicated personal trajectories of her generation through her nuanced novels. Hell, even, with the right it’s telling that the most gifted and articulate members of conservatism became apostates, like Gary Wills and Joan Didion, and started writing in opposition to both liberals and conservatives in relation to the Civil Rights movement and the Vietnam War (Wills having the courage to tell Obama to his face that he needed to pull out of Afghanistan on their first meeting. He wasn’t invited back for a second visit). I really wonder at what pt the establishment takes the criticisms seriously if for no other reason than for survival.
Another thing you can write up.
I think the title could be “Against The Logic of the Trail” (a phrase from another veteran of 1968 Pierre Bourdieu) or “How about we actually read the books of the ppl we’re criticizing” or “Why I’m no longer a liberal after 38 years of living and reading” lol
Words of advice to my media fixated American friends … You guys will never discover water because you are acting like fish! Zoom Out!
Dog catches car,
Realizes can’t drive
A different thought exercise I’ve been going through. If Biden stays in the race and beats Trump. Would that be the ultimate ego blow to Trump?? He’s basically going to lose to… well you covered it. Trump is so flawed he loses the election to that!!! What excuse would he come up with… oh wait the election is rigged, I forgot, he’ll just hit the remix on that.
Please explain the last part
Trump claimed he didn’t lose the last election because of fraud. He’ll might use same excuse again if he loses.
Well said.