[MD] Quality decline

[Arlo Bensinger]

[Jos to Platt]
would you not agree that the explosion of a vast 
indiscriminate and degenerate media is a function 
of the push towards greater personal freedom and 
not away from it?  You can't honestly think this 
drift into base doltish-mediafrenzy-cult-of- 
celebrity-dross has stemmed from the push factors 
of latent embedded Marxism? Can you?

[Arlo]
And that's just the point I had tried to make 
with the Qutb passage. Ironically, both Qutb and 
Leo Strauss (the father of neoconservatism) 
bemoaned the degeneracy the inevitably flows from 
so-called "individual freedom".

"Strauss believed that the liberal idea of 
individual freedom led people to question 
everything—all values, all moral truths. Instead, 
people were led by their own selfish desires. And 
this threatened to tear apart the shared values 
which held society together. But there was a way 
to stop this, Strauss believed. It was for 
politicians to assert powerful and inspiring 
myths that everyone could believe in. They might 
not be true, but they were necessary illusions. 
One of these was religion; the other was the myth of the nation." (BBC)

This is the fundamental paradox of modern 
neoconservatism, and why there is such a 
vociferous demand for obedience to the Myth of 
the Nation, alongside the pandering to 
Christianity (even though the core meaning of 
Christianity is outright abandoned). This is why 
Platt sees no contradiction in professing to be a 
bastion for "individual liberty", all the while 
moving against liberty through the guises of 
prudery, fear and the age-old cry of "the good 
old days". But that is just a rhetorical game, 
along with acting all "anti-taxation" rather than 
acknowledging first that taxation is necessary 
(military, for one example) and beneficial 
(public parks, for example) and then second being 
against certain tax-funded programs. From there 
we could dialogue. From the rhetoric of 
"commie-you versus Liberty-Me" its all talk-radio blowhardism.

Same with the perennial nonsense about "leftist 
media" (its more accurately the "commercial 
media", as it is driven by advertising and 
profit) and "political correctness" (remember, 
for fun, that this same person was in favor of 
banning the hijab but decried when some 
threatened the use of the word "nigger"). As for 
the "leftist academy" dribble, that's "just 
right-wing politics", as the radical professor 
Pirsig points out. All these are Limbaughisms, 
talking points they wrap themselves around and 
dole out at every opportunity, but when examined are simply empty words.

[Jos]
Funny how our usage of language has us calling 
liberalism something that restricts and conservatism something that frees?

[Arlo]
This usurption of words leads us to forget that 
it was liberalism that gave us the liberty we enjoy today.

"Broadly speaking, liberalism emphasizes 
individual rights and equality of opportunity. A 
liberal society is characterized by freedom of 
thought for individuals, limitations on power, 
the rule of law, the free exchange of ideas, a 
market economy, free private enterprise, and a 
transparent system of government in which the 
rights of all citizens are protected. In the 21st 
century, this usually means liberal democracy 
with open and fair elections, where all citizens have equal rights by law.

Liberalism rejected many foundational assumptions 
that dominated most earlier theories of 
government, such as the Divine Right of Kings, 
hereditary status, and established religion. 
Social progressivism, the belief that traditions 
do not carry any inherit value and social 
pratices ought to be continously adjusted for the 
greater benefit of humanity, is a common 
component of liberal ideology. Fundamental human 
rights that all liberals support include the 
right to life, liberty, and property." (Wikipedia)

But this is part and parcel of the fear campaign. 
Evil "libs" that seek to take away your basic 
freedoms, "libs" that lie, cheat, insult and 
malign, "libs" that side with terrorists and are 
anti-American, pro-surrender, "libs" that want 
American soldiers to die. Fear them! For they are 
the enemy of pure and noble conservatives, who 
are honest and forthwith, who seek open dialogue 
and who safeguard your liberties. Its all vile 
political rhetoric, and its embarassing it has 
found its way into this forum. By the way, you 
could reverse this and end up with something just 
as vile, a war where "evil conservatives" battle 
"noble liberals". Its the same thing. Shameful. And evil.