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An Exercise in Idiocy -- Kos Style!

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I have a lovely article by a Kosling that I wish to share with the collective. Uh, this Kosling makes a very, very stirring point that Conservatives are by nature stupid, authoritarian and just love to torture people (they even watch 24!).

I suggest every good comrade reads this article at least ten times and voice his/her/it's opinion on the piece and the contribution this piece makes in advancing the revolution and the concentration camps that are to follow for our Knuckle-dragging Conservative counterparts.

[Bold emphasis MINE]

From useful-Idiot Bernardpliers:

Jonah Goldberg, Nazis, Palin, And The Worship of Stupidity
by bernardpliers Sat Feb 14, 2009 at 04:10:40 PM PST

I wanted to do a piece on stupidity as a pillar of Fascism. So I went to the right's effort to rehabilitate Hitler, the National Review and Jonah Goldberg's Liberal Fascism blog, an all-you-can-eat-buffet of stupid. Lo and behold we have this gem of weaseling stupidity:

Was Hitler Racist?
I'm not sold. Hitler was very inconsistent about lots of things, but he was certainly a consistent anti-Semite, which makes him consistently racist in at least one sub-category of racism. I don't think anti-Semitism is necessarily racist.

Clean up on aisle 3 indeed. But we'll come back the question of stupidity and Jonah.
For now let's move to the larger question:

What is it that makes this sort of stupidity a requirement for movement conservatives?
Why was it that the dumber Palin acted, the more she was adored? A preening beauty queen, she pretended not to read anything! Not even her own reviews? Not even Highlights at the pediatricians office?

Why is Fox News an avalanche of bs only an idiot could believe? Why does the right develop their cult of personality around people that seem to be short on personality and even lighter on brains?

Nobody is really that stupid are they? OK, some of them are that stupid, but not all movement conservatives aren't quite as stupid as they pretend to be. They feed themselves, they learn to drive, some of them even graduated from college, so they are smarter than they let on.

In their elaborate displays of stupidity, they behave like underachieving teens - they refuse to do their homework, they shrug off questions, they under-perform, and they laugh at the frustration of the rest of us. Isn't that the Bush administration in a nutshell?

Psychologists call this under-performing "pseudostupidity." So why is this a requirement of movement conservatives?

Movement conservatives are authoritarians, and at the root of authoritarianism is the need to dominate others. Psychologists describe this as a form of sadism. Sadism and masochism are usually seen in the same person, and authoritarians show their masochism in their craving for submission to a Great Leader and their cults of personality.

We can sum up the relationship of pseudostupidity and sadism in two words "Torture works." You can stay up all night arguing with torture supporters, but you'll never hear one say that they've changed their mind on the issue. Pseudostupidity is an emotional defense, and it is much more basic part of the personality than mere logic.

But how does this mixture of sadism and masoschism relate to pseudostupidty and underachieving? Consider the case of an a girl who develops anorexia in response to being abused. She fails to thrive, and there is masochism in how she hurts herself, but there is also sadism in the pleasure she gets from seeing her parents beg her to eat. She seems to not understand that she is endangering herself, and starving herself is a form of underachieving.
The underachieving rebellious child is not just a metaphor for the pseudostupid authoritarian.

It goes without saying that the child who is raised by an authoritarian parent (who may be abusive or spoiling), is likely to grow up to be an authoritarian. And in the authoritarian adult we see the childish rebelliousness against authority mixed with a sadistic need to dominate.

Bush43 himself is a notorious underperformer who bragged that he let people "misunderestimate" him, and even though he gave very sign of being a dullard, he got most of his agenda passed. As Daniel Froomkin notes, Bush's response to critics was a barrage of idiocy

(he) refused to respond to their actual arguments and chose instead to refute his own preposterous misrepresentations of what they were saying.

His agenda was sadistic in its authoritarianism, and its embrace of torture is nakedly sadistic. Indeed, if there is an issue that defines and unites movement conservatives today, it seems to be their enthusiastic support of torture as policy and as entertainment on "24."

For an example of an authoritarian that is a masochist, think of David Vitter (or don't think of him, it's OK) an authoritarian who likes to wear a diaper and be humiliated by prostitutes.

There's an example of an authoritarian whose masochism (infantilism) makes it plain as day that these issues go back to his relationship with his parents. And the funny thing is that other conservatives are pretty much OK with it, because that's just how they roll.

Hitler was also an underachiever who was not a dumb guy. And what he figured out was that propaganda needed to be stupid. The content hardly even mattered, but what seemed to work best was the standard crap that pushes the buttons of conservatives - secrecy, paranoia, confusion, shifting the blame, and singling out scapegoats. Expanded to a national propaganda campaign, it was a seamless transition to blame minorities and the powerless for the countries failures rather than the people in charge. Hitler's message was stupid, but he was very upfront that stupid propaganda is good propaganda, and that it was not meant for intelligent people.

For adults, stupidity is a form of denial that is a useful defense against the world and all sorts of information that would make them uncomfortable. Global warming? Hey egghead, it was cold this morning! And Al Gore is a Nazi! Deficit? Dude Bush reduced the deficit! Tax cuts will balance the budget!

Pseudostupidty even works as a legal defense for the rest of the torture enablers. Alberto "I do not recall" Gonzales seemed to be auditioning for Flowers For Algernon with his portrayal of an idiot man-child. Even Bill "the definition of 'is'" Clinton got good mileage out of this strategy. But the Bush administration chose to build it's castle in the middle of a vast swamp of stupidity that could swallow the attacks any enemy. It had an army of doggedly stupid quislings like Monica Goodling who seemed not be using as stupidity as a defense, but as lifestyle. For the authoritarian enablers of torture, pseudostupidty is a basic personality trait.

And this is why stupidity is a requirement for their leaders - they promise not only to never challenge the base. They promise pleasure; pleasure in sadism, pleasure in attacking others, pleasure in hatred, and pleasure in masochism. But maybe the real motivations are merely financial - if you are relentlessly stupid dolt, then you can run a federal agency! Or you can be a pundit on Fox news!

And on the internet, this stupidity is like a dinner bell. By their stupidity they know each other, and they will try to take over unmoderated web sites. "Al Gore uses more electricity than Reno Nevada! Obama is a Kenyan! Obama is a Liberal Fascist."

Pseudostupidity is how these people find each other. It's a code: "Hey, I use neurotic defenses! My mind is closed, and I am an underachiever. I am an authoritarian and a sadist! I support torture. If you want to me hate gays today and blacks tomorrow and Al Gore the day after that, I'll bellow whatever stupid slogan you feed me. Sign me up! I look good in brown. Let's go beat up some faggots!"

To outsiders, their gibberish is mystifying. It's is like stumbling into a creepy online dating site where people use acronyms you've never heard of and you can't quite figure out what these people are into and then you click a link and realize "Oh my God, that's David Vitter!"

But let's return to Jonah Goldberg. Fabulously stupid? Yes. Attracting people that use the same talking points as the Nazis? Yes. Attracting a base of torture supporters? You betcha!


Hooray for the post-partisan era and the Politics of Hope!

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Yes Chairman Meow, this is the result of copious use of drugs. Also Bernardpliers, obviously ate large quantities of Lead tainted paint chips in his youth, and possibly still does. His one bedroom hovel is under high voltage power lines.

Yes he is a good progressive


Commissar Red Star CEO Hemlock Hospitality INC
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Keeper of the sacred Plasma Cutter
Herdsman of Rainbow Farting Unicorns
Keeper of the Faith

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I propose we hand over this idiot to Al-Qaeda, so he can learn what real torture is.

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an authoritarian who likes to wear a diaper and be humiliated by prostitutes.

Is this article about Al Franken?

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[off]You know, he's really describing the left. They've dumbed down education, their arguments/beliefs are light or even absent of facts and while they decry fascism they use it's tactics well.

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I am moved...like a really solid piece of excement after digesting a really hardy meal of undercooked potatoes.

I move we start a grassroots movement to get this revolutionary bit of brilliance appointed as Secretary of reEducation!

[off]
Kos and idiocy in the same sentence is redundant, Comrade Meow.

I particularly liked your highlight on "Great Leader." Obama=slobber, grovel.

Along the same lines, check out my latest bout with the Mimetm, where he accuses me of being more comfortable around the likes of Mugabe.

And I point out that Mugabe was a long-time socialist.

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DDR Kamerad-

Will you kindly link a lazy Progressive like myself to the Mime battle? I'm still lacking a proper bookmark on my People's MacBook Pro to his invisible box.

Mugabe is an inspiring leader, btw. With his slick fashion sense rendering him a cross between The Fresh Prince, a used car salesman, and an 80s pimp, he makes me wonder why we should settle for inflation in the millions when we could have... *pinky finger to lip* BILLIONS!

-OV

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Obamissar Vodkavich
[HIGHLIGHT=#eeece1]"Will you kindly link a lazy Progressive like myself to the Mime battle?" [/HIGHLIGHT]
Impeach For Peace . org and the Epic continues. Have at em Comrade.

DDR Kamerad
Great job on your latest bout with the Mime. You really got a rise out of him.

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Comrades, comrades! How can you not agree with Mr. Snap-On Tools? Of course conservatives are stupid because if they aren't we might have to argue with them and if we argued with them we'd have to listen to someone.


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Once I had a fight with a moron named Pandora who would accuse me in a broadside and move on. I was a misogynist because I didn't like the Hildebeest. I told her I liked Margaret Thatcher and Condi Rice and therefore wasn't a misogynist. She repeated the charge--and it's the charge, not the evidence, that counts.

Try this. It worked.

Pandora, you have three alternatives.
1. Prove that I am a misogynist even though there are women I really like. I'll apologize.
2. Say you spoke in haste.
3. Projectile vomit another sodden liberal piety.
If you choose 3 you are not engaging with reality and are clinically insane.

She chose #3 at least twice and finally I had her go off in a huff, unable to avoid that she sounded like a three-year-old.

Sorry; I've told the story before but it's a very useful technique.

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Commissar Theocritus wrote:Comrades, comrades! How can you not agree with Mr. Snap-On Tools? Of course conservatives are stupid because if they aren't we might have to argue with them and if we argued with them we'd have to listen to someone.

All too true, Comrade Theocritus. In the New World Order, with Everything Equal, there will be no voices of dissent. Everyone will agree! By force of law punctuated with judicious use of the People's Morale Enforcertm.


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Good technique, Theo--I'll keep it in mind. However, my favorite tactic is to catch them in their own fallacies of logic. Since a lot of libs think from the gut, or get their "convictions" spoon-fed to them from the media, many of them haven't really thought out their beliefs, or done their homework. And usually, it's really easy to pin and fork them.

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You're quite right in catching them out for thinking hurts. But there are people, like Pandora, who simply do not know what thinking is. Logic was beyond her. I had to call her clinically insane <i>over and over</i> to get her attention. If you find a liberal who is amenable to argument you're lucky.

A lot of liberals have learned to argue, in their minds, based on the Al Frankenstein Monster school of arguing. Cheapjack sloganeering. Projectile vomit some sodden liberal piety and refuse to think about it.

It, in their minds, is like a priest uttering a charm before a vampire.

<a href="https://www.jessicaswell.com/mt/archive ... hp">Here's the post</a> and it amused me to find that it had fetched a real shrink, from my guess.

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Commissar Theocritus wrote:A lot of liberals have learned to argue, in their minds, based on the Al Frankenstein Monster school of arguing. Cheapjack sloganeering. Projectile vomit some sodden liberal piety and refuse to think about it.

Or they go for volume, if you're speaking face to face with them. As if a louder tone gives any extra efficacy to the BS they've swallowed.

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Grigori E.R. wrote:Obamissar Vodkavich
[HIGHLIGHT=#eeece1]"Will you kindly link a lazy Progressive like myself to the Mime battle?" [/HIGHLIGHT]
Impeach For Peace . org and the Epic continues. Have at em Comrade.

DDR Kamerad
Great job on your latest bout with the Mime. You really got a rise out of him.

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Comrade Grigori E.R. (Erectile Redistribution?),

Thank you kindly! I was greatly inspired by DDR's work against the Mime. I bet his throat was sore after all that barking! I'd love to get in on that mess... Funny how they nickname DDR after a commie when they're the reds in the room....

Oh, and it never fails. Mention ANYONE other than a DWEM... shit, even an AWEM, in any sort of negative light what so ever, and you're AUTOMATICALLY labeled a racist. Screw it. Jackson cried during the election because he was sad it wasn't him.

-OV

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Isn't it fun children to cherry-pick a quote, chop it in half, and then take it out of context, twisting it to serve The Common Good™?

bernardpliers is indeed useful! Learn from him Young Pioneers

Here's the unedited version, maybe we can find some more half quotes to twist for a Weekend of Blogging With Bernie?:

(OOC...emphasis is mine)


Saturday, December 06, 2008

Was Hitler Racist?

I'm not sold. Hitler was very inconsistent about lots of things, but he was certainly a consistent anti-Semite, which makes him consistently racist in at least one sub-category of racism. I don't think anti-Semitism is necessarily racist. There's theological and cultural anti-Semitism. But, Hitler's anti-Semitism was certainly biological.

Still, as always, Ray is interesting.

Was Hitler a racist?

"John Ray has now gone too far. Pointing out that Nazism was simply an extreme version of prewar Leftism was fine but denying that Hitler was a racist is right off the planet". That is the sort of reaction I expect to the above heading. But as Eddington said, the universe is not only stranger than you imagine but it is stranger than you can imagine. And the truth is that Hitler's ideas about race were pretty similar to the thinking of Leftists today. We all know that Hitler used the Jews as a scapegoat but what have you ever read about what his conception of race was? You may be surprised.

Although in his speeches he undoubtedly appealed to the nationalism of the German people, Locke (2001) makes a strong case that Hitler was not in fact a very good nationalist in that he always emphasized that his primary loyalty was to what he called the Aryan race — and Germany was only one part of that race. Locke then goes on to point out that Hitler was not even a very consistent racist in that the Dutch, the Danes etc. were clearly Aryan even by Hitler's own eccentric definition yet he attacked them whilst at the same time allying himself with the very non-Aryan Japanese. And the Russians and the Poles (whom Hitler also attacked) are rather more frequently blonde and blue-eyed (Hitler's ideal) than the Germans themselves are! So what DID Hitler believe in?

In his book Der Fuehrer, prewar Leftist writer Konrad Heiden corrects the now almost universal assumption that Hitler's idea of race was biologically-based. The Nazi conception of race traces, as is well-known, to the work of Houston Stewart Chamberlain. But what did Chamberlain say about race? It should not by now be surprising that he said something that sounds thoroughly Leftist. Anthropologist Robert Gayre summarizes Chamberlain's ideas as follows:


"On the contrary he taught (like many "progressives" today) that racial mixture was desirable, for, according to him, it was only out of racial mixture that the gifted could be created. He considered that the evidence of this was provided by the Prussian, whom he saw as the superman, resulting from a cross between the German (or Anglo-Saxon "German") and the Slav. From this Chamberlain went on to argue that the sum of all these talented people would then form a "race," not of blood but of "affinity."


12/06 08:17 PM

OOC again....Indeed, anti-semitism described simply as "hating Jews" can be something other than racism.
It's called "bigotry".


 
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