The Hive Mind
Culture is an amorphous term. It can designate the finer aesthetic things in the world or the peculiarities that divide us into groups. Scratch that. It can designate the former and the latter; there is no ‘or.’ Divisions have often fallen with the former influencing the latter, though the lines were imperfect. Lately, though, the lines are cut more deeply. There are the enlightened ones and the unwashed masses.
The unwashed masses must be avoided.
In the name of tolerance.
Look, I am sympathetic to exclusion. There’s a whole raft of folks with whom I’d rather not interact. That sentiment is predicated on things like general hygiene, taste in whiskey, and the other mundane bits that cause friends to become friends. But if I find out you think Paul Krugman is a genius, that you get upset when greeted with “Merry Christmas,” or that you thought Sideways was a good movie, I’m not going to let destroy my overall opinion of you. Sure, it may give me pause, particularly with regard to your judgment, but groupthink is boring and doesn’t help one sharpen his opinions.
If you’re of the persuasion that’s fond of talking about the other side’s epistemic closure, you might not be as tolerant as I. You’re an enlightened one. A believer in science, alchemy, and the immutable nature of truth. In that case, groupthink is a natural result of intelligence and shared understanding of how things really work. Forward.
This would not be so much an issue were it not for a fusing of the personal and the political by the enlightened ones. Religious beliefs, opinions about tax rates, stance on gay marriage, and all the other verses of kumbaya are a reason to avoid people. To reeducate them. In the name of tolerance.
If you sever ties over politics, over opinions on abortion and gay marriage, over tax rates and all the other verses of kumbaya–if you define unwashed based on politics–then your priorities, to put it bluntly, are fucked up. Stop substituting politics for culture. The concepts are not synonymous; believing them to be so only exposes your ignorance and suggests a shallow existence.
Nice post. It is sad just how personal so many people have made the political. Empty lives.
It is personal, because politics are a belief system.
People often preface their politics with “I believe (we should/it is right/it is wrong). . .”
To lament that is to lament people for being people.
Yes, but it’s a poor belief system to coalesce around. It’s become a substitute for religion. Whatever arguments one has against religion, conceptually and not necessarily the current incarnation, it’s a better focal point than Caesar.
Dr. Eric after plenty of insightful comments on my blog, I’m adding you to my blogroll. Hope that doesn’t hurt your reputation.
It’s not either/or Religion or Caesar. People have always coalesced a belief system around politics and Caesar and religion has generally supported the political systems it finds itself in (not always). All systems of government require a belief system in order to exist because none of them have ever (even the atheist ones) existed without one.
The two are intertwined and have always been so. What you have in liberal governemt is a product of the very Christain narrative that gave birth to it. It is Charity gone amok. It is turning the other cheek to infinity. It is love thy neighbor with the world as your neighbor. It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle than a rich man enter the kingdom of guilt vilification of wealth and the liberal guilt trip for having priviledge.
This is the very heart of existence in this world. That which makes you strong is also what makes you weak.
Wanted to reply to your comment on my blog here. The roosh forum is hilarious for the denial of sex tourism and phoniness in general. I’ve written on the game community before, and while I firmly believe in game, the attitude of ‘this is the only deal in town, the rest of you are losers’ wears thin. I have plenty of friends who bang multiple pretty women in Baltimore, DC or Philly and none are condescending game pricks. They are just successful, handsome accomplished guys.
I’m not writing posts that are self serving of my worldview that marriage is the only avenue or the greatest choice. Shit, if you dont want kids, never get married. It’s not like I need to look in the mirror and remind myself that the path I’ve chosen is ‘right’ like this post… http://heartiste.wordpress.com/2012/12/18/thought-experiment-4/
I had a few good phrases in that post, but seriously, cargo pants around 2000 in europe were chick velcro for American friendly euro girls.