The Heterodox Academy is not “outraged conservatives.” It is, well…heterodox.
Category Archives: Social Commentary
Twitter’s War On The Right
Ed Driscoll has a roundup of links. Ken White (no fan of Stacy’s) is enraged. And more from Allum Bokhari.
I find it outrageous that Twitter has put Anita Sarkeesian (among others) in charge of policing speech. I won’t be surprised if I get suspended at some point.
As I’ve been tweeting occasionally as Twitter seems to be determined to reinvent itself into irrelevance, they are opening up a market opportunity for a social medium that allows everyone short posts of 140 characters, shown in chronological order.
[Early afternoon update]
From the Harvard Business Review, why Twitter is losing users:
Abuse has become something like a systematized feature of life as we know it, in this age of discontent — and maybe that’s why it is an age of discontent. We expect to be mistreated by our bosses, ripped off by contracts we can’t read, swindled by fine print and hidden clauses, deceived by our politicians, and misrepresented by our representatives… and now, on the medium where we spend the majority of our waking lives, heckled and bullied by complete strangers.
In turn, we internalize the lessons of abuse, becoming little abusers ourselves. We expect to have to mistreat our customers, exploit our communities, bully our peers, cut corners, manipulate our colleagues, bail on our obligations, package the lowest common denominator at the highest possible price as a miracle-in-a-can… not just if we want to get ahead, but merely to anxiously tread water. And though it takes different forms, abuse is essentially what’s being piped through the tubes of the internet, or through the headquarters of VW, and into the water of Flint, Michigan.
The tech industry turns a blind eye to it. Courts excuse it. And abuse stops being the exception, and becomes the rule. We grow accustomed not just to the abuse itself, but to the fact that nothing’s going to be done about it. It’s treated as a customer service problem, or a PR crisis, not a core business issue.
Note that nowhere in this word salad is what constitutes “abuse” actually described. Which is what allows the Social Justice League to shut down dissent.
[Update a few minutes later]
This seems related: Rutgers students melt down after hearing a conservative speak.
The Middle Finger Of God
Some worthy thoughts on mendacious politicians, the Clintons (but I repeat myself), and Donald Trump:
I’ve talked enough about the virtue of politeness and persuasion in politics. But how about a little disdain for unrestrained political carelessness? Trump’s total lack of ideological or intellectual rigor and consistency is making fools of people who once claimed they cared about such things.
Trump’s schtick as a sprinkler system of insults is getting everyone dirty. He throws mud on anything and anyone in his way. But that muck washes off quite easily. What stains down to the soul is the eagerness to apologize for, or even celebrate, the filth. In his professional life, Trump has left a trail of wreckage. His own James McDougals are strewn about like victims after a tornado. And his defenders celebrate this as proof he’s a great businessman.
Now the F6 is heading for Washington. His fans remind me of the naïve fools in Independence Day who welcome the aliens with cheers and handmade signs on rooftops, incapable of fathoming that they will be greeted with a death ray. The analogy breaks down because the dupes on the roof didn’t pave the way for the invaders. Meanwhile, Trump’s supporters have been crucial in bringing the Middle Finger of God to our doorsteps.
It is an amazing phenomenon.
Concealed Carry On Texas Campuses
An “embarrassingly stupid” argument against it.
These people aren’t capable of being embarrassed at the stupidity of their arguments.
Trump’s Obama-Like Promises
Thoughts from Bob Zimmerman.
Trump can say less with more (small, 5th-grade-level) words than anyone I’ve ever heard.
The Next Supreme Court Justice
Do you really want Donald Trump selecting him or her, Republicans?
No.
[Friday-morning update]
The Reid Standard:
The #ReidStandard. #SCOTUS pic.twitter.com/5Po6qM0wfi
— Leader McConnell (@SenateMajLdr) February 19, 2016
They’ve made their bed.
[Bumped]
The One Question Any SC Nominee Should Be Asked
I’ve often discoursed on this:
What’s something you think is a good idea but you think is unconstitutional? Or, conversely, what’s something you think is a bad idea but you think is constitutional?
Everyone concerned with the Constitution — and most especially Supreme Court nominees — should be asked this question. And if they don’t have an answer — that is, if they think everything they like is constitutional — then maybe they don’t really believe in the Constitution.
Too many think that the purpose of SCOTUS and the judiciary in general is to give them results they like, as opposed to results conforming with the law and the Constitution. Elena Kagan failed this question in her confirmation hearings, when she said a law mandating the eating of broccoli would be a bad idea, but Constitutional. She got it exactly backwards.
Hillary!, And Young Women
Why they aren’t supporting her; it’s the lies and hypocrisy, stupid, and even Maureen Dowd has figured it out.
I’ve long said that the Clintons wouldn’t have survived the 90s with today’s Internet and social media. The MSM can’t any longer just bury this stuff. I think we’re seeing that play out.
Explaining Trump’s Appeal
A timely essay on the current state of the nation from Charles Murray.
[Sunday-morning update]
A bridge too far: I agree with Ace that Trump finally damaged himself last night, at least with actual Republicans. It’s one thing to say we had bad intel; it’s entirely another to say that Bush deliberately lied us into war. That’s the ravings of the left, not a leading Republican candidate.
Social Justice Warfare
…in spaaaaaaaace.
I wrote about this a few months ago.