Comments on: The Lost Art of Political Dialogue http://www.arnoldkling.com/blog/the-lost-art-of-political-dialogue/ taking the most charitable view of those who disagree Mon, 21 Dec 2020 13:21:26 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.0.32 By: Pithlord http://www.arnoldkling.com/blog/the-lost-art-of-political-dialogue/#comment-458371 Sun, 19 Apr 2015 00:38:02 +0000 http://www.arnoldkling.com/blog/?p=5049#comment-458371 True, but it is also true that the 1945-1967 era was hardly peaceful or decorous in the South.

]]> By: triclops http://www.arnoldkling.com/blog/the-lost-art-of-political-dialogue/#comment-458264 Tue, 14 Apr 2015 03:22:16 +0000 http://www.arnoldkling.com/blog/?p=5049#comment-458264 That’s true, and I think, in no small part due to the unusual across the board growth in prosperity post WW2.

]]> By: triclops http://www.arnoldkling.com/blog/the-lost-art-of-political-dialogue/#comment-458263 Tue, 14 Apr 2015 03:20:02 +0000 http://www.arnoldkling.com/blog/?p=5049#comment-458263 Ouch, that is about as efficient a destruction as I have seen.

]]> By: triclops http://www.arnoldkling.com/blog/the-lost-art-of-political-dialogue/#comment-458262 Tue, 14 Apr 2015 03:18:27 +0000 http://www.arnoldkling.com/blog/?p=5049#comment-458262 Or, whoever is winning the culture war doesn’t care about niceties, and whoever is losing laments the aggressiveness of the winners. That explains the current and past situation best, IME.

]]> By: Thiago Ribeiro http://www.arnoldkling.com/blog/the-lost-art-of-political-dialogue/#comment-458251 Mon, 13 Apr 2015 20:35:22 +0000 http://www.arnoldkling.com/blog/?p=5049#comment-458251 “You disagree with a sentence or two.”
No, I disagree with every single sentence because every single sentence is a fantastic lie designed to give Stalin’s Moscow Trials a run for their money.
For instance: “Individualism, reason, law, the nation-state, and federalism were tools designed to set aside considerable space (personal, religious, and property) where we agreed to disagree.”
“Federalism” meant slaves, Abolitionists and post-Civil War blacks had to “agree” with Slavery and restrictions on Civil Rights in the South if they knew what was the best for their health. When people stopped “agreeing”, the USA got a Civil War (part of the political dialogue, I guess), Reconstruction, Federal troops in Little Rock and the Civil Rights Act. Conservative mythology aside, this is how “States Rights” became the favorite mantra of the Jim Crow crowd.
The rest of the sentence is just more self-congratulatory non-sense that can be summed up thus: “Conservatives (even when they engage in stupid policies and the most vile rabble-rousing) have a monopoly of Reason and Law just because I said so”.
Reading American rightists’ books showed me that their main characteristic is their totalitarian conception of politics, always yearning for an idealized past America where people who disagree with them didn’t exist or knew their proper place, and there were “good” laws in place to remind them if they ever dared to forget.
“I also demand anonymity on line because I can very easily imagine liberals attacking me in my real life for my comments in a way I have trouble imagining conservatives doing.”
It is a funny thing to say when the Conservative hate machine is working overtime. Well, you know what they say, “I am firm, you are obstinate, he is a pig-headed fool.” By the way, in the good old times of the fine “art of political dialogue”, things much worse than the ones that can put a Conservative to trouble nowadays were frequently said about (or done to) Jews, Catholics, Blacks, Hispanics, Gays, Liberals and, in fact, were official policy. Thus I dare to say that it is not “Civility” or “Reason” that you miss, but the ability to attack the “other” with perfect impunity.
“Ymmv.”
Some people may have more reasons for nostalgia than others, I think.

]]> By: Greg G http://www.arnoldkling.com/blog/the-lost-art-of-political-dialogue/#comment-458244 Mon, 13 Apr 2015 14:54:54 +0000 http://www.arnoldkling.com/blog/?p=5049#comment-458244 Andrew’,

Are you suggesting some previous era was better than this one? If so which one? And better for who?

]]> By: Greg G http://www.arnoldkling.com/blog/the-lost-art-of-political-dialogue/#comment-458243 Mon, 13 Apr 2015 14:51:31 +0000 http://www.arnoldkling.com/blog/?p=5049#comment-458243 Exactly right djf.

Sadly, it’s the period of relative harmony after WWII that is the historical anomaly.

]]> By: Andrew' http://www.arnoldkling.com/blog/the-lost-art-of-political-dialogue/#comment-458235 Mon, 13 Apr 2015 11:59:16 +0000 http://www.arnoldkling.com/blog/?p=5049#comment-458235 Yes, and the alleged good vibes and bipartisanship got us HERE..

]]> By: Andrew' http://www.arnoldkling.com/blog/the-lost-art-of-political-dialogue/#comment-458232 Mon, 13 Apr 2015 09:16:59 +0000 http://www.arnoldkling.com/blog/?p=5049#comment-458232 Thiago,

For my money, sam makes the comment of the year. You disagree with a sentence or two.

I simply can’t imagine conservatives doing to university speakers what liberal groups are doing, for example.

I also demand anonymity on line because I can very easily imagine liberals attacking me in my real life for my comments in a way I have trouble imagining conservatives doing. Ymmv.

]]> By: Andrew' http://www.arnoldkling.com/blog/the-lost-art-of-political-dialogue/#comment-458222 Sun, 12 Apr 2015 22:03:59 +0000 http://www.arnoldkling.com/blog/?p=5049#comment-458222 I’m pretty sure public choice came out of classical liberal economics. Oh nevermind.

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