A commenter’s question about “Straussian”

Could someone produce a 1 sentence definition of Straussian that a high school graduate would easily understand?

Straussian means taking what this question asks for and putting a minus sign in front of it.

Some of us are old enough to remember that Peter, Paul, and Mary had a hit song with Straussian lyrics:

But If I Really Say It, The Radio Won’t Play It
Unless I Lay It Between The Lines!

7 thoughts on “A commenter’s question about “Straussian”

  1. At the risk of ruining Arnold’s game…
    Making something deliberately obscured or obtuse as it needs to be hidden from being understood by everyone.

  2. Your straussian answer to the question of “what the heck is straussianism” makes me even more confused

  3. There were a lot of good comments about “Straussian” in several recent posts. Arnold would do a great service if he would pull out the best parts and and organize them into a post. It could even become the internet’s “go to” for “What is Straussian” 🙂

  4. Throughout history, news is controlled by rich and powerful elite minorities who wish to control what the masses think. To work, they need some plausible deniability. The dishonesty and trickery is the Straussian. That manipulation generates resentment, which is what we see here in the reader base.

    Regarding FIT: In terms of influential political commentary, I’d recommend the Babylon Bee writers. That’s a big omission if we want serious political ideas that have popular appeal and influence.

  5. For someone who recently graduated high school: remember that time you had a huge crush on a girl at school, but she was dating the quarterback and had “friendzoned” you? Remember how you always used to say things like, “Your boyfriend is such a team player—he sacrifices time with you to spend all his time hanging with the football team” and “He really must be a humble guy, since he keeps asking you for help on your homework”?

    That’s being Straussian.

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