1. An acquaintance with whom I interact in a private Facebook group called The BRIDGE Project is an avowed National Conservative who attended the Miami conference and lauds Orbán.
2. I mentioned Josh Hammer in a recent essay of my own:
*****Common to the two conversations is the idea that the excesses of “woke ideology” on the left have provoked the illiberal response from the right.
There may be some truth to that. I believe it is more accurate to observe that demagogues on the right – Josh Hammer among them – are opportunistically exploiting the excesses on the left for their own ends, quite distinct from the need to address harms that they so egregiously exaggerate. Further, the illiberalism on the left is overwhelmingly a social and cultural phenomenon occurring in non-governmental institutions and in society at large. This is rather different from the kind of government persecution of vulnerable groups, such as the transgender community (to name just one), that has become all the rage in Florida and many other states.*****
.
.
I frequently speak of my dichotomous typology of those who spew nonsense: knaves and fools. The former knowingly and cynically do so in order to manipulate and/or propitiate the latter, who are in earnest.
I am eager for others' input on that construct and also views as to which best fits Josh Hammer.
Interesting! I am cracking up at: “like a cloud of mephitic vapors”! 😄
I relate to this essay in two personal ways:
1. An acquaintance with whom I interact in a private Facebook group called The BRIDGE Project is an avowed National Conservative who attended the Miami conference and lauds Orbán.
2. I mentioned Josh Hammer in a recent essay of my own:
https://decencyandsense.substack.com/p/a-coalition-of-the-both-decent-and
*****Common to the two conversations is the idea that the excesses of “woke ideology” on the left have provoked the illiberal response from the right.
There may be some truth to that. I believe it is more accurate to observe that demagogues on the right – Josh Hammer among them – are opportunistically exploiting the excesses on the left for their own ends, quite distinct from the need to address harms that they so egregiously exaggerate. Further, the illiberalism on the left is overwhelmingly a social and cultural phenomenon occurring in non-governmental institutions and in society at large. This is rather different from the kind of government persecution of vulnerable groups, such as the transgender community (to name just one), that has become all the rage in Florida and many other states.*****
.
.
I frequently speak of my dichotomous typology of those who spew nonsense: knaves and fools. The former knowingly and cynically do so in order to manipulate and/or propitiate the latter, who are in earnest.
I am eager for others' input on that construct and also views as to which best fits Josh Hammer.