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  4. In praise of nuance

In praise of nuance

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  • M Mike Gaskey

    dennisd45 wrote:

    Emphasis added.

    misses the point entirely. there is no nuance twixt right and wrong, good and evil. those are absolutes.

    Mike Dear NYT - the fact is, the founding fathers hung traitors. dennisd45 wrote: My view of the world is slightly more nuanced

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    dennisd45
    wrote on last edited by
    #5

    It's either right or wrong, good or evil. Killing - good or evil? Right or wrong? Make your choices.

    No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn. - Jim Morrison

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    • D dennisd45

      In praise of nuance[^] A selection from this article: “Nuance” is one of those words successfully poisoned by American conservatives, like “liberal” or “feminist”. Originally a term of praise, suggesting an intelligent consideration of the many sides and shades of a complex issue, it’s now a term of mockery. Dick Cheney sneers it really well, makes it sound like a construction worker mocking a gay Parisian. The problem is, some issues ARE nuanced. Some ethical and moral decisions are nuanced. Life is nuanced, unless you’re very young, very stupid, or an irredeemable idealogue of some persuasion. (Those qualities are not mutually exclusive.) That’s why ideology, be it neoconservatism, Maoism, fundamentalist Christianity or Taliban-style Islam, is such a useful thing. Ideologues simplify things. They refuse to acknowledge those nasty nuances. There’s a simple for answer for everything: you just have to consult the revealed text (be it the Koran, Das Kapital, or Fukuyama’s “End Of History”), and there’s the answer. As long as it’s derived from or consistent with your chosen revelation, no further thought is required. Nuances don’t exist. And best of all, you don’t don’t actually have to engage with any ideas that challenge your stance. If they are not in consistent with your truth, then they are self evidently wrong, because they’re - well, they’re not consistent with the Bible, the Koran, the Little Red Book or the Thoughts of Chairman Tom Flanagan. So they’re wrong. End of story. Emphasis added.

      No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn. - Jim Morrison

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      Stan Shannon
      wrote on last edited by
      #6

      dennisd45 wrote:

      That’s why ideology, be it neoconservatism, Maoism, fundamentalist Christianity or Taliban-style Islam, is such a useful thing. Ideologues simplify things.

      So you've developed the non-ideology ideology? I'll have to give it to you - that is certainly fucking nuanced. Good work.

      Thank God for disproportional force.

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      • S Stan Shannon

        dennisd45 wrote:

        That’s why ideology, be it neoconservatism, Maoism, fundamentalist Christianity or Taliban-style Islam, is such a useful thing. Ideologues simplify things.

        So you've developed the non-ideology ideology? I'll have to give it to you - that is certainly fucking nuanced. Good work.

        Thank God for disproportional force.

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        dennisd45
        wrote on last edited by
        #7

        Stan Shannon wrote:

        So you've developed the non-ideology ideology? I'll have to give it to you - that is certainly f****ing nuanced. Good work.

        :zzz:

        No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn. - Jim Morrison

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        • D dennisd45

          In praise of nuance[^] A selection from this article: “Nuance” is one of those words successfully poisoned by American conservatives, like “liberal” or “feminist”. Originally a term of praise, suggesting an intelligent consideration of the many sides and shades of a complex issue, it’s now a term of mockery. Dick Cheney sneers it really well, makes it sound like a construction worker mocking a gay Parisian. The problem is, some issues ARE nuanced. Some ethical and moral decisions are nuanced. Life is nuanced, unless you’re very young, very stupid, or an irredeemable idealogue of some persuasion. (Those qualities are not mutually exclusive.) That’s why ideology, be it neoconservatism, Maoism, fundamentalist Christianity or Taliban-style Islam, is such a useful thing. Ideologues simplify things. They refuse to acknowledge those nasty nuances. There’s a simple for answer for everything: you just have to consult the revealed text (be it the Koran, Das Kapital, or Fukuyama’s “End Of History”), and there’s the answer. As long as it’s derived from or consistent with your chosen revelation, no further thought is required. Nuances don’t exist. And best of all, you don’t don’t actually have to engage with any ideas that challenge your stance. If they are not in consistent with your truth, then they are self evidently wrong, because they’re - well, they’re not consistent with the Bible, the Koran, the Little Red Book or the Thoughts of Chairman Tom Flanagan. So they’re wrong. End of story. Emphasis added.

          No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn. - Jim Morrison

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          TheGreatAndPowerfulOz
          wrote on last edited by
          #8

          dennisd45 wrote:

          That’s why ideology, be it neoconservatism, Maoism, fundamentalist Christianity or Taliban-style Islam, is such a useful thing.

          I notice that you only use right-wing ideologies here and avoid mentioning any of the left-wing ideologies. Hmm, could that be because there's a bit of biased, self-righteous thinking going on here?

          Silence is the voice of complicity. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. -- monty python Might I suggest that the universe was always the size of the cosmos. It is just that at one point the cosmos was the size of a marble. -- Colin Angus Mackay

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          • T TheGreatAndPowerfulOz

            dennisd45 wrote:

            That’s why ideology, be it neoconservatism, Maoism, fundamentalist Christianity or Taliban-style Islam, is such a useful thing.

            I notice that you only use right-wing ideologies here and avoid mentioning any of the left-wing ideologies. Hmm, could that be because there's a bit of biased, self-righteous thinking going on here?

            Silence is the voice of complicity. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. -- monty python Might I suggest that the universe was always the size of the cosmos. It is just that at one point the cosmos was the size of a marble. -- Colin Angus Mackay

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            dennisd45
            wrote on last edited by
            #9

            So, Das Kapital and Maoism are right-wing ideologies?

            No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn. - Jim Morrison

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            • M Mike Gaskey

              dennisd45 wrote:

              Emphasis added.

              misses the point entirely. there is no nuance twixt right and wrong, good and evil. those are absolutes.

              Mike Dear NYT - the fact is, the founding fathers hung traitors. dennisd45 wrote: My view of the world is slightly more nuanced

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              Alvaro Mendez
              wrote on last edited by
              #10

              Mike Gaskey wrote:

              there is no nuance twixt right and wrong, good and evil.

              Do you have children? Rick (8 years old) catches his brother Paul (6 years old) playing with one of Rick's toys. Rick proceeds to abruptly take the toy away from Paul while telling him, "That's mine". Paul gets mad and kicks Rick in the leg. Rick, who can't believe his little brother would dare do that, grabs Paul by the neck, punches him, and pushes him to the floor. Paul starts crying. Mike (that's you) walks into the room. Who's right and who's wrong? Who's good and who's evil? Alvaro


              Josh: So you have been married twice? You must have been young the first time around. Christian: Yeah, we were young and stupid. I was young, and she was...

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              • T TheGreatAndPowerfulOz

                dennisd45 wrote:

                That’s why ideology, be it neoconservatism, Maoism, fundamentalist Christianity or Taliban-style Islam, is such a useful thing.

                I notice that you only use right-wing ideologies here and avoid mentioning any of the left-wing ideologies. Hmm, could that be because there's a bit of biased, self-righteous thinking going on here?

                Silence is the voice of complicity. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. -- monty python Might I suggest that the universe was always the size of the cosmos. It is just that at one point the cosmos was the size of a marble. -- Colin Angus Mackay

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                Rob Graham
                wrote on last edited by
                #11

                When did Maoism become "right wing"?

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                • D dennisd45

                  So, Das Kapital and Maoism are right-wing ideologies?

                  No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn. - Jim Morrison

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                  Jorgen Sigvardsson
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #12

                  I was thinking the same. Obviously ahz wasn't thinking at all. :~

                  -- Broadcast simultaneously one year in the future

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                  • T TheGreatAndPowerfulOz

                    dennisd45 wrote:

                    That’s why ideology, be it neoconservatism, Maoism, fundamentalist Christianity or Taliban-style Islam, is such a useful thing.

                    I notice that you only use right-wing ideologies here and avoid mentioning any of the left-wing ideologies. Hmm, could that be because there's a bit of biased, self-righteous thinking going on here?

                    Silence is the voice of complicity. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. -- monty python Might I suggest that the universe was always the size of the cosmos. It is just that at one point the cosmos was the size of a marble. -- Colin Angus Mackay

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                    Stan Shannon
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #13

                    ahz wrote:

                    Hmm, could that be because there's a bit of biased, self-righteous thinking going on here?

                    He has no ideology. He doesn't need no stinking ideology!

                    Thank God for disproportional force.

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                    • R Rob Graham

                      When did Maoism become "right wing"?

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                      Jorgen Sigvardsson
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #14

                      16 minutes ago, apparently. :~ If Maoism is right wing, I'm so far to the right that light is distorted.

                      -- Torn from tomorrow's headlines

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                      • D dennisd45

                        Stan Shannon wrote:

                        So you've developed the non-ideology ideology? I'll have to give it to you - that is certainly f****ing nuanced. Good work.

                        :zzz:

                        No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn. - Jim Morrison

                        S Offline
                        S Offline
                        Stan Shannon
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #15

                        Sleep away - and dream your nuanced non-ideology dreams!

                        Thank God for disproportional force.

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                        • D dennisd45

                          So, Das Kapital and Maoism are right-wing ideologies?

                          No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn. - Jim Morrison

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                          TheGreatAndPowerfulOz
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #16

                          dennisd45 wrote:

                          So, Das Kapital and Maoism are right-wing ideologies?

                          hmm, my bad. too quick on the draw. I apologize.

                          Silence is the voice of complicity. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. -- monty python Might I suggest that the universe was always the size of the cosmos. It is just that at one point the cosmos was the size of a marble. -- Colin Angus Mackay

                          1 Reply Last reply
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                          • J Jorgen Sigvardsson

                            I was thinking the same. Obviously ahz wasn't thinking at all. :~

                            -- Broadcast simultaneously one year in the future

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                            T Offline
                            TheGreatAndPowerfulOz
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #17

                            Jörgen Sigvardsson wrote:

                            Obviously ahz wasn't thinking at all.

                            quite so. lol. :-O

                            Silence is the voice of complicity. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. -- monty python Might I suggest that the universe was always the size of the cosmos. It is just that at one point the cosmos was the size of a marble. -- Colin Angus Mackay

                            1 Reply Last reply
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                            • S Stan Shannon

                              Sleep away - and dream your nuanced non-ideology dreams!

                              Thank God for disproportional force.

                              D Offline
                              D Offline
                              dennisd45
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #18

                              Gosh, you sound just like espeir. Are you actually different people?

                              No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn. - Jim Morrison

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                              • R Rob Graham

                                When did Maoism become "right wing"?

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                                TheGreatAndPowerfulOz
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #19

                                Rob Graham wrote:

                                When did Maoism become "right wing"?

                                I was being a bit trigger happy. my bad.

                                Silence is the voice of complicity. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. -- monty python Might I suggest that the universe was always the size of the cosmos. It is just that at one point the cosmos was the size of a marble. -- Colin Angus Mackay

                                1 Reply Last reply
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                                • A Alvaro Mendez

                                  Mike Gaskey wrote:

                                  there is no nuance twixt right and wrong, good and evil.

                                  Do you have children? Rick (8 years old) catches his brother Paul (6 years old) playing with one of Rick's toys. Rick proceeds to abruptly take the toy away from Paul while telling him, "That's mine". Paul gets mad and kicks Rick in the leg. Rick, who can't believe his little brother would dare do that, grabs Paul by the neck, punches him, and pushes him to the floor. Paul starts crying. Mike (that's you) walks into the room. Who's right and who's wrong? Who's good and who's evil? Alvaro


                                  Josh: So you have been married twice? You must have been young the first time around. Christian: Yeah, we were young and stupid. I was young, and she was...

                                  T Offline
                                  T Offline
                                  TheGreatAndPowerfulOz
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #20

                                  Alvaro Mendez wrote:

                                  Who's right and who's wrong? Who's good and who's evil?

                                  both.

                                  Silence is the voice of complicity. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. -- monty python Might I suggest that the universe was always the size of the cosmos. It is just that at one point the cosmos was the size of a marble. -- Colin Angus Mackay

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                                  • P peterchen

                                    sometimes the black-and-white-seers are closer to the right ting. But even then, I still prefer the colors.


                                    We are a big screwed up dysfunctional psychotic happy family - some more screwed up, others more happy, but everybody's psychotic joint venture definition of CP
                                    Tree in C# || Fold With Us! || sighist

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                                    Rob Graham
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #21

                                    Nuance is fine for humor, entertainment and other such inconsequential aspects of life, but if you're making a significant moral decision, say one involving life or death for another, you really aught to seek solider ground than a "subtle difference in opinion, meaning or attitude".[^] In this regard I disagree with both the author and the poster - most of the really consequential problems in this world are not in the least "nuanced". They may be confusing, complex, or even seemingly intractable, but they almost never involve a subtle difference in opinion or meaning, but rather a fundamental one. The left's use of nuance in this respect, serves more to obfuscate reality or to avoid recognition of a troubling fundamental disagreement than it does to help address the problems.

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                                    • S Stan Shannon

                                      ahz wrote:

                                      Hmm, could that be because there's a bit of biased, self-righteous thinking going on here?

                                      He has no ideology. He doesn't need no stinking ideology!

                                      Thank God for disproportional force.

                                      D Offline
                                      D Offline
                                      dennisd45
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #22

                                      Since you lack nuance, you don't know the difference between ideology and idealogue.

                                      No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn. - Jim Morrison

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                                      • T TheGreatAndPowerfulOz

                                        Alvaro Mendez wrote:

                                        Who's right and who's wrong? Who's good and who's evil?

                                        both.

                                        Silence is the voice of complicity. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. -- monty python Might I suggest that the universe was always the size of the cosmos. It is just that at one point the cosmos was the size of a marble. -- Colin Angus Mackay

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                                        Alvaro Mendez
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #23

                                        ahz wrote:

                                        both.

                                        Exactly. So why do some people rush to choose a side, claiming that the other one is wrong or evil? Isn't finding a solution what really matters? Alvaro


                                        Josh: So you have been married twice? You must have been young the first time around. Christian: Yeah, we were young and stupid. I was young, and she was...

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                                        • A Alvaro Mendez

                                          Mike Gaskey wrote:

                                          there is no nuance twixt right and wrong, good and evil.

                                          Do you have children? Rick (8 years old) catches his brother Paul (6 years old) playing with one of Rick's toys. Rick proceeds to abruptly take the toy away from Paul while telling him, "That's mine". Paul gets mad and kicks Rick in the leg. Rick, who can't believe his little brother would dare do that, grabs Paul by the neck, punches him, and pushes him to the floor. Paul starts crying. Mike (that's you) walks into the room. Who's right and who's wrong? Who's good and who's evil? Alvaro


                                          Josh: So you have been married twice? You must have been young the first time around. Christian: Yeah, we were young and stupid. I was young, and she was...

                                          R Offline
                                          R Offline
                                          Rob Graham
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #24

                                          Alvaro Mendez wrote:

                                          Who's right and who's wrong?

                                          Both are wrong, for different reasons.

                                          Alvaro Mendez wrote:

                                          Who's good and who's evil?

                                          Neither is "good" nor "evil". We're talking children's behavior here, there is no "nuance" involved, nor is there any fundamental moral issue, only questions of socially desireable behavior and appropriate response. Either you chose a really poor test, or you are really confused about the actual meaning of "nuance".

                                          We need to graduate from the ridiculous notion that greed is some kind of elixir for capitalism - it's the downfall of capitalism. Self-interest, maybe, but self-interest run amok does not serve anyone. The core value of conscious capitalism is enlightened self-interest. Patricia Aburdene

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