I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be plugging non-Atlantic blogs, but the new American Scene blog sure does look cool and features several of the most wortwhile righties in the 'sphere.
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The New Scene
26 Jun 2007 11:01 pm
Comments (12)
written while very drunk
I hope you realize that the only response to this is "Are you fucking serious?"
Content is what matters. I don't care how nice Ross Douthat or Ramesh Ponnuru or whoever else is. Their beliefs-- the core of what they say, the agenda they pursue, the ideology the believe-- is what matters. And it's hateful and xenophobic and wrong. I would hope that you expect to be judged by the value of your opinions, not by how amenable you feel to listening to opinions that are contrary to your most basic political belifes. And however you qualify it, however you phrase it, however you attempt to define it, the fact is that like so many others, you've fallen prey to a media that insists that the only responsible liberalism is one that adopts the conservative line and capitulates.
Making concessions to the other side isn't always a mark of maturity. Being amenable to another position isn't always reasonable or pure, if the other position has no value. And however much an endorsement like this endears you to Will Wilkinson and Megan Mcardle and whoever else, it still ends with you supporting a blog that will make many statement which (I imagine) will be antithetical to some of your most basic beliefs.)
You've fallen in love with Andrew Sullivan giving you awards. It's predictable, but sad.
But, hey. At least you get to pimp blogs that claim that it's imperative "to challenge and oppose the increase in diversity as much as possible." That's not "procedural liberalism", it's not "responsible conservatism", it's not leftist pragmatism. It's just the same stale, angry argument that's been made a thousand times. But then, I guess I'm just another close-minded lefty. Right?
written while very drunk
Freddie may be drunk, but he raises a good point. You can't link us to a blog that it is "all the more urgent to challenge and oppose the increase in diversity as much as possible" and tell us that it is cool and worthwhile. What does this say of you and your judgment? Perhaps you're drunk right now, too? Or do you hate immigrants, as well?
Ross Douthat or Ramesh Ponnuru
...
And it's hateful and xenophobic and wrong
out of the sample space of conservatives you pick a very dark skinned one as your exemplars of the pawns of the prince of darkness. perhaps you're racist ;-)
(brown skinned immigrant speaking)
out of the sample space of conservatives you pick a very dark skinned one as your exemplars of the pawns of the prince of darkness. perhaps you're racist ;-)
I think everyone in this country (and probably beyond) makes stupid, assumptions about people based on how other people look and all you can do is try is recognize that making those assumptions is dumb. Judging someone by what they choose to write elaborate opinion about is a whole different matter. I have read enough of Ponnuru to decide he is pretty much a fool I didn't want to hear from again. I haven't read enough to know if he is a racist or not but if you've ever stepped foot in more than a couple ghetto liquor stores owned by South Asian Indians you would be a total fool to think that they can't be crazy racist (just like everyone else).
1. Freddie, for a drunk guy, you argue with great clarity.
2. Ramesh Ponnuru is not at issue here. Ramesh is undoubtedly an asshat. The website Matt recommended is home to Ross Douthat (arguably, in Freddie's estimation, an asshat) Reihan Salaam, (more of a libertarian, which is it's own kind of lame-ish hat) and some other dudes whose work and headwear I'm not familiar with.
3. The (american scene) site redesign *is* really pretty. Almost *too* pretty.
Given TAS' own blogroll, I detect a bit of mutual backscratching going on.
Maybe Ross and Andrew will plug quality liberal blogs to draw your traffic elsewhere. Sounds like this may be the first shot in a contest that isn't even zero-sum.
Don't indulge in the fallacy that everyone who disagrees with you is an asshole or a moron. It's simply untrue. The gentlemen writing at the other blog are probably fine individuals of great intelligence who disagree with you on political issues. If you don't understand why they disagree, and continue to believe that it's because they are 'asshats', then how can you be so sure that you are right?
Ugh. Intellectually it looks like the usual rightwing boilerplate (ex., "The Turtle Effect," whose author actually cites Steve Sailer.) Stylewise, though, "The American Scene" sets some kind of record for use of turgid lengthy sentences. Here is a sample sentence from Daniel Larison which illustrates both points:
"Everything the New Democrats and hawkish neoliberals have tried to do for the last twenty years has been aimed at shedding the mantle of McGovern and embrace their inner jingo, but this has still not managed to shake the feeling that somehow, somewhere the general population will always reflexively opt for the most militaristic and insane foreign policy imaginable."
But you're right. The graphic design is very nice.
james, funny: that was the very sentence that led me to say "why is matthew directing us to this site?"
m542k
Comments closed July 10, 2007.
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Heads in the Sand
worthwhile righties? They're like unicorns.
Posted by Stork | June 26, 2007 11:21 PM