The Three Years of Hell Pledge of Quality
You may notice that I'm a frequent critic of people, arguments, and political arrangements. Indeed, I'm quite happy to skewer someone if I think they're putting forward an argument that's off-base, sloppy, or just confused. I rather expect that people will do the same to me, and I track Technorati so that if someone does, I know about it.
But here's my pledge: when I quote someone on here, or when I attack someone for some reason, it will be for one of two reasons: (a) it's so patently ridiculous that it become unintentionally funny, or (b) it comes from a source that I either respect or is popularly respected. In the first case, I'm hoping to draw a laugh from you, my readers, and hopefully can do it in a lighthearted spirit. That was the original concept behind most of Ridiculous Bipartisanship, although it's turning into a web-critique column.
But on the second point: there's no point in taking on the marginal or ridiculous. It's worthwhile debating with those who you respect, because it hones your skills, and if you listen you'll learn something. And it's worth debating with those who are well-respected by others because it's often worth noting when the Emperor has no clothes.
What you will not find here is a detailed refutation of the idiotic. Morons exist on all sides of the political spectrum: hate, stupidity, and ignorance can be a remarkably bi-partisan political commodity. Simply put, I could trawl the web looking for someone who's posted something inane on the Kerry blog, or point out the many errors that some less-than-erudite Bushies make. But not only would such shots be cheap, they're too easy to be worthwhile. It's a lot more interesting--and exciting--to address an issue at a complex, nuanced level than to simply mock those who never bothered to learn better. And I'm unlikely to learn anything.
Remember: a man can be measured by the caliber of his enemies.
Let this just be a statement of reality: there's a lot of truly silly people out there. They're Democrats, they're Republicans, they're religious and their secularists. But for the most part, unless they're amusing, it's not worth taking the time for anyone.
Comments
Well, I've had, in addition to comparably placed allies, bitter corporate political enemies in multiple Fortune 500 companies. Part of the price of doing business as a consultant: it's not if you'll have enemies at every client, but whom and what interest and power bases are opposed to your very presence and the changes possible because of it.
And when I was young and stupid, I was, among other things, at times an anti-social computer hacker, a Green party member, an anarchist, an Acid Merchant (convicted, so that's already out there and in the open. Had to tell my Univ. anyway in the Fin. Aid questionaire, so no use trying to hide THAT one!)
But I've been a very, very good boy the last 12 years since all of that, seeing a friend I'd known for quite some time in 'the real world' get raped by four men across the hall in jail cured me of illicit entrepreneurial activities, and I since directly created at least a couple dozen IT jobs that still exist during the boom, and am most certainly firmly a White Hat vis a vis security issues, lo these many years.
But as a certain distant relative with strange connections made it known long ago that The Company had a nice thick dossier on me (see Computer Hacking, above, as the start of THAT), I have not taken it upon myself to fly since 9/11.
I have long presumed my presence upon various watch lists, as I nearly ALWAYS got searched already anyway before then. But not on 'no fly', as I was, as said relative put it, still possibly considered "useful in the future, and not necessarily malign".
So I guess I have to put down "United States Govt" on my enemies list, no?
But so far as personal enemies go, none of any magnitude worth mentioning, aside from a (clinically) crazy ex-wife. Political enemies, well, that'd be most of them!
nwqbgkPosted by: David Mercer | June 23, 2004 09:24 AM