The Fora: A Higher Education Community

Quote from: marshwiggle on November 26, 2024, 07:29:58 AM

Quote from: ciao_yall on November 26, 2024, 06:48:08 AM

Quote from: marshwiggle on November 26, 2024, 05:39:56 AM

Quote from: ciao_yall on November 25, 2024, 07:58:57 PMAny rational conversation gets drowned out.

An example follows.

QuoteAnd will voters get it, or will Fox News keep distracting them with transgender illegal aliens crossing the border twice and getting two welfare checks, one for each of their identities?

By combining a whole bunch of issues into a ridiculous caricature, it precludes rational discussion of each issue individually. Suggesting that the combination is clearly unrealistic is used to imply that the none of them by themselves have any merit.

I don't care what bathrooms people use.

If a single dad sends his 5 year old daughter into the women's bathroom, and a 6 foot, 250lb guy with beard and tattoos follows her in, he cares A LOT.

QuoteI don't care about who plays which sports.

When the guy's daughter hits middle school and her soccer team plays against a team with a male player who wieghs 20 lbs more than any girl on her team, and is physically aggressive, he will care A LOT.

QuoteI believe we have plenty of peace and prosperity in this country and room to welcome those fleeing otherwise.

There are about 7 billion people on the planet.  If 1% of them wanted to come to the U.S., that would increase the population by 20%. The system couldn't remotely cope with that.

QuoteI believe global trade brings global cooperation.


I believe we should fund more social services and education and less police and prisons.

The people who want more police are the victims of crime, who live in the same neighbourhoods as most of the perpetrators of crimes. The only people for whom less police seems realistic are people who are privileged enough to live in areas that are already low on crime.

QuoteIf that makes me an out of touch elite, then I guess that's just what I am.

Those are all examples of what Rob Henderson calls "luxury beliefs", that can be espoused by the people privileged enough to not have to deal with the realities that they create for the less-privileged.

These are all examples of what is called "the parade of horribles" where someone stretches to imagine the worst possible scenario, insists it is going to be the case all the time, and thus try to convince voters that they must vote to prevent these 0.000001% of situations even if it causes harm and suffering in many more cases.

Did a tiny bit on book revisions today, and I am feeling good about meeting my deadline in a few weeks!

Bit of book work would be good.

Hoping to work through one subsection of my book before family starts arriving this afternoon. That'll probably be my last bit of progress in November.

Good morning, ciao_yall!

QB, but not ABM! Congratulations on yours! I needed 2LL for bindi and libidinal, my last word.

LB: defunct-thorax, thanks to a hint.

Happy puzzling!

Quote from: ciao_yall on November 26, 2024, 06:48:08 AM

Quote from: marshwiggle on November 26, 2024, 05:39:56 AM

Quote from: ciao_yall on November 25, 2024, 07:58:57 PMAny rational conversation gets drowned out.

An example follows.

QuoteAnd will voters get it, or will Fox News keep distracting them with transgender illegal aliens crossing the border twice and getting two welfare checks, one for each of their identities?

By combining a whole bunch of issues into a ridiculous caricature, it precludes rational discussion of each issue individually. Suggesting that the combination is clearly unrealistic is used to imply that the none of them by themselves have any merit.

I don't care what bathrooms people use.

If a single dad sends his 5 year old daughter into the women's bathroom, and a 6 foot, 250lb guy with beard and tattoos follows her in, he cares A LOT.

QuoteI don't care about who plays which sports.

When the guy's daughter hits middle school and her soccer team plays against a team with a male player who wieghs 20 lbs more than any girl on her team, and is physically aggressive, he will care A LOT.

QuoteI believe we have plenty of peace and prosperity in this country and room to welcome those fleeing otherwise.

There are about 7 billion people on the planet.  If 1% of them wanted to come to the U.S., that would increase the population by 20%. The system couldn't remotely cope with that.

QuoteI believe global trade brings global cooperation.


I believe we should fund more social services and education and less police and prisons.

The people who want more police are the victims of crime, who live in the same neighbourhoods as most of the perpetrators of crimes. The only people for whom less police seems realistic are people who are privileged enough to live in areas that are already low on crime.

QuoteIf that makes me an out of touch elite, then I guess that's just what I am.

Those are all examples of what Rob Henderson calls "luxury beliefs", that can be espoused by the people privileged enough to not have to deal with the realities that they create for the less-privileged.

Working like normal through Wednesday, then heading home to Mom and Dad's Thursday morning.  And staying there through Sunday.  I'm starting to think that I may not make it through a full day at work, as I seem to be developing a serious change-of-season headache and earache.

Making grad students think there is a job market in the humanities is moral turpitude.

Quote from: marshwiggle on November 26, 2024, 05:39:56 AM

Quote from: ciao_yall on November 25, 2024, 07:58:57 PMAny rational conversation gets drowned out.

An example follows.

QuoteAnd will voters get it, or will Fox News keep distracting them with transgender illegal aliens crossing the border twice and getting two welfare checks, one for each of their identities?

By combining a whole bunch of issues into a ridiculous caricature, it precludes rational discussion of each issue individually. Suggesting that the combination is clearly unrealistic is used to imply that the none of them by themselves have any merit.

I don't care what bathrooms people use.

I don't care about who plays which sports.

I believe we have plenty of peace and prosperity in this country and room to welcome those fleeing otherwise.

I believe global trade brings global cooperation.

I believe we should fund more social services and education and less police and prisons.

If that makes me an out of touch elite, then I guess that's just what I am.

Good morning, cathwen!

QBABM! Last word bindi. LB defunct-thorax.