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i really don't see where the problem lay here. personally, i have no respect at all for conservative thinking, but at the same time i think of the folk who hold these positions as a curious lifeform and am curious about how they can possibly function in the world and think this nonsense. contrary to what seaver argued above, this doesn't follow from any "hatred" of anything--it follows from shabby premises being fed into one-dimensional logical machines and producing predictable results over and over. the logic itself typically follows without violating many rules like moving from a to b without bumping into things--the problems follow from the way premises are framed. and my contempt for conservatism follows in large part from the fact that, almost inevitably (note: almost) folk who hold these positions cannot defend their premises. so it's a cookie-cutter approach to thinking.
let's not act as though contemporary american conservatism is a coherent political worldview. the fact that people can invest in a framework says nothing about it's coherence.
i mean, look around.
geez.
but i wouldn't say as much that bluntly in 3-space simply because basic courtesy to others precludes it.
i can, however, be provoked--like anyone---particularly after a few beverages.
but that's not a great idea, so i try not to consume that many beverages any more.
anyway, thats not the issue in walter's post--it seems to me that the real problem followed from a fellow student having basic factual material wrong and allowing an in all likelihood semi-formulated political disposition to fill in the blanks. the subtext is that walter opposed the political disposition but decided (or defaulted--who can say in this sort of situation) into going after the factual material. i suspect that the teacher was playing social form police. i've taught alot, and in such situations, that's the position you find yourself pushed into adopting. it's a pain in the ass to have to do it. you'd prefer to think that folk knew the basic rules. but everyone gets testy from time to time, and everyone knows it---so i wouldn't take it too seriously, what was said.
anyway, i would assume that political disagreement explains the aggressiveness of the approach.
i would also assume that had a parallel kind of fuck up happened with someone who's political dispositions were more symmetrical with his that the whole incident would not have happened.
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a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear
it make you sick.
-kamau brathwaite
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