Thanks, Bill Clinton!
The DLC/Clintonite/Corporate Whore version of the Democratic Party really gave the Republicans a multi-generational gift by passing NAFTA and declaring that the United States didn’t need any manufacturing jobs because “everyone can either learn computers or retire!”
Not only does it allow Republicans to pretend to be the hero’s of the rust belt, but it allows lazy-ass journalists like Jonathan Weisman of the New York Times to churn out this kind of “Opinions vary on the shape of earth question” journalism:
To Democrats, the train derailment and chemical leak in the hamlet of East Palestine, Ohio, is a story of logic, action and consequences: Rail-safety regulations put in place by the Obama administration were intended to prevent just such accidents. The Trump administration gutted them.
To Republicans, East Palestine is a symbol of something far larger and more emotional: a forgotten town in a conservative state, like so many others in Middle America, struggling for survival against an uncaring megacorporation and an unseeing government whose concerns have never included the likes of a town of 4,718 souls.
Jonathan Weisman alternates hands when he jerks off.
Indeed. Jonathan replies to critics via twitter doubling down on the “both sides have opinions” nonsense:
In some sense, both sides are right, both sides are wrong and, in the bifurcated politics of this American moment, none of the arguments much matter.
Oh Well… There is no objective truth. Everything is he said/she said, so whatev’s
Sec. of Transportation, Buttigieg, had 2 years to reinstate the Obama regulations that Trump gutted and thus might have prevented or mitigated the East Palestine disaster, but he didn’t.
Oh, Democrats didn’t clean up the catastrophe of Republican governance fast enough. The bastards!!
That’s actually incorrect, because congress passed measures tying the hands of the executive when it comes to sweeping regulatory matters, Pete couldn’t simply reinstate the previous regulations. It was among one of the first things congress did the GOP controlled it in the Trump era
Get used to it. For as long as delacrat lasts this time, he will contribute only negative things about centrist Democrats.
“Postmodernist” academics have been doubting objective truth for decades. According to postmodern thinking, truth is basically a matter of interpretation (generally speaking).
At first that seemed liberating and society has more or less accepted it, maybe without realizing it. But it has led to the current political dichotomy and general instability. “Truth” now feels up for grabs since there’s no consensus about what it actually is.
What is Trumpism but a new definition of how things really are, a movement of resentful people who feel liberated from the old consensus so they’re making up a new one. It’s a bad and dangerous interpretation but they think the liberal or standard “rational” interpretation that prevailed for so long was bad for them. Maybe the side that believes harder (and has the best political strategy) will win out.
But of course all this is just what seems true to me. You might interpret it as bullshit, but with no football on TV I needed to fill up some time.
You are mixing up two different types of ontology. There are things humans agree to be true and there is truth that is objective, confirmed by proof, and stands outside of interpretation.
Jason — Yes, when that applies to the basic, granular nature of reality. This is a rock. You can call it anything you like, but scientific consensus tells us this thing has the properties of what we call a rock. Like you, I think this stands outside of interpretation.
But rocks don’t “mean” anything unless we have an idea about them. Why are there are rocks in the first place? A lot of people are more comfortable thinking God made rocks, so to them the reality is that God made rocks. Our reality is that the science is correct. But we’re still talking about what we call rocks.
There are other kinds of people (the philosopher kind) who think what we call rocks exist only in our minds. If they stub their toe on one, the reality is that the pain also exists only in their mind. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.
Or here is scientific proof that vaccines work. But then somebody with what appear to look like credentials says the scientific consensus is bullshit. That fits with the conspiracy suspicions, so since “reality” is up for grabs they create one where science is some kind of con game to get everybody to agree with the establishment for political reasons. But then science-deniers have rocks in their head.
If anybody’s still reading this, you must be bored without football too. But spring training has arrived!
All this is some lofty stuff, but I have something you can take to the bank: Incontrovertible proof of climate change. Rita’s Water Ice, on Philadelphia Pike, is open right now. February 26.
Claymont or Bellefonte Rita’s?