Category

Social controls

• 02.08.08
  Political bargainers can transfigure us all
  Social controls, electoral politics (0)

  History News Network has reproduced an article by a Paul Mirengoff titled, "Obama's a masked man." Mirengoff likes what he's read of Shelby Steele's book, "A Bound Man: Why We Are Excited About Obama and Why He Can't Win." Steele views Obama as the first black politician to ride the strategy of "bargaining" to great success. For Steele, bargaining is one of two approaches blacks have used as a "mask" in order to offset the power differential between blacks and whites. He considers Louis Armstrong the first great bargainer with white America. Armstrong's deal was, I will entertain you without ...
  
  
• 01.20.08
  Ezra Levant moves the yardline markers
  First Amendment, Social controls (0)

  When I say that the next president will be Hillary Clinton, even though s/he won't necessarily be named Hillary and may even be a Republican, I'm trying to make a point somewhat like John Andrews made in this article, "Who's President Isn't the Main Thing." He makes many good points, but I'll quote this one because it's especially relevant to the issue of Ezra Levant vs the Alberta Human Rights Commission: Freedom won’t work unless enough of us practice four essentials of citizenship, writes Thomas Krannawitter of the Claremont Institute. We need self-assertion to defend our liberties, self-restraint to behave responsibly, self-reliance ...
  
  
• 09.21.07
  Slippery Slope Eudemon
  Brave New World, Schools, Social controls (0)

  The Daily Eudemon talks about the slippery slope: New hero: A 72-year-old man with a wine purchase refuses to produce proof that he’s 21 years old. I understand the policy: “If we don’t card everyone, we end up on a slippery slope. Do we not card the 40-year-old? The 30-year-old? Eventually, we’ll end up making judgment calls and offending people. We might even discriminate!” Well, deal with it in a rational manner. What the slippery slope chanters don’t realize is, everything is a slippery slope: Anything not reigned in with moderation can go too far. What the haters of discrimination don’t realize ...
  
  
• 08.28.07
  Back to the village
  Social controls (0)

  The WSJ tells about controversy in Japan over new trash rules: Talking Trash: Tokyo residents feud over controversial garbage rules It's about how Tokyo will run out of landfill space in 30 years. The city is trying to extend that time by changing the rules about what trash can be incinerated in the city incinerators. Rules are changing for residents about how they should sort their trash. For example, things such as styrofoam food containers were in the past supposed to go in the bags destined for the landfill; now residents are increasingly encouraged to put them in the ...