soporific perorations

[harlequinlocke]

Trawling through the political blogosphere yesterday I came across this piece. The article is a short review of where the author's own particular ideology (conservatism) stands. Don't bother following the link as it will bore you. He did make a few observations I liked and thought applicable to anyone who, like all these political bloggers out

Comments

[brylcool]

I haven't yet read that piece, but I do mean to. WSJ usually has smart commentators. The contemporary efforts to rehabilitate conservatism into something laudable has been an effective emetic. Instinctually I've loathed the cult of tradition and preservation, since oppression and injustice go part in parcel (whatever that means) with old rules of power and privilege. What is even more sickening, though, is that America has no liberal spirit beyond self hatred and excusing the same horrors that conservatism, at its core, reveals.

[harlequinlocke]

Even though I don't consider myself to be one I've spent the better part of this last year following a lot of conservative commentary. The way they construct their movement's history in the last few decades conservatism was already rehabilitated, and apparently Ronnie Reagan was the climax. The WSJ article and blog discussions are about how conservatives can re-rehabilitate themselves now that power has corrupted them (even more if you ask me). I agree this new wave will likely cause much bowing before the porcelain throne, but that first wave was like a perfect storm of reactionary revolution. At least Bush is prob the endgame

[maur]

"But as the bits I clipped above express you just don't want these values to coalesce into a hidden"

.... a hidden what?

*scratches head at all the poli-talk and esoteric terminology*

"Ideology is always wrong because it edits reality and paralyzes thought."

What is it you liked about that? I don't see how ideaology is ALWAYS wrong. Ideals are what drive people to improve and strive for change, so I must be misreading this

:s

[harlequinlocke]

I meant "...coalesce into a rigid dogma." Dunno where I was headed with hidden.

I wouldn't say ALWAYS as the author did, but I do think he makes a good point about the effect of strict adherence to ideology. And ideals can be separate from ideology.