A few years ago, several companies started producing luggage that had built-in power distribution systems and high capacity batteries. Naturally, the Department of Homeland Security concluded they looked too bomb-like and banned them from flights. Never mind that I could just as easily put a tactical(tm) battery in my Maxpedition tactical(tm) shoulder bag, and have a rat’s nest of wires in it, the new bags were not acceptable.
The reason we watch for hypocrisy, and call others on it when we see it, is because – in order to do hypocrisy, we must lie. Therefore, when we call out a hypocrite, we are negating any point they may have been trying to make, by demonstrating that they don’t really mean it; it’s especially hard for the hypocrite to claim ignorance or accident when they’re caught out.
Voltaire’s wit was often described as cutting and fast; “rapier-like wit” – he wasn’t a man of violence, but his passions could be ferocious and when he decided that someone’s ideas needed to be attacked, his pen really was as mighty as a sword.
A few years ago I was on a subway in New York (museuming!) and there was a guy there who was wearing hunting camouflage from head to toe. Unfortunately, I didn’t think he was being ironic; he wasn’t going against cultural norms, in fact he appeared to be trying to stereotype “game hunter” toxic masculinity. But, the image stuck in my mind. I can’t find the picture I shot with my phone, so you’ll have to imagine a gooner standing in a subway car full of New Yorkers, dressed like a mighty white hunter.
I was expecting Andy Borowitz or someone to be all over it, but the media is full of derisive howling at Dotard Donald and his petty White House invitation Gaffe. The really mythological part of his comments was when he started talking about solar power and the wall.
A guy in the audience yelled at one of the tennis players at Wimbledon, so she decided to let him see how hard a professional serve is delivered. He was well-served indeed!
In a now-famous tweet, philosopher Peter Boghossian made a rather bizzare argument: apparently 3rd wave feminists have smelly feet and are out of shape, or something like that.
Charles Stross’ book Accellerando has a large number of absolutely brilliant projections of the future of trolling.
Is this the right room for an argument
This posting will not contain spoilers, so don’t worry. There are weaponizable ideas in this posting that I am not encouraging you to do, because not all things that can be done are worth doing.
Maybe it’s time for a rich tough-guy who is actually a tough guy to be President?
Freedom of Speech is not some magical thing: like all freedoms in politics, there’s got to be a justification for it. In the case of the US – on paper, at least – individual liberties are defined in terms of, “other than the things the state says you cannot do, you’re free.” So, because the state has not legislated that I cannot dye my hair blue, I can dye my hair blue. Freedom of speech is specifically called out, though, as a positive freedom. It’s not that “because the state has not told you what you can’t talk about, you can talk about anything else” – it’s specifically stated:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.