I hope you stay, Martin. Continue to be one of the voices of resistance on this platform. I hear and share your concerns--but we have to speak where others can hear us. Curious, have you read Daniel Kehlmann's novel, The Director, about filmmaker G.W. Pabst? It's all about the slippery slope of acquiescence to and then support of vile voices. On another note entirely, I so want to steal your lines for one of my novels: "This is of course a three Martini lunch problem…but for the moment I’ll stay, and continue to shore up some fragments against our common ruin, like olive stones piled up next to empty glasses." (Nice reference to Three Body Problem.)
Steal away, my pleasure. 3 Body problem was certainly in mind
I know of that Kehlmann novel but don’t have it, working my way through a huge biography of Bill Buckley, and yes, I probably stay, maybe more out of laziness than any heroism
Personally I reject this polarization of the public debate by which you have to approve 100% of what your "camp" says otherwise you're the enemy. Whatever happened to good old polite disagreement...? God knows we had enough of this with Stalinism and anti-Stalinism and it was hardly productive. Indeed this mentality of rejection eventually leads to supporting Mao or Pinochet, according to whatever camp...
Yes I you do, Muriel, and, I think I largely do too, and anyway I'm a total hypocrite in this regard anyway, plus I spend a huge amount of my time reading platforms, newspapers and authors I strenuously object to. But the question of monetisation of extreme politics, which is really the question here is not one we really saw with Stalinism. And I'd wholly-heartedly agree with the need for discourse, but whether I financially support owners or platforms I object too is a different question. And again, I am a total hypocrite in this regard.
You crack me up, how can I answer to that... But yes, there is a definite of hypocrisy involved in most of our morally virtuous standpoints - including in mine of course, although I try to fight them including against myself, it's a permanent struggle. I can't abide self-righteousness and I see so much of it around us these days (by which I don't mean to disparage your post here!)
I hope you stay, Martin. Continue to be one of the voices of resistance on this platform. I hear and share your concerns--but we have to speak where others can hear us. Curious, have you read Daniel Kehlmann's novel, The Director, about filmmaker G.W. Pabst? It's all about the slippery slope of acquiescence to and then support of vile voices. On another note entirely, I so want to steal your lines for one of my novels: "This is of course a three Martini lunch problem…but for the moment I’ll stay, and continue to shore up some fragments against our common ruin, like olive stones piled up next to empty glasses." (Nice reference to Three Body Problem.)
The Indolent Hero. New series featuring a spy with a martini problem. 😁
Steal away, my pleasure. 3 Body problem was certainly in mind
I know of that Kehlmann novel but don’t have it, working my way through a huge biography of Bill Buckley, and yes, I probably stay, maybe more out of laziness than any heroism
I don't understand the argument. There are people voting for the far right in England and you don't leave England...
More whether you write for Der Stürmer or Pravda...
Lol...
Personally I reject this polarization of the public debate by which you have to approve 100% of what your "camp" says otherwise you're the enemy. Whatever happened to good old polite disagreement...? God knows we had enough of this with Stalinism and anti-Stalinism and it was hardly productive. Indeed this mentality of rejection eventually leads to supporting Mao or Pinochet, according to whatever camp...
Yes I you do, Muriel, and, I think I largely do too, and anyway I'm a total hypocrite in this regard anyway, plus I spend a huge amount of my time reading platforms, newspapers and authors I strenuously object to. But the question of monetisation of extreme politics, which is really the question here is not one we really saw with Stalinism. And I'd wholly-heartedly agree with the need for discourse, but whether I financially support owners or platforms I object too is a different question. And again, I am a total hypocrite in this regard.
You crack me up, how can I answer to that... But yes, there is a definite of hypocrisy involved in most of our morally virtuous standpoints - including in mine of course, although I try to fight them including against myself, it's a permanent struggle. I can't abide self-righteousness and I see so much of it around us these days (by which I don't mean to disparage your post here!)
No, no, you're not, although you are missing the key subject of the post which is about the importance of the occasional 3 Martini lunch !
Of course, silly me, lol!!