http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005 by the authors Fri, 21 Mar 2003 21:46:54 EST http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/03/21/124821.php#comment-5200 Brian, I thought you were going to let me down - I couldn't believe you guys (my anti-war fellow Blogcritics, readers) were just letting this one slide. I know you are sincere and of course it's easy to pick on the most extreme positions, but I am referring specifically to this art display AND also most of what I've heard from the arts community, ie, a large percentage of the anti-war side does think and emote this way. The point of the post is not to take on the anti-war position, just pointing out how generic and trite a large portion of the anti-war element is. We can't fight the big fight with every post - at least I can't. 5200@blogcritics.org Fri, 21 Mar 2003 21:46:54 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/03/21/124821.php#comment-5194 "...simplistic, paranoid, parochial, knee jerk, platitudeness, pessimistic, misdirected, self-deceptive extrusions..." Yeah, I <i>have</i> heard a lot of that from pro-war folks. But, when trying to figure out why the other side wants what it wants, I don't judge it by its most <a href="http://www.frontpagemag.com/content/boycott.asp">moronic exponents</a>. It would be very easy to tar every war proponent with the, say, <a href="http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/871672/posts">Free Republic</a> brush. And I'm going to compliment myself for being gracious here. Because there is little doubt in my mind that if pro-war and anti-war played a game of "Whose Extreme Views Are More Noxious?" those Freepers would tip the scales every time. But they aren't Wolfowitz and Rumsfeld and Cheney and Rice. If I wanted to relax into prejudice, I would just go to Free Republic and other conservative islands and reassure myself that all who disagreed with me are monsters. But their opinions mean very little in this debate. It's the more seriously deliberated thoughts, from serious conservatives and other pro-war folks, that I want to hear and engage. Because I'm still searching--sincerely--for an argument for this war that makes sense to me, because if it exists it is vital that I hear it. And I'll hardly find it scouring through the dregs of the radical right. I'm also waiting for war proponents to stop cherry-picking the most ridiculous images and statements from the anti-war movement and play fair in the same way. 5194@blogcritics.org Fri, 21 Mar 2003 21:17:14 EST