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20110920

You've got to be kidding me!




Is this someone's idea of a joke?

Posted by Ben Trovato :

4 comments:

  1. Jeremiah9/20/11, 1:13 PM

    What? Reverend Robert H. Schuller was not available?

    I mean, with all the motivational books he has written and all:

    - Way To The Good Life (1963)

    - Move Ahead With Possibility Thinking (1967)

    - You Can Be The Person You Want To Be (1976)

    - Self-Esteem: The New Reformation (1982)

    - Tough Times Never Last but Tough People Do (1983)

    - The Power of Being Debt Free (1985)

    - Living Positively One Day At A Time (1986)

    - Success Is Never Ending, Failure Is Never Final (1990)

    - Life's Not Fair, But God Is Good (1991)

    - Don't Throw Away Tomorrow (2005)

    Think of the possibilities therein.

    Or the reverend could have just simply recycled the kind of speeches he delivered to the unemployed of Flint, Mich., back then, when GM had closed several auto plants in that city, costing 30,000 people their jobs at the time (80,000 to date) and economically devastating the city.

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  2. JoMala "Truth 101" Kelly9/21/11, 9:57 PM

    Do these "speakers" really show up at these things or is it just a bunch of saps watching a tape of them on the jumbotron?

    And what in Christ's name is so motivating about Laura Bush. Nice lady I'm sure. But motivating?

    Unless her message is be a librarian until republicans cut the budget and lay you off but meet a rich republican and marry him and become first lady.

    On the other hand, that does sound successful. Not that I advocate anyone marrying a republican, but if you must, make sure it's a rich one.

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  3. Nausicaa9/25/11, 4:11 PM

    Compassionate conservatism in action, you know.

    Or is that Neoliberalism 2.0 ?

    It's an old meme: self-proclaimed "compassionate conservatives" of all stripes (it goes back to the 19th century, and all the way back to the feudal Roman Catholics monarchies of old, way before then, when the poor still new their place) have been promoting the belief that conservatism and compassion complement each other.

    The compassionate conservatives of today (Republicans and New Democrats alike) will tell you that social problems (such as, say, health care, for instance) are matters that are better solved through cooperation with private companies, charities and religious institutions rather than directly through government departments.

    According to Myron Magnet and Marvin Olasky, compassionate conservatism is based in part on the Christian doctrine of original sin, which holds that "Man is sinful and likely to want something for nothing. ...Man’s sinful nature leads to indolence." (Olasky, "Renewing American Compassion")

    And so, in Magnet's words:
    Compassionate conservatives [...] offer a new way of thinking about the poor. They know that telling the poor that they are mere passive victims, whether of racism or of vast economic forces, is not only false but also destructive, paralyzing the poor with thoughts of their own helplessness and inadequacy. The poor need the larger society's moral support; they need to hear the message of personal responsibility and self-reliance, the optimistic assurance that if they try – as they must – they will make it. They need to know, too, that they can't blame "the system" for their own wrongdoing.

    Enlightening, isn't it? All we need to tell the poor is: Come on, fellas, shape up.

    There is no misunderestimating the wisdomocity of compassionate conservatism to motivate people to put food on their family.

    I find it only fitting that Laura Bush be present on that panel. Didn't her husband George W. Bush write the foreword to Olasky's "Compassionate Conservatism?" After all, the 43rd POTUS did help popularized the term when he adopted it as a slogan during the 2000 presidential campaign.

    The old shibboleth has been denounced, of course, as simply sugarcoating; an empty phrase or vacuism to make traditional conservatism sound more appealing to moderate voters.

    Empty phrases and vacuism?!

    In American politics???!!!

    GASP!

    Who needs that, right?

    People do expect better from their president, now, don't they?

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  4. JoMala "Truth 101" Kelly9/27/11, 9:48 PM

    I think you successfully insulted everyone on earth that needed insulting Nausicaa.

    I think I was in there also. Anyway, well done.

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