[Vision2020] Intoleristas (was Re: Who Dat?)

[Paul Rumelhart]

Scott Dredge wrote:
> I get a kick out Doug and Dale when they complain about egalitarianism 
> and then when they find themselves on the short end of the stick, they 
> complain about how it's so unfair that they're being mistreated.  Doug 
> will write on his blog 'What's good for the goose is good for the 
> gander'.  And he's exactly right except he saves that bit only for 
> when he thinks he's getting short shrift and is completely blind to it 
> for anyone else being treated unequally.  That's what happens to folks 
> like Doug who lack empathy - they can't see beyond their own 
> situation.  Same holds true for Dale when he objects to groups like 
> the Mormons being boycotted because of in Dale's words 'simply how 
> they voted (think prop8)'.  Of course it completely escapes Dale that 
> the prop 8 vote eliminated rights previously granted to a minority 
> group.  It seems perfectly logical to me that if group M mobilized and 
> engages in actions that negatively affects group S, then group S and 
> their supporters would counteract to engage in actions that negatively 
> affects group S.  Dale would rather that Group S just give up and 
> accept their role of second class citizen.  So...I challenge Dale and 
> Doug to simply practice what they preach and when they think (even if 
> they are mistaken) that they are being mistreated or targeted, they 
> should simply just suck it up and accept their lot in life and 
> understand that their (perceived) attackers are only acting in similar 
> fashion that Dale and Doug think is perfectly fine.
>
> Paul, I agree with your comments about corporations competing on a 
> level playing field, but again that smacks of egalitarianism that Doug 
> and Dale hate so much (again unless their on the disadvantages side of 
> the situation. 
>
> -Scott

I can see how it might look like egalitarianism, but I think it's the 
opposite.  There's nothing that says you can't have ultra-rich SOBs 
lording it over the rest of us if you level the playing field.  They 
just have to work for it instead of having it handed to them on a silver 
platter as a result of gaming the system.  I thought Doug and Dale had 
libertarian tendencies.  I would have thought they would be as much 
against gaming the system as I am, because it props up those who are by 
definition unworthy of being at the top.

Paul