tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22165230.post9032766140712856605..comments2023-12-16T16:50:25.810-08:00Comments on The Heart of the Matter: The Definition of InsanityBarry Eislerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17785333622697500192noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22165230.post-4603047508433182332010-12-13T20:57:10.712-08:002010-12-13T20:57:10.712-08:00Randy, that's a good point, and if I had been ...Randy, that's a good point, and if I had been trying to persuade Broder himself, sarcasm would have been a poor tool. But I doubt Broder read this piece, and even if he did, I don't think he is persuadable. So: in this case, I'm more interesting in ridiculing Broder's ideas, the better to show how ridiculous they are, than I am in trying to persuade Broder himself.Barry Eislerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17785333622697500192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22165230.post-57042747645637464052010-12-13T17:11:11.260-08:002010-12-13T17:11:11.260-08:00While skimming through your article, I noticed the...While skimming through your article, I noticed the bit where you recommend we not use sarcasm - doesn't work well, especially to change minds. <br />A little further on I noticed you reverted easily to sarcasm in your description and critisism of Broder's piece.<br />Were you aware of that? I wonder.<br /><br />R Stone HonoluluUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06436578983260748482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22165230.post-12494200263971958712010-11-15T09:24:56.405-08:002010-11-15T09:24:56.405-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Terry Odellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11610682530545306687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22165230.post-64572180204306682462010-11-14T09:25:46.867-08:002010-11-14T09:25:46.867-08:00I regularly find myself laughing out loud when you...I regularly find myself laughing out loud when you paint some blatant piece of spin in stark colors. It's a rare pleasure when reading political blogs.<br /><br />The quotation from Orwell reminded me of a CS Lewis moment when he wasn't in full-bore apologist mode: "If people will spend neither sweat nor blood for "their country" they must be made to feel that they are spending them for justice, or civilisation, or humanity. This is a step down, not up." <br /><br />As he also inferred later in the same piece, this all would be "roaring farce" if not for the very real atrocities perpetuated and, perhaps, planned.<br /><br />Like you, I occasionally suffer from an alliteration affliction. It happens.FishNoGeekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08871436172661076318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22165230.post-64443857768002455312010-11-08T14:33:29.234-08:002010-11-08T14:33:29.234-08:00Great post. With respect to Broder's economic...Great post. With respect to Broder's economic benefit argument, Jonathan Chait had some interesting thoughts on WWII "stimulus spending":<br /><br /> "By emphasizing the worthiness of his spending proposals, Obama has allowed the debate to revolve around the merits of each project. Normal spending is judged on those terms—whether the goods or services justify their cost. The point of stimulus spending, by contrast, is simply to spend money—on something useful if possible, wasteful if necessary. World War II was an effective stimulus that, economically speaking, consisted of 100 percent waste. If war hadn’t broken out, we could have enjoyed the same economic benefit by building all those tanks and planes and dumping them into the ocean." Feb. 12, 2009<br /><br />So to Broder, I wonder if "war" is much more palatable than "stimulus."Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13801300841431019816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22165230.post-36016095273119546712010-11-08T12:10:36.920-08:002010-11-08T12:10:36.920-08:00This was probably your best article yet and I have...This was probably your best article yet and I have nothing to add. Thank you for such a brilliant demonstration of sanity.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com