Elsewhere (190)
Further to this, Juan Carlos Hidalgo on the vanity and horror of Venezuelan socialism:
A couple of years ago, the then minister of education admitted that the aim of the regime’s policies was “not to take the people out of poverty so they become middle class and then turn into escuálidos” (a derogatory term to denote opposition members). In other words, the government wanted grateful, dependent voters, not prosperous Venezuelans.
As noted many times, the left’s self-imagined radicals have little to gain from successful, independent people. Because success and independence – independence of them – makes you the enemy.
And Thomas Sowell on socialist thinking as sleight-of-hand:
Free college of course has an appeal to the young, especially those who have never studied economics. But college cannot possibly be free. It would not be free even if there was no such thing as money… Those young people who understand this, whether clearly or vaguely, are not likely to be deterred from wanting socialism. Because what they really want is for somebody else to pay for their decision to go to college.
British readers may recall the student rioting of 2010, during which students took thuggish umbrage at the thought of being expected to pay for their own choices, like adults, albeit with generous credit, and while depicting themselves as “slaves.” A bold choice of words for people so engorged with entitlement that they assume an unassailable right to other people’s earnings. Stripped of its threats and theatrical pretensions, the students’ message was: “I don’t think the degree course I’ve chosen is worth paying for and yet I refuse to do without, therefore someone else should be forced to pay for it instead.”
And by happy coincidence, these little clownlings are currently ‘occupying’ a lecture hall at Sheffield University and demanding a “free, non-hierarchical” university education. Because choosing to take a degree course that they don’t want to pay for, and don’t think is worth paying for, is apparently “a radical act,” and because, being so fabulous, so incredibly radical, they have a “right” to the money that other people had to earn by doing something of value. According to the occupiers and their supporters, learning useful skills and thereby becoming employable “is exactly what education shouldn’t be [about].” Which suggests they probably aren’t the engineers and biochemists of tomorrow.
Feel free to share your own links and snippets in the comments. It’s what these posts are for.
It’s the cliché apocalypse.
Oh, absolutely. It’s the like the 1970s refused to die. There’s lots of “Free Palestine,” “Social Justice” and “Black Lives Matter” – the usual mix of virtue signalling and generic mental rubble. It’s as though even the concept of self-awareness hasn’t yet reached the student union’s inner circle.
One of the protestors is the student union “education officer,” whose Twitter self-description is “socialist, vegan,” and who seems quite titillated by the notion of “student strikes.” He posts things like this. Apparently, the smashing of capitalism is going “pretty well.” And apparently it’s terribly cool to support Jeremy Corbyn while wearing the symbols of sadistic and totalitarian regimes that crushed all dissent, indulged in race-and-class genocide, murdered millions of people and starved millions more. And so one of the great horrors of the 20th century is a badge of virtue for pretentious pricks.
Woo. Yeah.
And now Queer Agenda, “a network of anti-capitalist queer activists in and around the Sheffield area,” are weighing in too.
Oh dear, I didn’t know that Viz characters were based on real life:
Image fixed.
For “Free Poetry Night,” how about some Kipling?
When you’re wounded and left on Afghanistan’s plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Then roll to your rifle and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier . . . of the Queen.
@mojo
‘Nobody reads the ads, Dan. They’re a waste of space, and annoying to boot.’
Yes – as I say, you don’t need to read them.
Your (rather ostentatious) point was (I think) that you block the ads because you can read the content elsewhere.
Well, how long do you think that position will obtain? Do you think the eternal content tree will continue to shower you with free news forever?
That is, I invite you to disagree with my actual point, which is that if you block the ads the sites will eventually go out of business, and all we’ll be left with is the state media (and perhaps a little citizen journalism, which will be easily ignored).
Personally, I just ignore the ads, but as I say it’s a choice we can all make for ourselves and I suppose I’m now talking to others.
(I have no connection with advertising, or any websites btw!)
For “Free Poetry Night”:
There was a young man from Milan
Whose poems would never quite scan.
There was nothing worse
Than his terrible verse,
But he didn’t give a shit.
One of the protestors is the student union “education officer,” whose Twitter self-description is “socialist, vegan,” and who seems quite titillated by the notion of “student strikes.” He posts things like this.
Also like this:
minesh parekh @minesh22 19 Aug 2015 @alexamachin the revolution will be phone canvassed, comrade
One has to admire such a level of fervor and courage that eclipses even that of the October Revolution.
As it’s Free Poetry Night:
In the deepest recesses of my soul;
Off the darkest corridors of my mind
Are rooms as black as fresh hewn coal,
Rooms where light has never shined.
I do not go there, for I am scared
Of those chambers; at what within them dwells.
A bleakness for which I’m ill-prepared,
Past memories of long-vanquished hells.
I will one day have to face that past,
But for now, these rooms can wait.
I shall enter them when at my last,
I can no more postpone my fate.
seems quite titillated by the notion of “student strikes.”
How long will it take them to figure out that for a strike to work you first have to be providing a vital service to someone?
How long will it take them to figure out that for a strike to work you first have to be providing a vital service to someone?
Yes, I’m not sure what it is they plan to stop doing, or why anyone should care if they stop doing whatever it is. Most of their energies seem to go into being vain, pretentious and wearisome.
You almost have to marvel at how these “politically engaged” university students can have no discernible knowledge of twentieth century history or of even the most basic economics, and therefore little sense of perspective, or embarrassment, or adult responsibility. And yet despite these rather serious shortcomings, they have learned to be utterly disingenuous, not least regarding the word “free.” But I suppose it’s what happens when you give the left a chokehold on the education of your children.
Image fixed.
Thanks David.
No thanks needed. As you can see, it was fixed in a half-arsed way.
Oh dear, I didn’t know that Viz characters were based on real life
From what I can make out, “anti-capitalist queer activism” is what gives unattractive gay people something to do of an evening.
Hear them roar.
Actually this is what I’m seeing and hearing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWS4Eu8E2z4
Ooh, it’s all kicking off at Occupy Sheffield.
The masses are gathered. Capitalism with fall any moment now.
“Capitalism with fall any moment now”
Then where will they buy skinny jeans and Chuck Taylors?
Then where will they buy skinny jeans and Chuck Taylors?
Or a smartphone with a camera that can actually focus.
Is the feminization of western society putting us in an irreversible tailspin?
http://americandigest.org/mt-archives/5minute_arguments/thoughtcrimes_why_women_d.php
Oh dear.
I tend not to concern myself with trivialities like “where’s the content gonna come from then, eh?” (If I may speak in such a yobbish tone).
And now Queer Agenda, “a network of anti-capitalist queer activists in and around the Sheffield area,” are weighing in too.
Speaking of Sheffield University and people weighing in, did anyone else see this story?
A Christian postgraduate student has been expelled from his course, effectively ending his chances of a career as a social worker, for voicing opposition to gay marriage in a Facebook discussion.
[…]
… he was summoned to a disciplinary hearing at Sheffield University after a fellow student complained about his post.
[…]
… a university “fitness to practise” panel concluded that he was entitled to his opinion on the issue of gay marriage but that there was a danger he “may have caused offence to some individuals” by voicing it.
Just what level double-think is required to let someone think that you can be entitled to your opinion so long as you don’t actually voice it?
This is not about the quality of the opinion he expressed – for what it’s worth it is somewhat offensive after all – but surely it was not at all inconsistent with the beliefs of his faith.
Are practising Muslims and Jews as well as Christians now to be barred from social work?
From what I can make out, “
anti-capitalist queeractivism” is what gives unattractivegaypeople something to do of an evening.David, I fixed something for you in return.
To be fair, the ‘unattractive’ part is mostly the hysterical, irrational and reprehensible behaviour. Mostly.
They’re just being young people and students. Some of them will grow up and become useful people, the others will become money sinks in make work jobs like social justice/gender studies faculties and ‘progressive’ think tanks to keep them out of the way. We’re going to pay for them one way or another but at least that stuff keeps them out of sight if you don’t go looking for them.
To be fair, the ‘unattractive’ part is mostly the hysterical, irrational and reprehensible behaviour. Mostly.
You’re a very kind person. Very.
From Thomas Sowell, above…
“Socialism is in fact a wonderful vision — a world of the imagination far better than any place anywhere in the real world, at any time over the thousands of years of recorded history. Even many conservatives would probably prefer to live in such a world, if they thought it was possible.”
Often, when I hear the arguments of socialists, I’m reminded of those advertisements that appear in newspapers offering a cure for baldness. No matter how plausible and agreeable the presentation one cannot quite believe it because, after all, if it worked there would be no bald men.
I live in eternal hope that we will one day decide that capitalism, for all its spectacular ability to produce excess value, should not be used to provide sustenance for termites.
the others will become money sinks in make work jobs like social justice/gender studies faculties and ‘progressive’ think tanks to keep them out of the way. We’re going to pay for them one way or another but at least that stuff keeps them out of sight if you don’t go looking for them.
The kind of wishful thinking that put Obama in the White House and has a corrupt nutcase like hrc polling higher than anyone else despite numerous scandals, deceptions, and lies that would have sunk anyone on the right ages ago.
I think R Sherman may have noted this before, but it bears repeating:
It turns out that parents who pay attention would rather not pay a fortune to send their children to a university where professors behave like delinquent teenagers, obstruct traffic, make thuggish threats and then lie about it afterwards, all while being championed by many of their faculty peers. Now if only more parents and alumni would pay attention.
The deep wisdom of Occupy Sheffield:
“Fuck capitalism.” And paying bills. Because hey, who wants to grow up?
“Fuck capitalism.” And paying bills. Because hey, who wants to grow up?
You mustn’t blow their cover, David. Think of their feelings.
You mustn’t blow their cover, David. Think of their feelings.
I suspect they think about their feelings quite enough for both of us.
From what I can make out, the protestors – who insist they “aren’t all Marxists” – want to live in a society rich enough (thanks to the capitalism they want to fuck) to allow flaky students all the choices and opportunities they currently have (and which are rarely present in non-capitalist societies, which they claim to like very much, despite not living there, and think we should emulate). They just don’t want to pay for any of this choice and opportunity, ever, even with very generous credit. Because that’s such a drag, man.
And so the slogan “a right not a privilege” seems likely to mean one of two things. Either that they, being socialist students, have a “right” to compel lecturers and support staff to work for free indefinitely, or that they, being socialist students, have a “right” to force other people to subsidise the lifestyle choices of socialist students, regardless of how sustainable or equitable those lifestyle choices are, and regardless of how inequitable such an arrangement might be for those being stiffed with the bill.
Likewise, the glib, self-satisfied slogan “you can’t capitalise on our passions” presumably means, “I want to spend years reading novels, studying English literature and getting a fairly easy qualification of limited market value but which will nonetheless signal my superiority, and all at no cost whatsoever to me. Whatever I choose to do, however impractical and self-indulgent, someone else should always pick up the tab. Because… er, socialism!”
It rather smells like an excuse.
And top it all off with a hammer and sickle.
Wow.
“I want to spend years reading novels …”
Your age is showing, David. I think it’s been a few years since many students purporting to study literature have done anything quite so unreconstructed as reading whole books.
Your age is showing, David.
[ Applies moisturiser frantically. ]
The deep wisdom of Occupy Sheffield:
Just curious about the “Resourse based economy” – is that a British spelling, or a Communist-Anarchist spelling ?
Re Occupy Sheffield, this seems somewhat relevant.
As rjmadden noted at the time, replace ‘capitalism’ with ‘adulthood’ and all becomes clear.
As a leading Myrmicologist once observed about Marxism:”Nice theory, wrong species.”
… is that a British spelling …?
What?!
I’m not sure these people quite understand the process of studying for a degree. They seem to believe the experience should always be “relaxing,” like staying in an expensive hotel. Or a rest home for the elderly.
On the upside, however, they have finally managed to finish their banner. So the week’s not been a total waste.
I’m not sure these people quite understand the process of studying for a degree.
But David, work is hard and therefore unfair.
So you either compel ‘educators’ to work for no pay, in which case you are a slaver; or you make someone else pay them, in which case you are a thief.
And they say capitalism is immoral.
Would it be safe to say that these privileged, indoctrinated children holding up their tiny fists are “slacktivists”?
Good gad, imagine these spoiled brats let loose in the Alaskan wilderness to commune with nature. What fun for everyone else!
Occupy Sheffield are now blaming the inconvenience caused by relocating lectures on university management, not on the people whose arrogance and selfishness made the relocation necessary by occupying the lecture hall in the first place, i.e., themselves.
Again, the vanity of these people is fascinating to watch.
The clownlings’ drama continues:
No doubt trauma will ensue.
a legal process has started to gain possession of the space.
And I thought it was the students who were being a bunch of p*ssies.
And I thought it was the students who were being a bunch of p*ssies.
Quite. If a handful of burly security staff were to relocate the protestors, quite firmly, during the night, around 4am, I suspect their bluster would evaporate almost instantly. It would be a quicker, cheaper and much more fitting solution.
a legal process has started
Hahahahaha, choke, cough.
They still won’t understand.