Thought for the Day

[bcholmes]

What seems to me a -- in a sense -- very terrifying aspect of our society, and of other societies, is the equanimity and the detachment with which sane, reasonable, sensible people can observe such events. I think that's more terrifying than the occasional Hitler or LeMay or other that crops up. These people would not be able to operate were it not for the... this apathy and equanimity. And therefore I think that it's in some sense the sane and reasonable and tolerant people who share a very serious burden of guilt that they very easily throw on the shoulders of others who seem more extreme or more violent.

— Noam Chomsky, in a 1969 interview with William F. Buckley, as shown in the documentary, Manufacturing Consent

Comments

[supergee]

The sane people are crazy; only he is sane. What a marvelous inadvertent satire of collectivism.

[bcholmes]

That's an interesting response. Care to say more?

[supergee]

The bughouses are full of people who believe that the world is so mad that being "sane" is the true madness. I don't think that the institutionalized ones are correct, and I don't think Chomsky is either.

[bcholmes]

Wow. Okay.

That, uh, feels to me like comparing apples and elephants but, whatever.

[bcholmes]

I think that I would additionally point out that, at many times throughout history, the bughouses also locked up queer people who trying to be heard saying, "Now, wait a minute. I'm not crazy."

[supergee]

I certainly agree that there are false positives as well as false negatives.

[aquaeri]

I'm feeling increasingly out of touch with supergee, shall we say.

[bcholmes]

I'm glad it's not just me.

[aquaeri]

It's definitely not just you. He and the fishie had something of an argument about ablist language just the other day.