How trying to prevent genocide becomes genocide

I just left the following comment to M. Simon's last post:

Mein Kampf is a bestseller in the Mideast.

So why is that Glenn Reynolds' remark -- that fighting and winning a smaller war now is the best way to avoid the genocidal war our enemies want -- gets him accused of being a murderous genocidal fascist?

See my post (and if you have the stomach, follow the Greenwald and Sadly No! links):

http://www.classicalvalues.com/archives/004746.html

According to the Greenwald Law, if the enemy wants an all out, worldwide, genocidal war and you want to avoid that by taking precautions now, you're said to be advocating genocide.

Can you explain the logic? I can't. Because there is no logic. But if there's one thing I've learned in nearly four years of blogging, it's that defeating the logic of an argument does not defeat the argument.

I'm sorry to sound like a pessimist (or worse, an angry ex lawyer), but the process almost reminds me of litigation.

While I don't usually bump comments into posts, I figured I'd make an exception here, because this is one of my pet peeves.

Believe me, I hate litigation. So when I say that blogging reminds me of litigation, it's a way of expressing frustration over the inherently repetitive nature of blogging. It really is like litigation, and the reason that's unpleasant for me is that I didn't like litigation. I truly despised -- even loathed -- litigation. With every bone in my body.

An experienced insurance defense lawyer I knew (who had a sense of humor and saw the big picture) put it rather well:

Being a litigator is like shoveling shit. They'll shovel shit at you, and you just shovel it right back. If you don't mind shoveling shit, it's a very good way to make a living!"
Well, now you know where your insurance premiums go.

And now I'm really getting this blog blocked by the net nannies, because I had a shit linkfest the other day, and this is just shit on top of shit and they only let you say shit so many times and when that's on top of Ann Coulter's faggotry, why, I'm afraid that if I had a kid, I wouldn't want him anywhere near this blog!

Damn! (See what's happening to me?)

I'm literally up to my neck in shit a dirty war.

(Pretty soon I'll be guilty of genocide.)

Actually, I think I've preemptively pleaded guilty to the genocide charge. Yep, I did.

AFTERTHOUGHT: It just occurred to me that with an election comin', we ain't seen nothin' yet. (Sorry to sound "Southun" there, but I have contempt for contempt-based strategies.)

UPDATE: Thanks Bird Dog!

Commenter Jeremy Bowers discusses this interesting essay about blogs and nihilism. There seems to be a recurrent meme that too many blogs means blogs represent nihilism (the "flattening" argument). Yes, and infinity is nothing. But life still has a purpose, and there is still good and evil, even if we cannot pinpoint these things with exactitude. And of course, if you look for nihilism, you're bound to find it.

posted by Eric on 03.08.07 at 09:08 AM





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Comments

Way back when before the war actually began I had a long discussion about the probability of violence breaking out. At one point he blurted out, "I'd rather get hit than hit anyone else."

That mentality goes a long way towards explaining why some people make the arguments they do, I think.

bkw   ·  March 8, 2007 11:35 AM

You may find this interesting, re: repetitive blogging.

Jeremy Bowers   ·  March 8, 2007 01:31 PM

"Believe me, I hate litigation. So when I say that blogging reminds me of litigation, it's a way of expressing frustration over the inherently repetitive nature of blogging."

if one seeks an argument
(online or elsewhere)they usuualy appear
with great ease.

i myself believe in testing ideas, viewpoints,and opinions,
which entails a fair bit of argument.
as a rule, i don't believe
"all opinions are equal"

keep in mind we,as individuals,condition the kinds of exchanges we participate in.
the "art of conversation"
is,indeed, an art.

the 'Net is a big 'ole soup of stuff.
not all of it arguements or politics.

(BD at Maggie's Farm linked to you today...surfing over from there.)

-best regards.

gumshoe   ·  March 8, 2007 01:36 PM

I share your frustration.

Seems a new ranting, uninformed commenter is birthed into the blogosphere every second. (Or millisecond?)

The Scrutinator   ·  March 8, 2007 06:55 PM

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