Here’s a quote from the NYT’s review on their website:
I get a strong sense from that review that the book should not be taken at face value.
A heroin addict that kicked the habit and works as a drug counselor, then, is a hypocrite?
No.
And there is no reason in the world to not preach about virtue and then gamble, unless you claim that gambling is unvirtuous. If you don’t condemn gambling, there is no way generic claims about virtue can be read to mean you’re anti-gambling.
You have this idiotic idea that being a moral scold somehow obligates you to believe in every issue any other moral scold also believes in. Somehow, by talking about virtue, Bennett was secretly saying he was against gambling. What else was he saying? Was he against football on Sunday, the Lord’s Day? Was he against alcohol? Was he against gum chewing? Smoking? Tobacco in other forms? Caffeine? Was he against mixing meat and dairy products? Tell me, oh Seer of Seers, oh Prognosticator of Prognosticators, just what was in Bennett’s mind?
Because, you see, fuck if I know. I just read his book and assumed that what he said in it is what he was saying. I didn’t have a nutso psychic like you on hand to reveal what that cagey motherfucker was REALLY thinking.
Maybe, to simplify these issues in the future, you could publish a web page with your valued insights on the real meanings of words in the English language. Put those fuckers at Merriam-Webster right the fuck out of business, that will. All these years those assholes have been trying to tell us they knew what words meant. Why the fuck didn’t you ever apply for a job there? You could have set those cocksuckers straight in no time, patiently expelling that the actual words don’t mean shit … It’s what YOU think they mean that matters.
Right?
Well yes, I think that if one lambastes opponents for not recognizing the overwhelming importance of the Ten Commandments, one should have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to observing them (noting that there are questions as to whether Palin has actually been violating said Commandments).
As to anyone who upholds him or herself as an exponent of Virtue, you don’t get to pick and choose what virtues to personally espouse as a matter of convenience. You* can write bestsellers about virtuous behavior but if you get caught committing bestiality, you won’t get off the hook by pointing out that your books didn’t specifically address fornicating with barnyard animals.
And if you** get off on castigating board liberals for hypocrisy and intellectual dishonesty, it behooves you to understand the meaning of those terms and to avoid falling into similar traps yourself.
*the generic “you”.
**not the generic “you”.
OK, I’m idly curious, as a liberal Democat who, while mostly laissez-faire about vices (everybody has the right to ruin their own life in their own way), is also opposed to institutionalized gambling–I wonder, which of the Ten Commandments prohibits gambling?
Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s donkey.
Assuming that you’re playing for your neighbor’s donkey - so it may not prohibit all gambling, but at least a subset
Very well written. A literate person, you are. I’m sure the usage of the word grates on people just like using “momentarily” to mean “in a moment” grates on me.
No, but a heroin addict that claimed to have never had the habit and who worked furiously to demonize and denigrate those who suffer from heroin addiction while still being an unadmitted addict surely would be.
Your habit of parsing words and stretching credulity to fit your preconceived worldview is wearying.
Coke-snorting jungle fever is the real America, says Palin
Haven’t seen or heard anything about the book that could make me give a shit about Sarah Palin. If you need this book to think less of Sarah Palin, you haven’t been paying attention.
I will say that I’m disappointed to hear the book contains large about of gossipy blather. I’d wager there’s a fair amount of actual real dirt to dig up and investigate. Of course that wouldn’t sell for shit so the author decided to play the “coke whore” card.
I’m reminded of the book, The Clinton Chronicles, that Jerry Fallwell was peddling back in the 90s.
Dunno. Is he a “don’t make mistakes like me” counselor or a “follow the path of virtue like me” counselor?
I require consistency. If he has some unknown basis for carving out gambling from the standard moral-scold menu… well, as I said, it’s unknown until he chooses to reveal it. If his basis is the obvious one of self-interest… well, his dentist might want to recommend a switch to unsweetened porridge.
I believe that Ms Palin has degraded herself to levels of douche baguette that dignity and privacy are no longer credible. There is no snarking season, she is duck, she is rabbit, and she is in season.
Nonsense. Just because she chooses to give up her dignity doesn’t mean she can’t have privacy.
And again, there are already plenty of valid reasons to have a low opinion of her already. Why dig up petty ones from her past?
Is there any truth at all to to McGiniss’s allegations? I haven’t heard a whisper about this anywhere except here on the Dope.
Said better than I could have. Thank you.
Because they’re funny?
A trivial and shallow concern. Clearly, you are not a serious person. Sit over here, and I’ll get us a couple beers.
Get one for yourself, too.
Bill Walton tweets:
“The book also reports that Palin was once seen snorting cocaine off the top of a 55-gallon drum while snowmobiling with friends.”
Respect. That takes skills.
No shit! I don’t think I could even ride a snowmobile while sitting on top of a 55 gallon drum, MUCH LESS while doing blow!