My Trouble With Harry
The reason I’ve taken off after Harry Shearer (I envision a couple of bantamweights, in those outsized billowy shorts, one peppering the other with ineffective shots to the body in a flurry in the corner) is because I want to affect his thinking and writing.
Because I’m tired of our best minds thinking and talking and writing like idiots.
Here’s how they do it: by giving the opposing arguments absolutely no respect. By remaining unrelentingly, self-consciously ignorant about those arguments’ details, depth, heft, whatever.
And by taking every opportunity to magnify the moral weaknesses in their opponents’ arguments and character, resulting in the implication – which they gladly follow – that it is in fact immoral to take seriously those who disagree with them.
I expect it out of the Star-Tribune editorial staff. I do not want it out of Harry Shearer.
Ah, there’s the bell, sending me bouncing back to my worried corner man.
Because I’m tired of our best minds thinking and talking and writing like idiots.
Here’s how they do it: by giving the opposing arguments absolutely no respect. By remaining unrelentingly, self-consciously ignorant about those arguments’ details, depth, heft, whatever.
And by taking every opportunity to magnify the moral weaknesses in their opponents’ arguments and character, resulting in the implication – which they gladly follow – that it is in fact immoral to take seriously those who disagree with them.
I expect it out of the Star-Tribune editorial staff. I do not want it out of Harry Shearer.
Ah, there’s the bell, sending me bouncing back to my worried corner man.
posted by Lonesome Payne at
7:10 AM
