For men…, however apparently contradictory to common sense, and the very principles of all their knowledge; have let loose their fancies and natural superstition; and have been by them led into so strange opinions, and extravagant practices…that a considerate man cannot…avoid thinking them ridiculous, and offensive to a sober man. – John Locke
The human mind is an astonishingly complex system which contains so many separate and often conflicting schemata and cognitive mechanisms, both conscious and unconscious, that there will inevitably be times when the mind holds two contradictory thoughts, ideas or feelings at the same time. This induces cognitive dissonance, an unstable (and emotionally unpleasant) state which must be remedied in order to restore psychic equilibrium. The rational person usually resolves the dilemma by conscious introspection, while the typical person generally clings to his beliefs or emotions and denies the facts which conflict with them. But some deeply delusional individuals are such masters of doublethink that they can accept two completely contradictory cognitions at exactly the same time, and when they reveal these schizoid thought processes to the world via word or deed the rational person cannot help but feel a sort of fascinated pity mingled with fear, disgust or contempt.
Take, for example, the Ukranian protest group Femen, which protests topless because according to founder Anna Hutsol, women “have the right to use our bodies as weapons”. So far, so good; people have the right to use their bodies as they please. So why does Femen oppose sex work?
The controversial women’s rights group known for their provocative protests of world affairs, has taken to the streets of Hamburg…armed with…wearable sex toys…their bodies painted with Swastikas and Hitler mustaches, gesturing their way down the streets in similar fashion to Hitler’s regime nearly 70 years ago…chanting, “Sex slavery is fascism”…
So according to Femen, it’s OK to use one’s sex appeal to get in the news, but not to make a living; even by neofeminist standards this is psychotic. But the cognitive contortions involved are no worse than those in this article about male strippers from The Independent, whose writer (one Francesca Steele) manages to convince herself that male stripping is “empowering” while female stripping is “demeaning” (she tells us that male strippers are “gods on stage”, but female strippers are “objectified”, presumably because the girls make a lot more money than the guys do). The funniest part? Steele seems completely oblivious to the fact that most of male strippers’ clients are other men.
The police are another group who are masters of schizoid thinking:
Police in Ottawa are calling a case in which two 15-year-old girls are charged with human trafficking “shocking.” They say they have never seen anything like it before…[they] allege that on three separate occasions, the girls lured three female victims ranging from 13 to 17 years of age to a city residence…[from which they] were driven to other locations for the purposes of prostitution. The accused girls face multiple charges, including human trafficking, robbery, procuring, forcible confinement, sexual assault, assault, uttering threats and abduction…the victims were confined and somehow forced to engage in prostitution. Police said there was no indication pimps or men played any role…
In plain English: the two 15-year-olds figured out how to place escort ads and talked their three friends into it. But since anyone under 18 is an innocent, asexual “child”, they couldn’t possibly have gone along for money and kicks; they must have been “forced” by “traffickers”. Remember: breaking a law, no matter how stupid or arbitrary, is the one thing which can cause the magic Shazam lightning to strike even one second before midnight on a person’s 18th birthday, thus transforming an innocent child into a ruthless adult criminal. The Kanadian Kops claim they’ve “never seen anything like it before”, so they must not communicate with their American counterparts; teens here are often arrested for “sexually abusing” their consenting partners and prosecuted for “child porn” when they take nude pictures of themselves.
But the undisputed champion of contradiction, the Schizoid Sultan, the Duke of Doublethink, is New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof. Regular readers are familiar with the way he criticizes others for restricting women’s sexual choices while advocating the restriction of those choices, decries the “exploitation” of women while using lurid “sex slave” porn to sell ads for his employers, and attacks some instances of government meddling while praising others and simultaneously stating that it’s natural and good for government intrusions into private affairs to continually increase. Even so, I think he surpassed himself last week:
I’m generally an admirer of Obama’s foreign policy, but his policies toward both Syria and Sudan increasingly seem lame, ineffective and contrary to American interests and values. Obama has shown himself comfortable projecting power — as in his tripling of American troops in Afghanistan. Yet now we have the spectacle of a Nobel Peace Prize winner in effect helping to protect two of the most odious regimes in the world…[Sudan’s] leader has been charged with genocide, has destabilized the region, has sponsored brutal proxy warlords like Joseph Kony, has presided over the deaths of more than 2.5 million people…and the Obama administration doesn’t want him overthrown? In addition, the administration has consistently tried to restrain the rebel force here…Likewise, in Syria, the United States has not only refused to arm the opposition but has, I believe, discouraged other countries from doing so…we should make clear that unless the security forces depose Assad in the next 30 days, our Middle Eastern allies will arm the Syrian opposition. We should work with these allies, as well as with major powers like Russia and China, to encourage a coup…That’s not too much to expect of a Nobel Peace Prize winner.
Yes, you read that correctly: Kristof says that Obama should prove he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize by starting two new wars. I can’t believe that absolutely nobody outside the libertarian press noticed the glaring contradiction, so I suspect that nearly everyone who read any of these stories recognized the conflicts in them immediately…and then promptly discarded such realizations as sources of cognitive dissonance when juxtaposed with their fawning respect for self-proclaimed authorities.
One Year Ago Today
“Whores in History Revisited” is an extended review of a fantastic book I cannot possibly recommend enough.
It is amazing how much doublethink and contradiction exists within prohibitionism.
In Sweden, it is said that prostitution is violence against women, yet gay prostitution – involving no women whatsoever – was also banned; it is illegal for third parties to pay for sexual services yet porn is legal; employing a prostitute is not allowed, yet the authorities tax them; it is acceptable to sell sex but one cannot advertise, work with others, live with a partner, hire a flat etc.
I think Femen is just arrogant. They just believe they were the first to use their femininity as a source of political power and they’re much more radical and unique than any other group of women. Still, they’re doing it in a new way that nobody found. They’re probably better know than the entire sex work right lobby.
As to the Kristof thing, maybe no one but the libertarian press noticed, because only the libertarian press thought he was some kind of unquestioned authority. I think most people just ignored him because he clearly wasn’t writing about something he had any experience with.
That was my impression. I’ve heard plenty of the “liberal and proud of it” press (you have to look to find it) criticize Obama’s foreign policy as too hawkish, but only the libertarian press thought Nicholas freaking Kristof was significant enough to challenge.
He is given a bully pulpit in the nation’s paper of record twice a week, has won a Pulitzer, has legions of adoring, sycophantic fans and 1.5 million Twitter followers who believe everything he says (and vote accordingly) no matter how stupid it is, and he’s invited to speak at international events by organizations from NGOs to the UN. If that’s not “significant” I give up.
OK, I guess I need to remember that just because we here know he’s a fraud doesn’t mean he isn’t an influential one.
And since he has such a bearing on your former profession, and on the specific issue that you build this blog around, it only makes sense that you cover this.
I think I’m usually the “hawk” around here …
Sudan, Syria, even Libya – all conflicts we need to avoid. This is especially true for Syria. Yeah, I’ve heard the arguements – and I’m NOT thinking like a namby-pamby passivist here who’s scared to throw into those conflicts.
I’m thinking strictly in terms of how to keep the “empire” intact and keep Western civilization alive (which is probably a lost cause anyway due to other factors).
The problem is – our intervention just seems to hasten the arrival of Islamo-Facist regimes in the Arab world. They’re coming anyway – but right now the Russians are making themselves (unwittingly) our future allies against these idiots because Putin has thrown just about eveything he has toward keeping Assad in power in Syria. He’s not going to be successful – and the only thing he’s doing is “steeling” the hatred of the Syrian people against Russia – and that will be expressed in violent terms against Russian interests in the Middle East when the Islamo-Fascists do take control of Syria.
Geo-politics is a chess game – you have to think many moves ahead and not just “react” to events as they unfold.
Hopefully once I’ve conqured Sweden and established the reign of “King Krulac, The Penetrator!” … I can sit down and explain this to the President of the US – whoever he is. It’ll have to take a back seat to my first actions of decriminalizing sex work and allowing men to piss upright again though!
This has been bugging me for a while, but Sweden has one of the largest and best equipped militaries in the world. You couldn’t pick many places harder to attack for the size and population in all Europe.
Okay, all the dictators in all those countries were brought into power by the USA to oppress communists but they also oppressed other groups like pro-democracy movements. But not really the Muslim groups, which is one of the reasons “Islamo-Fascism” is so powerful, since they weren’t getting thrown in jail all the time and stuff. So we already kinda of messed up thinking many moves ahead.
And on one hand, I’d really like to discuss this whole Islamo-fascism thing, but that’s gonna be such an angry argument.
Sweden is not a problem – seriously … I got a handle on this one no worries! 🙂
I hope everyone realizes that executing the above statement is VERY difficult in a democracy. Imagine if “President Krulac” went before the American people and said … “No, I’m not doing anything in Syria whatsoever – and, I’m not going to elaborate on why since that only shows our opponents how many aces I have in my hand … good night.”
It would not, and does not – sell very well to a democratic citizenry who see an action and want an immediate reaction.
This is one problem with Democracy and it’s been exascerbated by the fact that the information revolution has placed all kinds of previously “invisible” actions in front of Americans – who then demand immediate action.
I feel that the this problem would be even worse in a libertarian society.
Come over to the authoritarian side, we don’t suffer from this problem as much as other societies AND we have free lunches.
I have no problem with authoritarians living in their little hives; my problem is when they try to supplement their inevitable decay by assimilating creative individuals.
That was a joke
.
I was trying to point that his position seemed rather authoritarian, especially in light of his “thinking strictly in terms of how to keep the “empire” intact” thing.
Sorry, that really didn’t come out right and was not really the tone you’re trying to set here. It was more a reflex. I tend to hang out in circles where humor and jokes are more acceptable than directly confronting someone and outlining exactly why you disagree with the person.
I figured you were at least 3/4 joking, but I still saw it as a good opportunity for a point. 😉
Honestly, I haven’t really made my mind that much on politics, I just try to defend ideas I heard in other places here. Argument for the sake for forcing us to examine our own beliefs.
My “libertarianism” isn’t Maggie’s brand. I’m very much an “empire guy” as far as foreign affairs go.
I’m very libertarian when it comes to my tribe. I want Americans to be free and I’d like for our friends and allies to be equally free also. I don’t have any foolish concepts about applying freedom and democracy in places where the people seem to not want it – nor demonstrate a willingness to sacrifice to get it and / or keep it.
Screw those guys – let them find their own way and that is my “Syrian Doctrine”. And, for those who want to destroy us (like Iran) – I’m all for putting a solid boot on their neck and holding it no matter how long it takes. I would say that half the reason I bust my ass staying in shape is so that I can be “recalled” to active duty when that party happens.
It really doesn’t matter what I think though (until I conquer Sweden, that is 😉 ) … because I’m doubtful that Americans still have the willingness to sacrifice in order to preserve their own freedom. This may place them, very soon, in the “Screw ‘Em” pile.
“a democratic citizenry who see an action and want an immediate reaction”
But do you think many Americans have their eyes on Syria and are more concerned about that than they are about the joblessness and hopelessness in their own neighborhoods? How many people here would care about Iran if people weren’t going around saying “Iran will kill us all!!!!!”?
SOME in America are concerned over Syria. I haven’t seen any polling on it but I know a lot of politicians are wrapped around the axle over it. Obama is getting a black eye (no pun intended) because of it. What’s worse is … Obama is completely an “erradic” leader who flails wildly between action and inaction based on his personal electability. I wouldn’t rule out the posibility that he goes for action in Syria as a means to improve his electoral position. I’m not encouraged at all by recent stories that he and Putin can’t really even look at each other they hate each other so much.
I don’t like Putin either, but at this point in time I’d be smiling and playing the game with him.
Not doing this … http://hotair.com/archives/2012/06/19/video-reset-button-suddenly-not-working/
I m a bit irritated that no other than you and me mentionend FEMEN, a further front of abolitionists and schizoid states.
I don’t think they can do nearly as much harm as the academic neofeminists because most people don’t take them seriously, but anyone who spreads anti-whore bigotry needs to be called out.
There’s hope, even for Sweden. Their supreme court ruled recently that actually, no, drawings are not people.
Funny thing about Sweden: they used to be seen as this land of sexually free people where even actual child pornography was tolerated and the rates of child molestation were low. When xXxenohile comics were translated into Swedish, it was joked that they would be used in elementary school reading programs.
What the hell happened?
Yes, Sweden was quite liberal in the 1970s, but the neofems hijacked the feminist movement, creating the doctrine of Jämställdhet that sought quotas. When these quotas arrived, the neofems became firmly entrenched in the universities, politics and the judiciary.
As time went on, the neofems pushed more and more intervention by the state. The process of incrementalism was perfectly executed; the trend of expanding rights was gradually replaced with restricting rights.