Progress

[malthaussen]

9. Of course it's the sentiment that interests me more than the person...

... but nice to have my fuzzy memory confirmed.

I tend to interpret social dynamics in terms of oppressors and oppressed, and it is interesting (and lamentable) how often the oppressed can be encouraged to turn on each other to fight over the few scaps the oppressors are willing to "grant." (Echoing Justice Kennedy's opinion) At the same time, the oppressors like to pretend that they are competing with each other, but I wonder sometimes if they don't conspire more frequently than they would have us know. Probably not, since bloody-mindedness tends to follow the same predictable forms, just as seemingly dissent seems to follow predictable forms of inclusion and exclusion. Even here at DU, we find people struggling for the "purity" of the Party. Fortunately, we also find a lot of people more interested in discussing issues of importance, and interested in pragmatic application.

-- Mal