11/19/2009 01:27:04 PM EST

Is conservatism a form of postmodernism? (featuring Palin and Perry)

posted by LudwigVan

While Googling "postmodernism", I came across a few articles referencing a certain VP candidate most recently seen on Oprah, including a recent entry from Andrew Sullivan.

I think we're all missing the point on Palin; making non sequiturs is her job. She's what someone in the chat room called a "fembot", someone pre-programmed to repeat the same refuted talking points when asked questions, and not necessarily staying on topic.

She then becomes the perfect postmodern candidate--an archetype of the bad kind of postmodernism.

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I'm not talking about positive postmodernism in something like music. (I call myself a "postmodern composer" since I fit nearly all the criteria laid out by Eco, Lyotard and Kramer.) And even philosophical postmodernism doesn't offend me; in my nearly forty years in flesh I've found myself growing more agnostic about my understanding of reality; my experience with people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and also with drug users and followers of certain religious groups, has led me to think that a "chemical imbalance" can easily disort one's perceptions. (Lack of sleep can even cause psychosis.) So as much as I've wondered if God really exists, I've also questions my own existence.

But what I'm afraid we're dealing with in Palin, and with the radical right in this country, is a rebellion against the modern world and modernism itself, a fear and resentment of science, reason and the liberal democratic republic. Attached to the term "conservatism" is no longer mere agraranism and mistrust of federal policies. It's a modified neo-Confederatism, a rebellion against America itself. It comes from fear and hate, not only of Obama and Washington, but democracy, pluralism and progress. Since logic and reason is not on their side, and they probably know this, all they have left to argue their point is emotionalism and demagoguery.

Here in Texas, we still have our own Sarah Palin in Rick Perry, who's running again for re-election next year. He's spent all his years as Governor talking talking points--all slogans and no substance, while not really doing much anything for anyone but himself. He keeps getting elected because he's interesting; who cares if he has sound ideas? This is putting likely GOP challenger Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson at a disadvantage; she's obviously better qualified, but too "normal". Pl us a state Democratic Party with a lack of money and personalities has helped (two of the Dem challengers t o Perry are comedian Kinky Friedman and entrepreneur Farouk Shami; maybe this might change with either but the odds are still long).

And you all remember we Texans had to put up with Bush for six years before all of the US had him for eight. Again, he got by on "folksiness", on a phony rural ersatz-American simpli city, not the urban and cosmopolitan "élitism" of overachievers like Clinton and Obama, the obvious "modernist" Presidents.
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Is conservatism a form of postmodernism? (featuring Palin and Perry) | 14 comments (14 topical, 0 hidden)
very interesting (none / 0)
I was thinking of writing a blog about how I think Sarah Palin is a natural product of the reality-TV culture. I think this is somehow related to what you're trying to say. Consider: Sarah Palin deals not in substance, but familiar sound bytes. Her appeal is in superficially mimicking things or attitudes in popular culture that appeal to a specific cross-section of society, without having any real substantive connection to that demographic (consider her wolf-hunting schtick). She also has no well-thought out policy base or an overarching philosophy to go behind it (instead she generically prescribes "lower taxes" and "conservatism" as stand-ins). She lies in every situation to fit what ever convenient spin fits questions that are asked of her, or she changes the subject entirely passing it off as part of her "mavericky" persona. Her propensity to lie and dissemble further propel her through and endless ream of meaningless drama with former colleagues and current enemies keep her in the spotlight and keep the pile of clueless but passionate converts coming. She is, in short, the Amarosa of the political world. How could she be the figurehead of a major political party, just a vote away from the presidency? The chickens are coming home to roost in a country that no longer values the education of its youth.

by hazmat on 11/19/2009 02:11:43 PM EST

You just described... (none / 1)
Barack Obama perfectly (except for the wolf hunting schtick)

Think about it...

by bobo1 on 11/19/2009 02:40:05 PM EST

[ Parent ]
So... (none / 1)

I assume you hate Sarah Palin as well, right?  You know, since they're so similar and all. 

Wait...  forget it.  As usual, you're completely full of shit.

by Spencer on 11/19/2009 02:53:08 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Now Im confused (none / 0)

Spencer, I though conservatism was a form of hemorrhoids.

That's where you shit hangs out.

Now your saying he is full of shit .

 Confusing.

 

by Sock Puppet Fred on 11/19/2009 03:15:20 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Im not a big fan of hers... (none / 1)
But I love how she puts all of you Liberals into a total tizzy fit. Like that Charlie Daniels song says

"Y'all are steppin and fetching like your hair's on fire and your asses is catchin'..."

She scares you guys to death, and that makes me happy...

:)

by bobo1 on 11/19/2009 03:15:46 PM EST

[ Parent ]
I love how (none / 0)
you think Sarah Palin is the greatest thing since sliced bread and in the next breath say you don't really like her that much. I feel sorry for anyone who thinks you're their friend.

by hazmat on 11/19/2009 04:44:59 PM EST

[ Parent ]
TBH (none / 0)

I don't think they, democrats, are affraid of Palin imho. I think they are just ashamed and hope that she doesn't become nominee so the outside world doesn't get to much exposure, because she is dumb as  a brick. The only thing they are affraid of is being made fun of because of her.

 

by Nangijala on 11/20/2009 01:59:42 PM EST

[ Parent ]
no, not really (none / 0)
Barack Obama strikes you as hollow because he, like Sarah Palin, is an effective politician. But the difference between the two is that Obama doesn't create drama to attract cameras, and most importantly, we had many many many oppurtunities to see him interviewed at length over a large variety of policy matters during the campaign. He demonstrated time and again a versed understanding of the issues and the background necessary to tackle solutions to these issues. TWBA and others think he's "an empty suit" because they don't agree with his policy prescriptions. That's just disingenuous. You know it, and I know it.

Barack Obama was vetted. More to the point he had a chance to be thoroughly vetted by the primary electorate, and thanks to Hillary's tough primary campaign by the larger voting public, prior to being elected president. He may not have been tested in real terms, but at least we know that he understands the issues. The voting public was more aligned with him on Election day than with John McCain. That's democracy. When Sarah Palin sat down in extended interviews we came to know that the opposite was true about her. Everyone is generically in favor of lower taxes, so its not enough to simply state your support for that. But that's all she does. I find it amusing that you go on in post after post about how Sarah Palin drives liberals nuts. That's true. We don't understand her appeal. The upside is that we know from your endless ad-hominems that Barack Obama drives YOU nuts. I'm guessing its because you don't understand HIS appeal. You can't say that he lacks substance however, or that he has no specific agenda.

After all, he did win the nobel peace prize.

by hazmat on 11/19/2009 04:43:16 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Yeah (none / 2)
We had the opportunity during the campaign to watch Obama answer softball questions in interviews and debates. The only person who asked a tough question was Joe the plumber. We all know what happened next, sycophantic journalists climbed over each other to defend Obama's stupid answer and attack Joe the plumber.

Joe the plumber was vetted. Obama was ushered across the goal line by journalists, who at Obama's campaign events squealed like little girls at a Jonas Brothers concert.

Now, we've seen Obama in his very first executive position, unless you want to count his job rubber stamping checks for Bill Ayers' Annenberg scam, spend more time meeting with Keef Olberdouche and Rachel Madcow than with General McChrystal. It seems that Teleprompter Jesus is more concerned with escalating the war against Fox News than ending the occupation of Afghanistan.

And don't even bother praising Obama in comparison to President Flight Suit. That would be the soft bigotry of low expectations.


If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's "free."

by TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsTwba on 11/20/2009 05:29:03 PM EST

[ Parent ]
LOL (none / 0)
--Joe the plumber

--Never been president before

-- Teleprompter

 That tired old shit  from the election?

ITS OVER YOUR SIDE LOST  

Give that lame shit a rest

Yea  what a bitch   Obama actually taking time to consider his options when American lives and treasure are at stake.'

Last time I checked Obama is the commander  McCrystal takes orders from him

Guess you dont even know that

A conservative believes nothing should be done for the first time

by C D on 11/20/2009 08:28:47 PM EST

[ Parent ]
If you think (none / 0)
"Joe the Plumber" asks insightful questions, or even tough questions, I feel sorry for your parents.

by hazmat on 11/23/2009 12:31:50 PM EST

[ Parent ]
JTP (none / 0)
Joe asked a simple question that caused Teleprompter Jesus to reveal his Marxist tendency. No wonder Obama shits his britches at the mere thought of sitting across from Brit Hume with no preconditions.


If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's "free."

by TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsTwba on 11/25/2009 12:17:12 PM EST

[ Parent ]
So you are saying (none / 0)
you understood the answers  she gave Oprah?  They where  gibberish.  You could scramble alphabet blocks around  and make sentences out of the results  and it would make the same sense as Palin did.

So Palin  why did you quit  in mid term?

Palin: As a true Alaskan I  knew I could serve Alaskans better if I quit.  I agree with that   but as a cogent answer it fails miserably .

Palin and the gang are post sane

Maybe Im typing this because Im soooo afraid of Palin.   That is laughable. She might get a job as a talk show host on Fox though.

A conservative believes nothing should be done for the first time

by C D on 11/19/2009 03:34:40 PM EST

Professional Wrestling. (none / 0)

The image I get of the Conservative Taliban Party (formerly known as the Republican Party) is really of a bunch of "heel" wrestlers.  I think that a wrestling image is actually even in the opening montage of the movie _Idiocracy_, and IMO it is aptly placed.

Think about professional wrestlers that the audience hates--their entire act is wrestling dirty, working the refs, saying things on the ring microphone intentionally to incite and anger the audience and the "face wrestlers" (the good guys).  If at any time they do or say anything which is slightly noble, it is death to the act--it will confuse the audience into having actual conflict as they process the action, when all the audience should have is pure bloodlust.  So regardless of what the heel wrestler is being interviewed about, he has to throw in a cheap shot at his opponent, or say the most maddening insult about the city they are wrestling in, or gloat about his greatness and kiss his biceps in a disgraceful lack of (what passes as) class.  The whole thing might be an act (the heel wrestlers and the face wrestlers all go out to dinner as friends after the cameras are off, just like Washington is all buddy-buddy about preventing any serious reform of the status quo or challenging the all-powerful Dem-Rep duopoly), but in the ring, every single thing the heel wrestler does has to be intentionally evil.

Ignoring her gender, and ignoring the fact that the parallel isn't perfect (a quarter of this country is _rooting_ for the bad guys, which rarely happens in a wrestling arena, and the Democrats are certainly not crowd favorites right now), Sarah Palin is very much a heel wrestler.  She seeks out camera attention, she distorts every fact to make herself always look like the victim (think of how a heel wrestler pretends to cower in fear to sucker in his opponent so that his manager can hit him from behind with a chair), she is stupid, she is arrogant, she is mean, she plays dirty, she is delusional, her speeches which try to tear down her opponents are nothing but poorly-acted "central casting" boiler plate insults, she blames the refs for her losses, and everything about her image is a complete, utter fraud.

And the MSM are the joke "announcers" who cover everything like it is actually happening for real, rather than all an act.  Who are perpetually awestruck by the spectacle that is the bad guy (with his robe and manager and music and pyrotechnics), and their reaction to this spectacle hypes the conflict and encourages the audience to feel an unwarranted sense of terror, as though they are themselves physically about to be hurt by the heel wrestler.  A perfect little world of flash and adrenaline and fakeness and lies--marketed screamingly to the stupid and to children.
 

by Milltycoon on 11/20/2009 05:30:01 AM EST

Is conservatism a form of postmodernism? (featuring Palin and Perry) | 14 comments (14 topical, 0 hidden)
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