Re-run: Against the Fall of Night
[This is both a linkfest and a re-run of a post from 02-16-06. I am reposting it because of a trend I have long noted: every negative comment I have recieved when I have posted anything anti-Islamic or anti-illegal alien has been from folks who have apparently determined that their best chance for success in life is to beat themselves over the heads enough times that, regardless where they started out on the Bell Curve, they end up firmly fixed on the lower lefthand side... ]
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Some will recognize the title of this post as the title of a book by Arthur C. Clarke written in 1948 in a serialized version–IIRC–and issued in one volume in 1953. And those who recognize both the title and the book will immediately recognize the meme and fill in the gaps of this post rather readily, even though this post will address only one of many issues that would fit with that meme.
Those who have never read the story, will simply not “get†this post quite so fully (which, now that I’ve mentioned it, makes that lack of a shared meme a meta-comment in itself… )
That’s just one of many values of shared memes: the ability to invoke a broad concept and trust that the reader or hearer will have a fuller understanding of what’s going on than the plain text of the article or story in which the meme is embedded says.
There is more to the invocation of a shared meme, but that will suffice for this post.
Now, here’s the nut of the post.
Angel, of Woman Honor Thyself, has an evocative post up, Democracy, or something like it [N.B., that was at her old blog location, so it may no longer be available] that deals with what I might call the problem of an Islamic democratic republic. Interesting post, indeed.
But it spurred some thoughts in me, naturally.
Pakistan is indeed a mess. *sigh*
But Angel’s observation that “50 percent [of Pakistanis] are illiterate†struck a nerve. There’s “illiterate†and then theres… “illiterate,†American style, where half of the graduates of four-year colleges in the U.S. (according to a recent survey, another article here) can sound or puzzle out words, but are clueless when it comes to comprehending the content of a newspaper editorial or… a soup can label.
*profound sigh*
(Which is worse? Someone who can’t drive and doesn’t or someone who can’t drive and tries to? Or more closely, which is worse: People who can’t read the directions on a prescription bottle or people who think they can read, but can’t comprehend the instructions?)
BTW, two-year college grads (usually an “A.B.†degree) came in at less than 30% being able to comprehend normal written English.
(Oh, and in understanding “complex†literacy tasks–like charts that show the relationship between exercise and blood pressure–four year college grads in the survey cited above scored about a 30% literacy rate!)
Now, even if these folks can puzzle out the words in an article or book, if they can’t demonstrate comprehension of the content, how much better off are they–and our society–thinking they can read… when they plainly cannot really read?
And then there’s the vast abyss between functional literacy and true literacy.
“There is a tide…†was once a meme which would evoke a profound metaphor, but now? And there are many such that have been repaced by shallow metaphors, weak analogies, cultural illiteracy. “Western Civilization†is–for many reasons, most of them without any redeeming value whatsoever–withering. It seems to me that the meme referred to above is a profound metaphor for the crossroads we face: the Decline and Fall of Western Civilization… or its renaissance:
“There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.â€Ââ€â€(Shakespeare, Julius Caesar)
“There is a tide…†and we can either catch the tide and make use of its energy or we can be swept under by it.
Of course, I firmly believe the miserable existence Pakistan seems destined for is a product of its Islamic-dominated culture: there is little of value in Islam, and none, IMO, that cannot be found in richer abundance in the heritage of Western Civilization.
But the societal juijitsu designed in the psyops efforts of communism to defeat “the west†has borne fruit in the more and more common acceptance of the “all cutures are of equal worth†meme used by communitst organs (seriously: revealed as a specific tactic in recently revealed Stalinist papers) to hamper our society. Others may well be just as recognizable, and they ALL depend on exploitation of a culurally illiterate society. From Armed and Dangerous, excerpted from the post, “Gramscian Damage“, this list:
*There is no truth, only competing agendas.
*All Western (and especially American) claims to moral superiority over Communism/Fascism/Islam are vitiated by the West�s history of racism and colonialism.
*There are no objective standards by which we may judge one culture to be better than another. Anyone who claims that there are such standards is an evil oppressor.
*The prosperity of the West is built on ruthless exploitation of the Third World; therefore Westerners actually deserve to be impoverished and miserable.
*Crime is the fault of society, not the individual criminal. Poor criminals are entitled to what they take. Submitting to criminal predation is more virtuous than resisting it.
*The poor are victims. Criminals are victims. And only victims are virtuous. Therefore only the poor and criminals are virtuous. (Rich people can borrow some virtue by identifying with poor people and criminals.)
*For a virtuous person, violence and war are never justified. It is always better to be a victim than to fight, or even to defend oneself. But “oppressed” people are allowed to use violence anyway; they are merely reflecting the evil of their oppressors.
*When confronted with terror[ism] , the only moral course for a Westerner is to apologize for past sins, understand the terrorist’s point of view, and make concessions.
And we can see that the strategy of spreading these memes has worked to the detriment of our country–and indeed, of Western Civilization–on an increasingly subliterate and even illiterate society. A genuinely literate population would be more resitant to these nonsensical memes. And the fake “liberalism†that has no connection whatsoever to classic liberal thought but has gained so much sway in politics, the media and academia nowadays? All dependant on these lying memes, and each vulnerable to a literate public.
(An obvious corollary of “a genuinely literate population would be resistant to these nonsensical memes†suggests, in the presence of many Academia Nuts who embrace these lying communist memes, that a large number of Academia Nuts, Mass Media Podpeople, Hollyweirdites and Democraps are, at the very least, culturally illiterate… or traitors… or just plain old everyday stupid.) Hmmm…. can I take door numbers one, two and three, please?
Posted: February 19th, 2007 under Blogroll.
Tags: stupid is as stupid does
Trackback URL for this post: http://www.thirdworldcounty.us/wp-trackback.php?p=2858
Comments
Trackback from stikNstein….has no mercy
Time February 19, 2007 at 7:36 AM
Former NBA player reveals he’s gay….Other former NBA player reveals he’s stupid…
OMG……A stupid Homophobe…….say it aint so.
BUT……IS IT NEWS?
When asked, CNN Anchor Wolf Blitzer defended the coverage probably saying:
“It’s important to Americans that we have at least one story in ever…
Trackback from Faultline USA
Time February 19, 2007 at 8:15 AM
Open Trackback Monday: Presidents Day…
Today is Presidents’ Day. ?I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man. ~George Washington…
Pingback from Right Voices » Blog Archive » Britt Hume Takes on Murtha; doesn’t know “what the heck is going on in the world”
Time February 19, 2007 at 8:17 AM
[...] Trackposted to Bumpshack: Where the News Always Bumps!, Is It Just Me?, The Virtuous Republic, Random Dreamer, Mark My Words, Big Dog’s Weblog, basil’s blog, Shadowscope, DragonLady’s World, Cao’s Blog, The Bullwinkle Blog, Conservative Thoughts, Pursuing Holiness, Sujet- Celebrities, third world county, Faultline USA, Right Celebrity, Allie Is Wired, Wake Up America, stikNstein… has no mercy, Blue Star Chronicles, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, Dumb Ox Daily News, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe. Bookmark to: Tags: press, Murtha, , Iraq, , Politics, , Think, Progress, , Anti, War, , troops, , funding [...]
Trackback from Right Voices
Time February 19, 2007 at 8:17 AM
Britt Hume Takes on Murtha; doesn’t know “what the heck is going on in the world”…
Ian has the video of Hume discussing Jack Murtha.
Transcript:
HUME: That sound bite from John Murtha suggests that it’s time a few things be said about him. Even the “Washington Post” noted he didn’t seem particularly well informed about wh…
Trackback from Maggie’s Notebook | Blog
Time February 19, 2007 at 8:28 AM
King Abddullah: Humaneness and Desert Values…
I thought I was reading the New York Times, but instead it was Arab News. What follows are reports of a Festival held in Saudi Arabia this past week. The words from this Islamic “festival” are reminiscent of American Liberals’ rhetoric of anything a…
Trackback from Dumb Ox Daily News
Time February 19, 2007 at 9:01 AM
Illegal Alien:…
Border agent’s conviction overturned when Uncle Sam’s bribery comes to light!…
Trackback from Conservative Thoughts
Time February 19, 2007 at 9:49 AM
New Jersey: Civil Unions Begin at Midnight…
Another state is now providing civil unions. This is a direct result of judical activism in October 2006 by New Jersey Supreme Court….
Trackback from SpeckBlog
Time February 19, 2007 at 10:06 AM
White Feather Republicans…
Victory Caucus has them labelled as “White Flag Republicans”. I would like to call them “White Feather Republicans” after the book and movie “The Four Feathers”.
The single White feather as a symbol of cowardice &…
Trackback from The World According To Carl
Time February 19, 2007 at 10:56 AM
The 1/2 Hour News Hour…
“President” Rush Limbaugh
Tonight at 10pm EST marks the debut of Fox News’ new comedy/satire show The 1/2 Hour News Hour. With most all comedy shows on television being controlled by people with a marked liberal bent, it will be interesting how F…
Pingback from The World According To Carl
Time February 19, 2007 at 10:57 AM
[...] A big ol’ Florida welcome to readers from 123beta, Random Dreamer, Dragonlady’s World, Faultline USA, The Bullwinkle Blog, Basil’s Blog, Third World County. [...]
Trackback from The World According To Carl
Time February 19, 2007 at 10:57 AM
In Honor Of President’s Day…
In honor of President’s Day, Butch over at 123beta shares a poignant story about President Bush. Enjoy.
A big ol’ Florida welcome to readers from 123beta, Random Dreamer, Dragonlady’s World, Faultline USA, The Bullwinkle Blog, Basil’s Blog, …
Pingback from The World According To Carl
Time February 19, 2007 at 11:04 AM
[...] A big ol’ Florida welcome to readers from 123beta, Random Dreamer, Dragonlady’s World, Faultline USA, The Bullwinkle Blog, Basil’s Blog, Third World County, Mark My Words, stikNstein. [...]
Trackback from Conservative Cat
Time February 19, 2007 at 12:34 PM
Good News About the Surge…
The official line on Iraq is that the terrorists are worried about the oncoming troop surge. So far, the coalition forces are concentrating on Sunni insurgents; Even so, Shi’ite strong man Muqtada al-Sadr has taken the precaution of going into……
Trackback from Pursuing Holiness
Time February 19, 2007 at 12:35 PM
The Tiny Percentage of Radical Islamists…
I’ve posted before on the fact that out of a billion or so Muslims, only a tiny percentage are terrorists or terror-supporters.
June 19, 2006: “The problem is that even though only a small percentage of people who declare themselves Musli…
Trackback from The Random Yak
Time February 19, 2007 at 12:57 PM
Monday Frivol: Snow Angels, Anyone?…
An entertaining story out of Bismarck, N.D.:
On Sunday February 17 over 8,900 people gathered in an open area on the North Dakota capitol grounds to try and break the Guinness world record for the most simulaneous snow angels. Among the participants…
Trackback from The Amboy Times
Time February 19, 2007 at 2:30 PM
CAIR Exposed…
Hat tip, Jihad Watch Visit Anti-CAIR Trackposted to Bumpshack: Where the News Always Bumps!, Random Dreamer, Perri Nelson’s Website, Mark My Words, 123beta, basil’s blog, DragonLady’s World, The Bullwinkle Blog, Conservative Cat, Conservative Though…
Trackback from Freedom Folks
Time February 19, 2007 at 3:55 PM
It Really Sticks in Their Craws, Doesn’t It?…
Reporters, that is. Having to report that the spate of recent murders on the Arizona border are suspected to have been perpetrated by illegal aliens against illegal aliens….
Trackback from The World According To Carl
Time February 19, 2007 at 4:51 PM
Mike Awesome (1965-2007) – R.I.P….
Mike AwesomeJanuary 24, 1965 – February 17, 2007)
I just read the news that professional wrestler Mike Awesome (real name: Mike Alfonso) has died at the age of 42. According to reports, he was found last Saturday (Feb. 17) hanging in his Tampa, Flor…
Trackback from Adam’s Blog
Time February 19, 2007 at 5:14 PM
Truth and Hope Report: Bashing the Presidents…
On today’s edition of the Truth and Hope Report, we ask why politicians see the need to demean former Presidents in order to make themselves better. Also, I read “Washington’s Glasses” in honor of our commemoration of Washington’s birthday:…
Trackback from The Virtuous Republic
Time February 19, 2007 at 5:52 PM
Apparently Real Americans Don’t Want to Lose…
Investor’s Business Daily commissioned a poll recently and found that Americans want to run and abandon Iraq, right? Guess what, they must have sampled people outside of San Francisco because it seems ordinary Americans actually…
Trackback from A Few Shiny Pebbles
Time February 19, 2007 at 8:21 PM
Are We Safer?…
By Minta Marie Morze (Slightly different version to that originally written September 28, 2004 and sent to friends) President George W. Bush has said that the world is safer now because of his actions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Some people……
Trackback from Mark My Words
Time February 19, 2007 at 10:42 PM
The real danger our country faces…
Or, how to destroy a good point by extremely over the top rhetoric…
Trackback from Planck’s Constant
Time February 19, 2007 at 11:05 PM
I went bald too, so leave Britney alone…
So when I first heard that Britney had shaved it all off I said that I already saw her without panties on and that was old news. “No, you idiot,” my wife says, “she shaved the top of her head!” Oh.
Well, I can understand that. In 1984 I discovered…
Trackback from Mark My Words
Time February 20, 2007 at 12:33 AM
One of the worst?…
McCain is apparently polishing up his MSM “maverick” credentials…
Pingback from Powered By Wordpress and Other Random Throughts at Renaissance Blogger
Time February 20, 2007 at 1:07 AM
[...] Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Is It Just Me?, Perri Nelson’s Website, The Virtuous Republic, Mark My Words, Right Truth, Big Dog’s Weblog, Shadowscope, DragonLady’s World, Stuck On Stupid, The Amboy Times, Pursuing Holiness, Rightlinx, Cheat-Seeking Missiles, The HILL Chronicles, Right Celebrity, third world county, Woman Honor Thyself, Wake Up America, The Uncooperative Blogger ®, stikNstein… has no mercy, The Right Nation, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Dumb Ox Daily News, Right Voices, Right Pundits, Bumpshack: Where the News Always Bumps!, Random Dreamer, A Blog For All, 123beta, Adam’s Blog, Maggie’s Notebook, basil’s blog, Phastidio.net, The Bullwinkle Blog, Cao’s Blog, Jo’s Cafe, Conservative Cat, Conservative Thoughts, Faultline USA, Allie Is Wired, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The World According to Carl, Blue Star Chronicles, Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker, and High Desert Wanderer, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe. [...]
Pingback from Truth and Hope Report: Bashing the Presidents | Adam’s Blog
Time October 22, 2007 at 9:22 PM
[...] World, The Bullwinkle Blog, The Amboy Times, Conservative Cat, Conservative Thoughts, third world county, Faultline USA, Right Celebrity, stikNstein… has no mercy, Pirate’s Cove, Dumb Ox Daily [...]
Trackback from The Florida Masochist
Time February 19, 2007 at 7:28 AM
cancer can be contagious…
LONDON Feb 15, 2007 (AP)? A British woman who claims she contracted cancer from hugging her father, who worked with asbestos, is suing the Ministry of Defence for 75,000 pounds ($146,000)….