The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Use ‘Derbyshire’ as a Verb

Posted on | April 7, 2012 | 84 Comments

It’s an interesting word-game concept, eh?

For years, I’ve advocated the overthrow of the decadent Rich Lowry regime at National Review, hoping that Jonah Goldberg might lead the coup. So my main interest in this remarkable controversy is whether or not it serves to undermine Lowryism.

What you might not notice is that this is a skirmish on the fringes of the Trayvon Martin controversy, which has turned into a stalemate, so that now frustrated people are in scalp-taking mode. The NBC producer got taken out by conservatives and now, for some strange reason, NR‘s John Derbyshire just volunteers himself as a target for the Left?

The smart thing to do would be to stay away from this, but Dave Weigel wandered over and made some remarks, and now the Left is going after Weigel: He’s not sufficiently outraged for their tastes.

The Left is intolerant, opportunistic and unprincipled. While it is impossible to imagine any scenario in which Lowry won’t be forced to fire Derbyshire now, I’m actually more fascinated by the Left’s attempt to bully Weigel for failing to denounce Derbyshire in strong enough terms.

This is a sort of Maoist tactic, the demand for conformity and solidarity. The Left is enraged by the fact that Weigel is an ideological wild card, yet employed by a “mainstream” news operation. So now they’re trying to indict him as “soft on racism,” and I suppose it wouldn’t help Dave any for me to say how much I’ve always liked him, huh?

Probably not. Anyway, the other day, a conservative friend of mine pointed out that, given Jen Rubin’s annoying pro-Romney bias, maybe some people are wishing they’d never gotten Weigel fired from the Post.

And now the Left’s trying to get Weigel fired from Slate?

Be careful what you wish for, lefties. It could be worse. Trust me.

Also, here’s the best headline yet in the Trayvon Martin controversy:

Armed Neo-Nazis Now Patrolling Sanford, Say They
Are “Prepared” For Post-Trayvon Martin Violence

Remember what I said about the “riot ideology“? Some people will be disappointed if the Trayvon Martin controversy doesn’t provoke a riot.

UPDATE (Smitty): linked at The Conservatory.

UPDATE II: Some interesting comments below, including this:

99% of the homeowners who are appalled by that article bought their house in the “whitest” school district they could afford.

UPDATE III: Also, Dan Riehl describes his own experience, and this is an important point: Everybody forms their own opinions based on their own experiences, and it is difficult to argue with people’s experience. That is to say, when discussing the military, lifelong civilians must defer to the combat veteran.

So when Dan says, “Here is an experience I went through, which exemplifies a general tendency,” your argument that no such tendency exists must be based on first-hand experience to the contrary. But if you’ve never been in a schoolyard fight — the subject of Dan’s anecdote — your personal experience is inapplicable as evidence.

One problem I’ve discovered in trying to communicate with intellectuals is that so many of them are wimps from sheltered backgrounds whose mamas wouldn’t let them play football — apple-polishing goodie-two-shoes who never strayed outside the confines of their safe, wholesome, upwardly-mobile affluent cocoon.

Dan’s from New Jersey and smokes Marlboro Reds. Deal with it.

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Category: Dave Weigel, Florida, Racism

Comments

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  • Tennwriter

    Smitty,
    You might want to look up George Gilder’s thoughts on understanding the universe from the same way we understand a computer, from the top down.

    SDN,
    Given that Smitty comments here, and is thus intelligent, wise, and handsome, should it not be the baseline assumption that he thinks Evo is a load of drek pawned off on the not too bright, the illogical, the brainwashed, and the Left?

    Tb,
    Hmmm, I thought the Lefties were the orginal Social Darwinists.

  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    ‘Come see the syllogism inherent in the system!’

  • http://evilbloggerlady.blogspot.com/ Evi L. Bloggerlady
  • SarahConnor

    Umm…yes, it is judgement that defeats us.

  • SarahConnor

    Umm…yes, it is judgement that defeats us.

  • SarahConnor

    I agree with you — argue it.  If he is wrong, show that he is wrong.  With data and facts rather than hysteria. 

    That is what the @NRO bunch need to do or anyone else for that matter.

  • SarahConnor

    I agree with you — argue it.  If he is wrong, show that he is wrong.  With data and facts rather than hysteria. 

    That is what the @NRO bunch need to do or anyone else for that matter.

  • SarahConnor

    What you are saying reminds me of this. http://takimag.com/article/10_hatefacts_for_those_who_hate_facts_gavin_mcinnes#axzz1rJrrobNM 10 Hatefacts For Those Who Hate Facts

  • SarahConnor

    What you are saying reminds me of this. http://takimag.com/article/10_hatefacts_for_those_who_hate_facts_gavin_mcinnes#axzz1rJrrobNM 10 Hatefacts For Those Who Hate Facts

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/EU5DQWQTTHTPO4A4ZYSL3AAV2U Adjoran

     Actually, it depends upon the terms of their contract.

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/EU5DQWQTTHTPO4A4ZYSL3AAV2U Adjoran

     Actually, it depends upon the terms of their contract.

  • SarahConnor

    Agree. After a couple of “intellectual” scientific studies were done showing differences–all the funding dried up–no one dared go there any longer.

  • SarahConnor

    Agree. After a couple of “intellectual” scientific studies were done showing differences–all the funding dried up–no one dared go there any longer.

  • SarahConnor

    Smitty –have to disagree –starting with the Almighty you speak of but that can be argued he does existed as well as he doesn’t exist.

    As far as what I believe and what science has proven is that everything is genetically based.

  • SarahConnor

    Smitty –have to disagree –starting with the Almighty you speak of but that can be argued he does existed as well as he doesn’t exist.

    As far as what I believe and what science has proven is that everything is genetically based.

  • SarahConnor

    Including the Clintons. Just look at where they bought their mansion.

  • SarahConnor

    Including the Clintons. Just look at where they bought their mansion.

  • http://thepagantemple.blogspot.com/ ThePaganTemple

    You can take a Damn Yankee out of the North, but you can never take the North out of the Damn Yankee.

  • http://thepagantemple.blogspot.com/ ThePaganTemple

    You can take a Damn Yankee out of the North, but you can never take the North out of the Damn Yankee.

  • SarahConnor

    Yes, infact Derby links to those “talks” Blacks have with their children in the first paragraph of his post. So I guess Whites can’t have those same talks with their children.

  • SarahConnor

    Yes, infact Derby links to those “talks” Blacks have with their children in the first paragraph of his post. So I guess Whites can’t have those same talks with their children.

  • SDN

     Social Darwinism is merely the application of Darwin’s theory of Evolution to the human animal. If Darwin is correct as a matter of science, then his theory applies to us as much as the law of gravity.

    Humans differ from all other animals in their ability to make a decision to dislike the results, and apply free will and intelligence to avoid or mitigate them.

    In your case, however, avoiding the culling process that makes evolution function seems like a bad idea.

  • SDN

    “supposing that everyone born north of the Potomac and Ohio rivers is a worthless scoundrel.”

    That’s just the most logical way to bet. 8-)
    I can take the time to get to know individual damyankees of great worth; I just have a different starting point than I do when dealing with a Southern gentleman such as yourself.

  • SDN

    “supposing that everyone born north of the Potomac and Ohio rivers is a worthless scoundrel.”

    That’s just the most logical way to bet. 8-)
    I can take the time to get to know individual damyankees of great worth; I just have a different starting point than I do when dealing with a Southern gentleman such as yourself.

  • http://evilbloggerlady.blogspot.com/ Evi L. Bloggerlady

    It is cowardice that defeats us.  

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  • Quartermaster

    They’re only a damn Yankee if they stay.

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  • http://thecampofthesaints.org Bob Belvedere

    I AM JOHN DERBYSHIRE.

  • http://evilbloggerlady.blogspot.com/ Evi L. Bloggerlady
  • SarahConnor

    Thanks. i also really liked this: The Asymmetry of America http://j.mp/HzfCld

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