By Mike Mercer, Stevensville
How many fingers am I holding up, oh you can’t see that, sorry; I am holding up three fingers, I swear, prove me wrong. If you answered correctly I challenge you to tell me which hand, right or left. If you answered correctly again, I challenge you to tell me what direction I was facing. This is how politics are played, a never-ending challenge to prove who is right or wrong and for some reason why it even matters because just playing this game is nonsense, it merely fills the role of politicians need to fill time and media space.
Another tactic is the endless use of linguistic subtleties to support casuistry, a much favored tool of Politics. Casuistry is applying a standard of morality for the purpose of determining what one ought to do, or ought not to do as one pleases for the purpose of deciding guilt or immunity from guilt, or if you do the wrong thing for the right reason you are immune or “It depends on what is, is”.
Liberals live by this code and use the subtleties of words to mask their intent and challenge anyone to prove their guilt while they demand Conservatives prove their innocence. It is meant to sow doubt and confusion and is delivered with a smile, or smirk, as the politician, bureaucrat or CEO makes their case.
The casuists base their decisions on a self-sanctioned philosophy of conduct not in harmony with the Supreme Legislator of the universe, so it has no worth. This does not pose a problem for the casuist as they smile and tell you, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
It has been a rough time for America as we struggle to sustain ourselves in a world of homogeneous dreams sold to us as the solution to everything by the self-appointed, self-sanctioned Casuist as they shout “Democracy” which is their code for social sameness not equality as America knows it.
Who really cares how many fingers they hold up, in the end, we all lose, so just one finger will do.
Jason B says
Wow, for someone who claims to dislike “linguistic subtleties,” this is a remarkably obtuse and pointless piece of writing. I had an English teacher who used to say “anyone can learn to string a bunch of fancy words together, but the measure of those words is if they say anything meaningful or important, and advance to discussion.”
In the case of this letter….”Nope.”