I can't keep track of how many books Cass Sunstein has written. Fortunately, they all follow the same format: trendy poindexter sociology, partial understanding of real social phenomena, lots of concern trolling and a solipsistic elision of the role his class plays in the creation of perverse incentives, double binds, pyrrhic antipathy, etc.
There's no mystery to the tin foil hat hysterics of the wingnuts. They live in a society in which the Sunsteins have limitless opportunity to indulge their passive aggression and misanthropic control freaking. The wingnuts' opportunities to vent are highly circumscribed, by their own vicious collectivism, and by a society arranged for the comfort of banksters and double-domed, extravagantly credentialed concern trolls. Things like the teabagging and birth certificate tantrums are all they've got.
If the big shot pwogs were really worried, they could try addressing some of the material concerns and insecurities that drive and attract people to the cretinous outbursts. The hard core is probably implacable but the impact of their behavior would fade into a minor freak show in a country less dedicated to violent managerialism, stupid authoritarian mind games and kleptocracy. There'd be fewer Sunstein books, too, but I'm sure we'd find a way to go about our daily tasks.
Comments (5)
sugar Al always get to the nuts fast
pyrrhic antipathy
"There's no mystery to the tin foil hat hysterics of the wingnuts. They live in a society in which the Sunsteins have limitless opportunity to indulge their passive aggression and misanthropic control freaking"
he also never misses a chance to remind us
liberals share power and from the level of your average white male den bear
the liberal power turns
that makes life
sometimes
feel like pissing
shattered glass
Posted by op | December 12, 2009 6:43 PM
Posted on December 12, 2009 18:43
Yep, I agree with op. Nuggets. Great post, Al.
Posted by C F Oxtrot | December 12, 2009 7:53 PM
Posted on December 12, 2009 19:53
Pissing shattered glass is a perfect analogy. They have an arsenal of snotty little tricks, which is bad enough in itself, but they can also initiate and escalate reflexively. They've short circuited all the mechanisms that let relatively normal people know it's time to back off. Larry Summers knows what he's doing and amuses himself. But Sunstein, it's that merit-socialization Michael Dawson described.
Posted by Al Schumann | December 12, 2009 7:59 PM
Posted on December 12, 2009 19:59
my anti sunstein wrath
displays the dark side
of father smith's archetype
the " guy's one of us " perception/reaction
self loathing has it's blood hound value
Posted by op | December 13, 2009 8:19 AM
Posted on December 13, 2009 08:19
I doubt the tribal identification would survive the studiously non-judgmental, militantly even-handed, libertarian paternalist diet of socially moral nudges and careful, moderate little punishments he'd prescribe for you. He'd make sure he was unaware of your existence to keep bias from creeping in. Nothing personal, you know. Just business.
Posted by Al Schumann | December 13, 2009 11:22 AM
Posted on December 13, 2009 11:22