The presidential contest is not simply an election about who rules America; it is also an election about which set of principles defines American politics. For the past two and a half decades, conservatism has set the agenda. Is the left making a comeback?
I don't think so. Notice that Democrats avoid terms like "the left" and even "liberalism" like the plague, while Republicans routinely associate themselves with the "right" and the "conservative" label. Also the left is now defined by shrieking demagogues like Michael Moore, while intelligent people are keeping their distance or moving out of this menagerie.
In this connection, the case of David Mamet is a revealing one. It has now been six months since playwright David Mamet declared himself an admirer of America and the Constitution, and bid farewell to what he called the "brain dead left." Our left-leaning literary and cultural intelligentsia is still in shock.
The New Statesman warned that Mamet was embracing a "Hobbesian strain of conservatism." The folks at the Daily Kos website feigned indifference: "Who really cares?" But until this time Mamet was regarded as a virtual demigod of American high culture. Now we can expect the accolades to stop.
So what turned Mamet around? Well, it's been a change coming for some time now, and presumably it's not the kind of change that Barack Obama is looking for. Consider this piece of dialog from Mamet's play Bobby Gould in Hell. When Bobby echoes the old liberal nostrum, "Nothing's black and white," he receives this crushing response: "Nothing's black and white? What about a panda?"
Then there was a play that I saw several years ago on Broadway, Mamet's Oleanna. While Mamet disclaimed any political motives, you only had to see the play to recognize that it was about the feminist witch-hunt. Basically a female student (somewhat reminiscent of a young Hillary Clinton at Wellesley) makes false allegations of sexual harassment against a well-meaning but incautious liberal professor. In the name of the sisterhood, she destroys the poor man's career. I think resistance to political correctness played a big role in showing Mamet the exit out of liberalism.
Still, Mamet's essay in a March issue of the Village Voice, "Why I am No Longer a Brain Dead Liberal," came as a complete surprise. In this essay Mamet did not declare himself a Republican or a McCain voter. HIs conversion was to a kind of philosophical conservatism. Mamet affirmed what he called the conservative or tragic view of life over the liberal or perfectionist view.
Mamet openly identified with his Jewish heritage and boldly said that National Public Radio might as well stand for "National Palestinian Radio." Mamet also expressed unabashed love for America, which is something that left-wing Democrats only express at their presidential conventions when it is time to put on a performance for the American people who are watching. The rest of the time they are mentored by the likes of Jeremiah Wright whose motto is better expressed as "God damn America."
Perhaps most touching, Mamet expressed the profound sense of liberation that all independent-thinking people feel when they stop kowtowing to liberal shibboleths. "I no longer need to believe the drivel that is spoken around me," Mamet said. "I feel lighter already." To which I can only say: welcome home, David Mamet.
Reader Comments ( Page 5 of 26)
61. It occurs to me that when McBrainless says that "My oponent wil raise taxes" that it must be because he isn't aware that there are people in this country that earn less than $250,000.00 a year. Then the comment makes sense.
We're all in this lifeboat together, and when you're in a lifeboat and you find out that one person is hoarding food and water, do you think it's fair? I'm sure if you vited for Bush, you do. Fuck 'em, right?
Saint Brian the Godless at 12:47PM on Sep 19th 2008
62. M2R4: that's why I used quotes on "expunged", but in all seriousness, half your party was going to sit this one out until McCain picked a VP that does tow the line.
The point is there are fanatics on both sides.
Ryan Anderson at 12:50PM on Sep 19th 2008
63. So...
According to Robert Okanes exerts Mamet compared Bush to his hero Kennedy and found they both had similar flaws and made some of the same mistakes so he started liking Bush becuase his fuck ups were similar to Kennedy's? So he really liked Kennedy for the things he did wrong? Does this strike anyone else as kind of brain dead?
Besides his best work was done as a liberal.
tmo at 12:59PM on Sep 19th 2008
64. "It's not a question of having respect for Christians. It's more like shell shock over "How can so many people be such friggin' idiots?"
William Hays "
From reading your posts for a while now William your goal does indeed seem to be to persuade Christians away from their beliefs. How effective do you think you actually are when you call them stupid and worse? Just as Thomas Gassett is never going to change my opinion with his vitriol, neither are you going to change the opinion of a Christian. I'd suggest that the effect you have is actually the opposite, in that it confirms their prejudices regarding atheists. You will never get anywhere by bashing people over the head with insults.
Alyssa at 1:05PM on Sep 19th 2008
65. And we're too nice to want to be associated with the words anynore since people will automatically think ill of us for it since they've been dumbed down about it so much.
It's no so much anyone being dumbed down.
On the other hand it is more of a question of "wanting people to not think ill yourself"
The want, the need, to be "liked" regardless of any consequences.
Case in point: "I'm sorry, I don't wish to be obnoxious. I'm not begging here. I just like to hear from you guys. Makes me feel complete"
Like a little puppy craving attention. Before long
the need for attention will become great enough that the individual will resort to extreme postings
to get that "fix"
Also when did such a poster of anti-religion postings, begin to use religious characters
as an example. Oh, only if it suits your politics.
"Guess I have her on my brain."
No it's just a bad case of group think coupled with the need for that "fix"
M2D5 at 1:21PM on Sep 19th 2008
66. 'When Bobby echoes the old liberal nostrum, "Nothing's black and white," he receives this crushing response: "Nothing's black and white? What about a panda?"'
-----
wow, crushing response. that blew me away. thanks dinesh, i've seen the light. god bless dinesh, conservatism, and pandas.
... are you kidding me?
leave it to dinesh to be gleefully amused with some dick puppet's confusion of figurative and literal speaking in a pathetic attempt to be clever.
Richelle at 1:19PM on Sep 19th 2008
67. Alyssa, what if his goal isn't to convert anybody but to provide one voice "out there" that they hear and it never plays patty cake around the facts. Never trys to be "nice" and partially justify their belief system? I mean, I can sort-of see his point. Christians never hear the naked truth. People are too concerned with not offending them. Why? To us, they're as wrong as the guy that thinks it's okay to eat pebbles. Do we let him eat pebbles and die, or do we get him some help? Do we tell him "if you believe that pebbles are digestible then far from me to disagree with you"? Or do we shout out to the poor soul to "STOP EATING PEBBLES!!!"
Saint Brian the Godless at 1:25PM on Sep 19th 2008
68. It's no so much anyone being dumbed down.
On the other hand it is more of a question of "wanting people to not think ill yourself"
The want, the need, to be "liked" regardless of any consequences.
Case in point: "I'm sorry, I don't wish to be obnoxious. I'm not begging here. I just like to hear from you guys. Makes me feel complete"
Like a little puppy craving attention. Before long
the need for attention will become great enough that the individual will resort to extreme postings
to get that "fix"
-MI
---------------------------------
It was a joke, to be cute. Because I like these people and know that spamming is obnoxious.
How much of a frigging idiot ARE you? What kind of an asshold says that stuff? Calling me a puppy? No, don't answer. If you knew, you wouldn't be one.
You're an evil person. But you can't help it. The truly ignorant ones never can. I'm trying to reform my old angry ways, or I'd tell you what I really think of you. See, if I did that, I'd be as evil as you are, and I can't even stomach that thought.
Saint Brian the Godless at 1:32PM on Sep 19th 2008
69. i know. while we're ignoring the difference between speaking figuratively and literally, let's ignore the difference between families of animals and just say bobby's even more crushing response is "well, sir, the RED panda is black and white AND red. so not even all pandas are black and white."
oh snap.
the team with the cutest panda wins.
team bobby: red panda
team guy who needs to retake basic english class to learn how to discern figurative language: giant panda
i would argue that while both are adorable the red panda is more adorable, hands down.
team bobby wins.
Richelle at 1:31PM on Sep 19th 2008
70. half your party was going to sit this one out until McCain picked a VP that does tow the line.
Ryan Anderson at 12:50PM on Sep 19th 2008
Just because I have grown up in a state that has been totally controlled by the Democratic -party for over sixty years and do not "parrot" that party's line , makes me a Republican? I guess if it was a Republican controlled state then I would be a Democrat by such reasoning.
As an aside, California better be careful, we here in Mass are going to catch you and pass you. You took twenty years to build a high school campus for $350 Million, here in Newton Ma, they have a high schoool campus on the drawing board for a year or so. They are already at $197.5 Million in cost without even turning a shovelful of dirt. I know, I know, there were problems in Calif with hazardous materials the school was built on and then an earth quake fault. We here in Mass. do not make those kinds of mistakes we should be able to reach you 350 million and surpass it. What the heck we are paying $600 Million per year to pay for the "Big Dig". $20+ Billion for 3.5 miles of road ways. Courtesy of you know who, Ted, John, TIP, etc, etc,
M2D5 at 1:40PM on Sep 19th 2008
71. The want, the need, to be "liked" regardless of any consequences.
--------------
I can't speak for other atheists, but in my case this isn't the need to be liked, it's the need to show others that I like them. As in, love thy neighbor.
I'm not a good atheist for you to argue with. You see, I'm an atheist because I don't believe in your version of god or anyone else's, don't believe in a deity per se whatsoever, and yet I'm very spiritual. Not in the traditional sense; more in the traditional buddhist sense. So I too can see the beauty of Jesus' words, but from my perspective outside your faith I can also see that you cannot see this beauty at all, and misinterpret is as something completely different, and much more selfish.
Saint Brian the Godless at 1:38PM on Sep 19th 2008
72. 'On my way out of town', I can't just let this one slide by...
Missing, or deliberately emphasizing the forest for the trees.
David Mamet has chosen to alter his philosophical world view – so what. He has not torn asunder any foundations of science or human existence he has merely chosen to interpret his life experiences in a new way. He has chosen to substitute a dark view of humanity for any optimism he once may have felt. Good for him. In doing so he has demonstrated something of which D'Souza and neocon company rail against constantly – changing his mind. He changed his mind – that happens with liberals and the odd conservative from time-to-time. When you aren't rigidly dogmatic such a thing is possible. It also is not uncommon in people who are rigidly dogmatic one way or the other and when it happens in these people it tends to be a major blow-up– moderates tend not to have huge epiphanies and if they do they tend to keep it to themselves and not assume that their personal journey is the stuff of legend. Now, personally, I think Mamet is being more of an example of the dangers of zealotry (whether it be conservative or liberal) than a poster child for the folly of liberalism as he is being used here. Here's a guy who has tended to extremes throughout his life and is equipped with a not inconsequential ego. Stands to reason that his 'conversion' would be extreme and that his zealotry would take the rabid form that only the avid convert's can. That he bites the hand of the liberal freedoms that allow him to voice his new-found passions makes him a useful ally to D'Souza and his handlers who abuse that right daily. Sorry to burst your bubble – David Mamet's 'defection' is unlikely to affect liberal thinking any more than his previous extreme left views bolstered it.
The big question to me in all this is what does D'Souza really think about all this? Is he a zealot himself who views this as a triumph of ideals? To do so, would imply that he thinks that both liberals and conservatives take orders from a cabal of some sort. Observing how the words parroted by all the conservative pundits are essentially identical talking points one can infer that this is true of the neocon side, but if he thinks this is how liberals operate he is obviously mistaken. The old caveat that Democrats fall in love and Republicans fall in line isn't inaccurate, though most liberals consider it sad that important decisions are often made not by critical discourse but rather by electoral human wave attacks by people who may not be terribly interested in the facts but answer the sirens call of slogans from people like D'Souza. Oh well, maybe the mothership will return soon...
Pliny-the-in-Between at 1:43PM on Sep 19th 2008
73. "Guess I have her on my brain."
No it's just a bad case of group think coupled with the need for that "fix"
M2D5 at 1:21PM on Sep 19th 2008
----------------------------
Wrong again, oh psychobabbler. It's a case of abject terror of her. And disbelief that someone so incredibly ignorant and egotistical even has a chance at the VPOTUS. Not to mention the subsequent possibility (probability?) of her being POTUS. The inmates have taken over the asylum.
Saint Brian the Godless at 1:47PM on Sep 19th 2008
74. Like a little puppy craving attention. Before long
the need for attention will become great enough that the individual will resort to extreme postings
to get that "fix"
-MI
---------------------
Nice trap though. If I'd gotten pissed you could have claimed that I'd done as you'd predicted.
I think when you can't see that merely being nice to others is what Jesus would have wanted you to do, and that you're consistently doing the opposite, it's a pretty "extreme" case of hypocrisy, that's what I think.
Saint Brian the Godless at 1:53PM on Sep 19th 2008
75. M2R4; I had no idea where you lived and don't care. I'm assuming you are a republican based on umpteen million posts you've made here.
Ryan Anderson at 1:54PM on Sep 19th 2008