Reasonable and fair-minded adults, most of whom occupy the center-right segment of our nation’s political spectrum, focus on the brilliance of a person’s art (Tom Hanks), scientific genius (Stephen Hawkins) and political savvy (Barack Obama) and overlook the words and deeds that tell us who these people are. And that focus has confused our children and de-sensitized them to a wide range of immoral, uncivil and even anti-American behavior. That’s how a former domestic terrorist who escaped punishment for his crimes ended up a wealthy and influential educator and political activist at the University of Chicago, much admired by his peers and community, including the President of the United States. And few Americans even noticed.
(In reponse to this annoying prattle.)
I agreed with this comment too, Kate:
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/278278/ebert-era-michael-potemra#comment-310244
I like Ebert reviews. For the most part, I find them insightful and interesting. They’re not highbrow–but neither am I. Occasionally, I think he totally missed the point. Some of his essays are interesting too. He writes well. I don’t share his political views–but I don’t go to Ebert for my political education or discourse. The article was somewhat sycophantic–reminds me of the little dog and the big dog in the Bug Bunny cartoons. I don’t think Ebert will feel flattered by it.
reminds me of the little dog and the big dog in the Bug Bunny cartoons.
~rita
Chester and Spike, respectively.
Maybe I’ve missed something but I’ve never gotten what was so great about Ebert.
Liberals don’t have a monopoly on artistic talent. They are merely over-represented in these fields by self-selection, being drawn into the fields by like-minded people, and because they lack talent and intellect for more rigorous fields.
Maybe the liberal brain is better wired for artistic expression and more susceptible to pathos arguments. This doesn’t make them better suited for leadership, decision making, and reason.
Many of the most successful and most politically active artists and actors are high school and college dropouts. They don’t have education or degrees in economics, medicine, finance, accounting, business, or public policy. Few of them served in the military. They are among the least qualified to render an informed opinion about any of the important issues we face, even if they are intellectually sharp.
When Bollywood is outperforming us at the box office and China is violating copyrights, then they can offer opinions. But their status as well known people don’t qualify them to extraordinary attention in matters of politics.
If I boycotted every venue in my city run by liberals, Id have a difficult life. I’ll watch their movies, drink their coffee, and listen to their music, but they can stow their whacky political ideas.
Ebert praised the Avatar turd…’Nuff said.
Here’s an excerpt of it from popcorn oil boy:
“…It’s a technical breakthrough. It has a flat-out Green and anti-war message. It is predestined to launch a cult…”
Roger baby, the environazi cult you are stating, was launched way before Avatar, albeit the fad was already waning when that Cameron behemoth was released.
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091211/REVIEWS/912119998
Ebert’s professional career peaked with the script for “Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls”. Fortunately, Russ Meyer was able to create fixes.
Cheers
Anyone wanna tell me who Steven Hawkins is and why I should hate him?
Powerfactor
Steven HAWKEN is a mediocre British theoretical physicist, who has been given an greatly exadurated reputation because a disease progressively paralysed him to the point that he now can only speeak with an electronic speech synthacizer…..he is no Albert Einstein….
“They are merely over-represented in these fields by self-selection, being drawn into the fields by like-minded people, and because they lack talent and intellect for more rigorous fields.”
That’s hilarious 🙂
http://thethinkerblog.com/?p=1208
Posted by: Powerfactor at September 25, 2011 8:09 PM
and…
Posted by: sasquatch at September 25, 2011 8:29 PM
Gosh, for second I thought you fellows might be talking about Stephen Hawking.
Wouldn’t mind having half of his mediocrity in theoretical physics.
Oy. It’s Stephen Hawking. And you should hate him because he literally can’t move, speak or, um, powder his nose on his own, and he still ran out on his wife. WTF?
I could write better film reviews than Ebert.
Yeah, imagine that; divorcing a gold-digging wife who routinely abuses him. The nerve of those cripples! All good christians should hate him, just like mamba and the bible say!
Ebert and Siskel. Tragically, the good die young.
Perhaps Hawking became a better theoretical physicist because of his ailment, but I don’t think his reputation has been unfairly enhanced by it. Maybe when you can’t move, but your mind remains intact, you have time to devote to simply thinking.
An oddment: I have heard the synthetic voice of both Ebert and Hawking…to my ear, they both sound the same–like HAL in 2001 Space Odyssey.
So people hate on Steven Hawking because he publicly refuses to believe in fairly tails. Got it.
Alex, I’m worried about your mental health.
Of course you are. Lunatics always think they’re the sane ones. If you ever get rid of your invisible friends, and learn to differentiate between political talking points and reality, you’ll quickly realize that your concern is misplaced.
I’m not holding my breath, though.
To be worried about a turdgobbler’s mental health is, quite literally, to have nothing to worry about.
He’s a human being, of sorts, ebt. Aren’t we obliged to pretend to care at least a little? Society, that kind of thing?
Well, I’d certainly donate to have him put down humanely, Mamba. One tries to be decent.
Black Mamba wondered: “Aren’t we obliged to pretend to care at least a little?”
No.
As well, there’s no reason to hate Stephen Hawking or indeed care about him at all either. He’s not even a real atheist, just another liberal dork who hates God. Life didn’t turn out so hot for him, and so tries to screw up God’s business on Earth.
You’d think a guy that smart could figure out it doesn’t work like that.