This is a response to
On April 8, 2014 at 14:20, David Haddad said...
It is completely valid to engage in generalizations. EVERY scientific concept is based on observing, making generalizations, and then investigating to determine just exactly what is fact. I dare say we cannot get along without generalizations. The only way to do that is to take every event as an independent event unrelated to anything else that has ever happened or will ever happen. The guy who is unable to make new memories because his short-term memory does not function -- THAT's the guy who does not generalize.
"Over-generalization" is a term you use in an attempt to negate the value of generalization. I noticed that.
You say
I see what you did there Ernie. You're trying to be ironic and pretend you lack the self-awareness to realize that you just engaged in multiple vast over-generalizations vilifying liberals, to give an example of how liberals engage in vast over-generalizations vilifying conservatives.
By this you claim that I am trying to say that liberals
engage in vast over-generalizations vilifying conservatives.
I never said that.
I did indeed say that liberals consider conservatives to be evil. That's not saying that they over-generalize; it's saying that the mind-set of the liberal is not to call the conservative's opinion or generalization wrong (which can be addressed by discussion) but evil (which stifles discussion immediately).
Let me quote from a book that written specifically for community organizers, which has come to mean liberals who want the power to force on people what they believe to be right (but was once used by Newt Gingrich!). I was going to comment on only a few of the following rules, but then you'd think I was leaving out good rules. I guess I have to list all of The Rules. If I didn't, you would choose individual things to complain about. I'll list all the rules so you can generalize as to what this is about. I have put some of them in bold print, however, as they are worth thinking about vis-a-vis intelligent discussion of ideas.
My comments are between the rules.
“Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have."
Note that people not on their side are not people who are wrong, but enemies; this goes along with the concept of thinking them evil.
“Never go outside the expertise of your people.”
Wow. Never inspire your people to be better -- if they're dumb, work with them as dumb.
“Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy.”
This works. When conservatives do this, the rule about ridicule kicks in.
“Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.”
A good rule. I wish conservatives could do this without being shouted down.
“Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.”
This is the content of most shouting down. SIXHIRB is all about that. It's potent because there's no response to ridicule and the crowd usually starts shouting once it starts.
“A good tactic is one your people enjoy.”
That is, there are no rules except enjoy what you're doing. If you're organizing thugs, be thuggish. Wow.
“A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag.”
I can see this. If something doesn't work, maybe it should be abandoned.
“Keep the pressure on. Never let up.”
“The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself.”
Ain't that true!
"The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain a constant pressure upon the opposition."
Good one.
“If you push a negative hard enough, it will push through and become a positive.”
By this logic it is okay to kill abortionists. Killing abortionists is totally wrong but this rule inspires criminal acts... or, on the less criminal side, it inspires ridicule and name-calling, which by themselves are negative, but which this rule says will have positive results.
“The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative.”
Again, look at the attitude. I suppose an attack, if pushed hard enough, will become positive.
“Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.”
A major reason for stagnancy in Congress is the amount of polarization, promoted here. And folks blame conservatives for polarization?
These rules are supposed, by Wikipedia, to be from "Rules For Radicals" by Saul Alinsky. 1971. I see I must get a copy!
