Did the CIA fund creative writing in America?

[General Patton]

Do you have the survey data on who works as staff the CIA? No, seriously, do you? If not, what is your method for divining this conclusion?

Before I go dig up citations, can I ask why you're talking about the CIA and IC in general if you don't already know this?

And since when is National Pentagon Radio... what, liberal? Seriously? Because of Terry Brooks once a week? Because the right-wing noise machine said so?

Just because they aren't left enough for you doesn't make them right wing bae.

[JackRiddler]

When did NPR oppose a war, or give significant time to antiwar opinion? You are confusing the costume with the troll that wears it. It's a very cosmetic and reflexive view of "left" as an image. You wouldn't do that when the same complex lays claim to "democracy" or "rule of law."

And no, sorry, voting Democrat especially in the last 30 years does not say even left of center. What's your evidence for CIA demographics? They don't survey their personnel and then publish the results.

And IC in general? Leftist? Please!!!

[tapitsbo]

Now this I can agree with, there are trolls wearing costumes alright.

As for what you wrote before, it's a crazy reading of what I wrote. Humanities and philosophy in particular are in many ways the master discourse of our civilization.

It's amazing how esoteric fields like queer studies have trickled down into simplified sets of rules that whole generations have to abide by. Maybe not in fundamentalist Christian suburbs but then again I don't know what those are like.

People like Butler and Zizek are fascinating for how they have arguably derailed the left... Do people like Sara Ahmed or Adam Kotsko really help you in the long run?

You are the one breaking things up into black and white, too, interesting - let me underscore that I was talking about taking one's own side in a much much less oppositional way than you suggest. The relentless friend/enemy stuff you're pushing is what is currently pushing people into tribalism

I have never listened to Glenn Beck or similar right wing media, that is about as tone deaf as somebody smearing you with Maher.

These TV pundits aren't relevant, at least not to me.

[FourthBase]

Nor is Butler's kind of politics and thinking dominant in the universities at the departments that really are hegemonic -- STEM, economics, "government," applied social sciences, etc.

No True Hegemony, lol.

p.s. How many do you want to bet that Trump's SNL appearance will be defined by a defiant stunt from someone on the staff a la Bob Roberts?

[tapitsbo]

It would be funny if Trump was asassinated on SNL!

[JackRiddler]

tapits, I didn't say you listen to Glenn Beck, I said you sound very much like him, which you do. Because it trickles down, see, even more than your imagined prevalence of queer theory outside the academy. And oh my god, what if people loosened up in their strictures on sexual identity, what if they stopped torturing their children for deviating from the old patriarchal rules, etc., etc. It's the one genuinely thrilling thing that's happening among the young, and so what? Where's the threat to old men like you or me? If you want to know what really trickled down last year, it wasn't queer theory but the glorification of the psychotic war criminal in American Sniper. That's your hegemonic culture, F-16 flyovers at the Superbowl and 5000-calorie sugar bombs for breakfast lunch and dinner, and it's obsessed with minors sexting and Miley Cyrus' ass. The right-wing's obsession with Weiner's dick was about 1000 times bigger as a story than queer theory.

Meanwhile, axes falls on humanities departments everywhere and you think these are the master narrative! The defining reality of our time is the loss of this old modernist master narrative. All that matters is what pulls in the returns, the eyeballs, the heat. Trump and Shkreli's and Steve Jobs' are the master narratives, and you're distracted by some Kumbaya PR by the six leftist professors you've heard of.

Meanwhile, Patton, there's no doubt that in IC the presence of Christian crazies and just plain mercenary operators dwarfs your imagined "left," but if I have to explain that to you...

[JackRiddler]

Nor is Butler's kind of politics and thinking dominant in the universities at the departments that really are hegemonic -- STEM, economics, "government," applied social sciences, etc.

No True Hegemony, lol.

You guys are nuts. Really. Judith Butler! This is exactly like Glenn Beck and his promotion of Frances Fox Piven as the bogeyman. Pure fantasy by whitemen feeling the loss of vitality. It's a fucking joke. 14 different countries have to negotiate the aerial bombing rights over Syria, and you guys think the fired Steven Salaita is hegemonic!

[tapitsbo]

People are loosening up? Maybe ten years ago. Now this mainstream liberal stuff is becoming lifeless and Puritanical. And I'm a young man, by the way.

But I'm sure the young generation around the planet thinks exactly like you do. Thanks for taking the time for these exchanges.

Speaking of bombing Syria and the humanities, the subject matter of this thread (CCF etc.) seems quite relevant via the neocons!

[JackRiddler]

People are loosening up? Maybe ten years ago. Now this mainstream liberal stuff is becoming lifeless and Puritanical. And I'm a young man, by the way.

You'll be old soon enough. So what threat is Queer Theory posing to you and what means of compulsion are being applied to make you conform to it? The funny thing is I can think of times when its exponents have deployed dogma that annoyed me in rl situations, but I have never, ever for a moment confused this with hegemony! That belongs to those who write the paychecks, finance the businesses, extend the loans, "negotiate" your benefits, pass the "free trade" treaties, sell the weapons, hog the media time, prepare the wars, etc.

[tapitsbo]

Queer theory doesn't pose a threat to me, the point is that it produced some epic memes in its time that were as American as the GWOT... The cultural stuff and the more tedious imperialistic stuff are two sides of the same coin as the CCF shows

Thank you for wishing me a long life

[JackRiddler]

Why can't the queer theorists just come with it on their own. Give them credit, they worked for it. You think there's one factory producing what they think and what the neocons think, because USA and CCF?

[FourthBase]

So, how does this work...do you guys allow yourselves when you're alone in between Left Forum panels to recount and rejoice over your cultural hegemonic success, but when interacting with non-insiders insist on just as vehemently maintaining a beseiged underdog stance? Or is your denial total, both private and public? I'd say it seems tactically wise, like Patriots players downplaying to the press their every victory and advantage no matter how dominant the win or enfeebled the opponent, but it actually seems more like if we Red Sox fans were so married to our old identity as cursed losers that we refuse to acknowledge having won anything since Game 3 in 2004, pathologically closeminded. I wonder...if Gramsci were resurrected, how much of a mindfuck would it be for him to see history vindicating his vision but only be recognized as such by reactionary right wingers?

[82_28]

No. Since you went there, as they say, the entire country outside of your humble colony actually hates all Boston teams. I don't "hate" you whatsoever, but Boston fans suck. I'll see you in Denver 4B! November 29th.

[82_28]

Oh and

[JackRiddler]

FB, you ever been to a Left Forum? It's open to the public, not far from Boston, and pretty cheap to attend. Literally hundreds of panels and it may answer your questions about "us guys" (assuming you are in the least interested in knowing). Empirical observation might also help you avoid hallucinated realities like your last couple of posts.