Snowflakes keep falling on their face
Warning: Will hurt feelings of people unable to formulate ideas. Everyone else will LOL
Washington DC 29 July 2022
Yesterday I posted a Civil War II note on Trumps plan to destroy the national security administrative state to the homeland security page in Linkedin. Presumably a good number of readers would be civil servants who may be unaware of his plans for terminating the competitive service and replacing it with all-exempted positions (these technical terms are explained in the article) starting with the policy-making apparatus and likely to seep into the remainder of the civil service and eventually the active duty armed forces.
This was also relevant information in the context of Trump’s continued plans to overthrow democracy. After all, he had already attempted to have his Vice President assassinated and the results of a free and fair election annulled. Perhaps naively, I considered that general subject area might be something worthy of concern to those charged with protecting the homeland.
I was wrong
Hilarity ensued…
David Raynes was typical. He could not compute that only one side of politics mounted the coup. It was therefore, by definition, inescapably, and always will be, a political issue - both in terms of partisanship (his intended meaning) and, you know, democracy (something he could not fathom).
This just in! Confirming my assumptions!
Invasion of the Bots
My posting on the LinkedIn homeland security page stirred Moscow bots to life and they came out swinging. The Visionary Davis Bot 7000 issued a string of grammatically broken non-sequiturs like these gems…
Wiping away the tears of joy, caused in no small measure by the sheer pleasure of trying to comprehend the bot’s Rushlish, I was scolded for not remembering the great assault on the White House where countless secret service agents gave their lives to protect the hydrangeas.
Eventually I took pity on the Visionary 7000 and helped recode the algorithm.
The internet research agency is not what it used to be. The war in Ukraine is really draining resources. In some ways I am disappointed. Victory is only sweet when going up against the very best AI that Moscow can afford. The Visionary 7000 was not Yevgeny Prigozhin’s finest hour, it must be said.
Tiring of these minor pleasures, I came up with a cunning master plan. Shot back a non-sequitur and watched the algorithm work its mysterious magic.
VICTORY!
The Visionary Davis Bot 7000 exploded into flames, burning down a city block in Moscow. It was never heard from again.
HUMINT sources have confirmed that this picture captures the exact moment Yevgeny Prigozhin explained “minor technical glitches” with the Visionary Davis Bot 7000 to the Tzar.
Sensing his anger, they could not risk telling him about the city block. Casually dropping it into conversation days later, they did not make it completely clear exactly which city lost a block due to the fault of the Visionary Bot 7000. On hearing of the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of innocents in the service of keeping his puppet American LinkedIn homeland security page viewers happy, the Tzar had a rare moment of silent reflection.
Dedicated readers will be familiar with some of my past LinkedIn adventures. As the warnings say, “experiences will vary”.
This posting had me excommunicated from the “Intelligence community” page. They did not think domestic extremist had anything to do with the work of Americas 17 intelligence agencies. In realty, none of them actually read it, they just hated the cover photo because they could see their reflections in it which was embarrassing outside of their fuhrer silo.
I responded with this observation of that experience
Keep your cool while all around you everyone is loosing theirs
Classically trained at an ivy, and having spent years in classrooms helping people wrestle with new ideas, I always try to give the benefit of the doubt, engage in good faith, use some humor, and try to find common ground.
The problem is that those that complain - the Karen class - are incapable of any cognitive dissonance at all. It is the only way to learn. They have overdosed on “see something say something”… confronted with something they cant compute, they demand to speak to the manager to have the viewpoint silenced. They type out a sentence of outrage to help others target the thought criminal and they all pile on whining. This is exactly how social media works in Communist China.
I am supposed to be intimidated I guess but it amuses me… immensely.
I normally stop engaging when it goes in this direction. Or I might ask them to actually formulate a reasoned response - you never know - I try to be an optimist. Last night I got a little fed up with the stupidity. So I did what I’ve never done before and called them on their bullshit.
John Grievance
This was the most intelligence of all the responses.
I love it because of the horror that anyone is allowed to say anything with which he disagrees. This is how they live in communist China! I wonder if they realize they are being more commie than the Chicoms? A common theme - they are oblivious - or scared of - those who disagree. When you live inside Fox and OAN hearing something different must be very jarring. The fact I had the temerity to push back with the outrageous offer to publish a viewpoint with which I disagreed was deemed emotional…
Readers will be shocked to hear that John Grievance did not respond with an essay explaining whatever it is he actually believes. That will remain a mystery unto the ages.
I just noticed he changed his profession from law enforcement to this… after I asked him this question…
So the most intelligent and articulate among the pro-terrorist forces on the homeland security page have not bothered to read or listen to the Jan 6 Committee - just obeying what Rupert tells them to think. Things are going to get a little edgy for these folks in the coming weeks. I decided too throw them a bone. I am kind like that.
It’s ironic that the same people who complain about being “silenced” are pleading the 5th every chance they get.
OK so seriously, what did you expect?
I expect people in a professional setting to be able to rationally explain their viewpoint. Outright denial of reality does not count. Thank you for playing Michael.
I actually want to hear someone articulate a rational, well argued, pro-trump position - in essay form with evidence - along the lines of what I do here regularly. I believe it can’t be done. I’ve not been proved wrong. Its my inner professor… I try to use the Socratic method to help people see where their position is illogical or can’t stand any scrutiny.
A+
I had a field grade graduate student once who assumed all sorts of things about what I believed… As a professor I never told my students what I thought. That was not my job. I was there to present various viewpoints for group discussion. I was not there to preconceive ideas for others. I discussed this approach with them a number of times. Nevertheless, this particular officer decided that to get a good grade he had to give me what he thought I wanted. It didn’t work. For his final essay he decided to really give it to me with both barrels. He took a position he assumed I would totally disagree with and hammered it home with a fury… using all the tools I gave him over the year… use of good quality evidence, strong analysis, well presented cogent points, consideration and rebuttal of anticipated counter arguments. I gave him the only A+ I ever gave in 10 years.
At the end of the class he barreled towards me, I could see he was actually pissed off. “What do you mean this is an A+?” he demanded. I offered to lower his grade if he thought he did not deserve it. Steam was shooting from his ears… I explained what I just noted above… he followed the HOW to think bit, did it really well, and was rewarded with what he earned. “So, if I had done this all along I would have got A+s all along” - “Yep”. “So you really meant it about all that ‘how to think’ not ‘what to think’ crap?”…”Yep”… Poor guy, I think he had to stumble off to the bar to get over this revelation! That was one of those sweet, sweet, moments in a professional education life when you saw a light go on. I suppose It is too much to hope for on Linkedin’s professional discussion pages.
Jaw jaw or war war
The bottom line is this - if we are to avoid a civil war we need to stop this manufactured knee-jerk tantrum throwing and start talking… If the Bushes and Clintons can do it…then so can we. They are role models for the rest of us… think Im crazy? Follow this link!