The comments by Lucy Powell are a perfect illustration of the dire quality of so many of our current MPs and the fact that she’s a Minister makes it even more shocking. Most of them couldn’t debate their way out of a paper bag and the use of terms like dog whistle, far right bandwagon, Islamophobia, transphobia, racism, provide them with the perfect thought and debate terminating cliches.
Well said, AD. These mysterious high-frequency hallucinations are only detectable to the terminally online. Much like racism in a knitting blog or a microaggression in a semicolon, they appear only if you go looking for them — proof that this isn’t about truth, but tribal warfare dressed up as moral insight.
OT: I'm on a paper with Blair Hamilton, but, such is the nature of modern scientific research, we've never spoken to each other. My exposure was when I was with the main author when we visited a lab to use an analytical instrument there. The lab manager was a woman and the 3 of us were chatting while the analysis was running. He said that Hamilton was working on inclusion of transwomen in women's sports. He sort of whispered 'it's controversial'. The lab manager and I looked at each other, registered we were on the same page, then said to him 'that's not controversial. It's just cheating'.
Dog whistles are just a way to say whatever you like and everyone has to agree with you because you say you hear them. It's basically the rock solid argument of 'trust me, bro'.
Access to information has never been easier yet public debate seems so infantile at times. Perhaps there's a link to your previous article, Andrew, about dumbing down kids' education and not teaching them to think and reason. So many of us just spout set phrases and cliches rather than try and engage in the art of persuasion. If I try and talk about immigration with friends they'll either change the subject or go into silent mode. What is this mad notion of 'These are my beliefs and I will cleave to them unto death'? Why are we so afraid to be seen to change our mind on an issue?
Incidentally, Andrew, I've heard on the QT that your new sitcom will be about an innocent young man who teaches English at a Foreign Language Academy peopled by lots of brazen, busty Euro babes and the tales of all the jolly japes and cultural misunderstandings they get up to. Can't wait!
I don't agree with you. Some dog-whistles are real, e.g 'rootless cosmopolitans', 'globalists' etc. They are used in a wide range of situations by a wide range of people, by Victor Orban of George Soros, by members of my local Labour Party, as a way of identifying each other in chat groups and so on.
The comments by Lucy Powell are a perfect illustration of the dire quality of so many of our current MPs and the fact that she’s a Minister makes it even more shocking. Most of them couldn’t debate their way out of a paper bag and the use of terms like dog whistle, far right bandwagon, Islamophobia, transphobia, racism, provide them with the perfect thought and debate terminating cliches.
I would suggest, that if they tried to, the paper bags would explode in their faces.
😂
Well said, AD. These mysterious high-frequency hallucinations are only detectable to the terminally online. Much like racism in a knitting blog or a microaggression in a semicolon, they appear only if you go looking for them — proof that this isn’t about truth, but tribal warfare dressed up as moral insight.
OT: I'm on a paper with Blair Hamilton, but, such is the nature of modern scientific research, we've never spoken to each other. My exposure was when I was with the main author when we visited a lab to use an analytical instrument there. The lab manager was a woman and the 3 of us were chatting while the analysis was running. He said that Hamilton was working on inclusion of transwomen in women's sports. He sort of whispered 'it's controversial'. The lab manager and I looked at each other, registered we were on the same page, then said to him 'that's not controversial. It's just cheating'.
If the Universe made me God for a day, I'd put Andrew Doyle's combination of common sense and intelligence in charge of the whole bloody mad world.
Dog whistles are just a way to say whatever you like and everyone has to agree with you because you say you hear them. It's basically the rock solid argument of 'trust me, bro'.
Love you, AD. Love the 'if you can hear the whistle, you're probably the dog.'.
I totally agree, Andrew, that the phrase 'dog whistle' is used to simply intimidate and shut down debate.
Have cross posted
https://dustymasterson.substack.com/p/flags-of-our-fathers-part-2
Dusty
I totally agree with you ,Andrew. Well said.👍
Access to information has never been easier yet public debate seems so infantile at times. Perhaps there's a link to your previous article, Andrew, about dumbing down kids' education and not teaching them to think and reason. So many of us just spout set phrases and cliches rather than try and engage in the art of persuasion. If I try and talk about immigration with friends they'll either change the subject or go into silent mode. What is this mad notion of 'These are my beliefs and I will cleave to them unto death'? Why are we so afraid to be seen to change our mind on an issue?
Incidentally, Andrew, I've heard on the QT that your new sitcom will be about an innocent young man who teaches English at a Foreign Language Academy peopled by lots of brazen, busty Euro babes and the tales of all the jolly japes and cultural misunderstandings they get up to. Can't wait!
If they're so great at mind reading how come they're wrong about everything
I don't agree with you. Some dog-whistles are real, e.g 'rootless cosmopolitans', 'globalists' etc. They are used in a wide range of situations by a wide range of people, by Victor Orban of George Soros, by members of my local Labour Party, as a way of identifying each other in chat groups and so on.