"Those of us who devoted ourselves to making sense of the Trump administration frequently struggled to nail down precisely what was so unnerving about his presidency...
"But far worse and more dangerous was the bullshit.
"...The ultimate consequence of spreading BS far and wide is a gradually rising tide of chaos—epistemic,…
"Those of us who devoted ourselves to making sense of the Trump administration frequently struggled to nail down precisely what was so unnerving about his presidency...
"But far worse and more dangerous was the bullshit.
"...The ultimate consequence of spreading BS far and wide is a gradually rising tide of chaos—epistemic, moral, and political... preparing the way for totalitarianism in general and fascism in particular."
A while back, I read "Chris Rufo: Professional Bullshit Artist":
"Whether CRT is actually present wherever Rufo says it is does not matter to him in the slightest. It’s not about integrity; telling the truth is for suckers. What matters, fundamentally, is winning... Truth is no end in itself; the only aim is political power.
"One of Frankfurt’s poignant insights: 'Bullshit is unavoidable whenever circumstances require someone to talk without knowing what he is talking about.' ...Rufo is a black belt in bullshit artistry, whereas [James] Lindsay tends to play the role of the liar more often. Rufo may therefore represent a more pernicious threat."
Frankfurt's "On Bullshit" notes,
"What tends to go on in a bull session is that the participants try out various thoughts and attitudes in order to see how it feels to hear themselves saying such things and in order to discover how others respond, without it being assumed that they are committed to what they say: It is understood by everyone in a bull session that the statements people make do not necessarily reveal what they really believe or how they really feel. The main point is to make possible a high level of candor and an experimental or adventuresome approach to the subjects under discussion. Therefore provision is made for enjoying a certain irresponsibility, so that people will be encouraged to convey what is on their minds without too much anxiety that they will be held to it."
Bull sessions are often silly, toying with ideas noncommittally. Still, they serve a purpose: play is part of learning. "The statements made in a bull session differ from bullshit in that there is no pretense that [the connection between what people say and what they believe] is being sustained." Bull-session "candor" isn't truthfulness, just unfiltered, even irresponsible in other contexts.
People were attracted to Trump's "candor". The public bull sessions advocating Trumpism sure style themselves as "adventuresome". But governing is no mere bull session. Bull sessions are normal in political commentary, though, creating cover for the real bullshit artists. Enough cover to hide the likes of Trump and Rufo? I had hoped not, but I've gotten used to that hope being disappointed.
This quote from Jean Paul Sartre about anti-semites perfect overlays the American right. Just replace “anti-Semites” with “anti-CRT.”
“Never believe that anti-Semites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous, open to challenge. But they are amusing themselves, for it is their adversary who is obliged to use words responsibly, since he believes in words. The anti-Semites have the right to play. They even like to play with discourse for, by giving ridiculous reasons, they discredit the seriousness of their interlocutors. They delight in acting in bad faith, since they seek not to persuade by sound argument but to intimidate and disconcert. If you press them too closely, they will abruptly fall silent, loftily indicating by some phrase that the time for argument is past.”
Re governing, the political strategists say their candidates campaign in poetry and govern in prose. Trump campaigned in bullshit and continued it as he governed. He continued his rallies and was was president of his base, only, not the US.
Quoting Linker,
"Those of us who devoted ourselves to making sense of the Trump administration frequently struggled to nail down precisely what was so unnerving about his presidency...
"But far worse and more dangerous was the bullshit.
"...The ultimate consequence of spreading BS far and wide is a gradually rising tide of chaos—epistemic, moral, and political... preparing the way for totalitarianism in general and fascism in particular."
A while back, I read "Chris Rufo: Professional Bullshit Artist":
https://conceptualdisinformation.substack.com/p/chris-rufo-professional-bullshit?s=r
"Whether CRT is actually present wherever Rufo says it is does not matter to him in the slightest. It’s not about integrity; telling the truth is for suckers. What matters, fundamentally, is winning... Truth is no end in itself; the only aim is political power.
"One of Frankfurt’s poignant insights: 'Bullshit is unavoidable whenever circumstances require someone to talk without knowing what he is talking about.' ...Rufo is a black belt in bullshit artistry, whereas [James] Lindsay tends to play the role of the liar more often. Rufo may therefore represent a more pernicious threat."
Frankfurt's "On Bullshit" notes,
"What tends to go on in a bull session is that the participants try out various thoughts and attitudes in order to see how it feels to hear themselves saying such things and in order to discover how others respond, without it being assumed that they are committed to what they say: It is understood by everyone in a bull session that the statements people make do not necessarily reveal what they really believe or how they really feel. The main point is to make possible a high level of candor and an experimental or adventuresome approach to the subjects under discussion. Therefore provision is made for enjoying a certain irresponsibility, so that people will be encouraged to convey what is on their minds without too much anxiety that they will be held to it."
Bull sessions are often silly, toying with ideas noncommittally. Still, they serve a purpose: play is part of learning. "The statements made in a bull session differ from bullshit in that there is no pretense that [the connection between what people say and what they believe] is being sustained." Bull-session "candor" isn't truthfulness, just unfiltered, even irresponsible in other contexts.
People were attracted to Trump's "candor". The public bull sessions advocating Trumpism sure style themselves as "adventuresome". But governing is no mere bull session. Bull sessions are normal in political commentary, though, creating cover for the real bullshit artists. Enough cover to hide the likes of Trump and Rufo? I had hoped not, but I've gotten used to that hope being disappointed.
Good points. I have often thought about Frankfurt's little book these past seven years. (Can it really be *seven* years now? Lord, have mercy!)
Thanks for the link to ConceptualDisinformation. One more bit of reading.
This quote from Jean Paul Sartre about anti-semites perfect overlays the American right. Just replace “anti-Semites” with “anti-CRT.”
“Never believe that anti-Semites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous, open to challenge. But they are amusing themselves, for it is their adversary who is obliged to use words responsibly, since he believes in words. The anti-Semites have the right to play. They even like to play with discourse for, by giving ridiculous reasons, they discredit the seriousness of their interlocutors. They delight in acting in bad faith, since they seek not to persuade by sound argument but to intimidate and disconcert. If you press them too closely, they will abruptly fall silent, loftily indicating by some phrase that the time for argument is past.”
Excellent!
Good point about Trump's so-called candor.
Re governing, the political strategists say their candidates campaign in poetry and govern in prose. Trump campaigned in bullshit and continued it as he governed. He continued his rallies and was was president of his base, only, not the US.