Dr. Bastiat’s Greatest Hits

 

For my 800th post, I decided to go through all my old posts and pull out the ones that seem worthwhile.  I’m doing this for two reasons.  First, to put all my decent stuff in one place so I can find it when I want it.  I can never remember the title of something I wrote, and if I want to share it with a friend, I can never lay my hands on it at the time.  At least now, I’ll know where to look – that’s why I’m giving it a simple title that I can remember, so I can Google it later.

I also hoped that when I went through everything, I might find an over-riding theme that might enable me to pull all this together into something more cohesive over time.  That part didn’t work out so well.  I did notice a few recurring concepts:
1.  Why are collectivist societies violent & tribal while individualistic societies peaceful and cohesive?
2.  What exactly is it about Western Civilization that leads to peace & prosperity?
3.  The dangers of unintended consequences to well-intentioned policies
4.  How various societies get individuals to act in the best interest of the society as a whole
5.  The interaction between human nature, religion, customs, ethics, peer pressure, and government
6. Why do nihilists, who think nothing really matters, care so much about the actions of others?
7.  Why is protecting people from the consequences of their own actions so dangerous?
8.  Why do leftists consider conservatives to be evil, while they stereotype conservatives as non-threatening and nice?
9.  How do leftists manage to be arrogant and self-loathing at the same time?
10.  How do hope, fear, love, and hate interact to build a stable society?

I delved into these and many other topics, seeking understanding, with varying degrees of success.  Many of the comments were better than the posts, which is much of the reason I included some of these posts.  I found it interesting that none of the posts I found interesting were directly political – Trump and Biden are mentioned only occasionally and only peripherally.  I’m seeking to understand the human condition, not trying to convince anyone to agree with my political views.  Which is another way of saying that these are posts and discussions that I found interesting – they aren’t necessarily the ones with the most likes or views.

If you’re curious, you can get a basic idea of the concepts I explored by just reading the brief synopses of each post below.  You could even read an occasional post which catches your interest.  I suppose you could read all the summaries and all the posts, but that would be less like browsing a website and more like reading a book.  So to save time, you’re welcome to just peruse any portion that piques your interest.

Regardless, I appreciate your indulgence while I try to compile all this, in an effort to organize my thoughts.  It might be nice if Ricochet had an easier way to do this for each member, and for the site as a whole.  There’s so much good stuff on Ricochet that just disappears after a few days.  It seems a shame to lose track of even the good stuff so quickly.  Just a thought.

Anyway, I offer to anyone interested (both of you), Dr. Bastiat’s Greatest Hits:


I believe that when government attempts to improve human nature, it ends up exaggerating the negative aspects of human nature while suppressing the positive aspects of human nature.  My patients who are dying of horrible diseases help me prove this point:

Maybe People are ok, After All…


I found God in a hotel conference room, during a lecture about warts.  Kind of embarrassing.  I probably should make up a more compelling story.  But it was then that God’s presence became obvious even to me.  Like Heisenberg, I’m a slow learner.

Heisenberg Was Right About the Theology of Frightened Warts


I have three daughters, and I’m continuously amazed by them.  I still don’t understand them, but they’re just extraordinary.  I try to figure out how, exactly, they continuously produce such magic.

She runs up to me in the Savannah airport and gives me a big hug. She steps away, she sees a tear in my eye and says, “Daddy, are you ok?”

And I respond, “Yes, beautiful, everything is ok.” And at that moment – just for a moment – it is. Everything really is ok. It feels sort of odd, actually.

Little Girls Are Magic


No society can survive and grow unless individuals act in the best interests of society at large.  This is why the leftist fans of centralized control systems think they’re doing the Lord’s work.  But surprisingly enough, it works much better if you just allow everyone to do whatever they want.  I try to explain how all that works in:

Guided by an Invisible Hand.  No, Not That One.


Another way to look at this is to consider the dangers of a safety net.  Safety nets are often very helpful, of course, but if we do too much to protect people from failure, then they can’t learn from their mistakes, or go find other occupations that they might be better at:

The Dangers of a Safety Net


COVID illustrated how the government’s efforts to protect its citizens reduces each individual’s ability to engage in risk-benefit analyses.  Thus, the more our government protects us, the more vulnerable we become.  To absolutely everything:

Stay Home!  Get Out!  At the Same Time!


This is true on the micro level, as well.  As we protect people from the consequences of their actions, their behavior becomes increasingly bizarre and reckless.

Life Without Consequences


Another reason to avoid disconnecting people from the consequences of their actions is that it leads to a form of insanity:

“You didn’t build that” is simply an extension of our refusal to acknowledge individual agency.  Some lady in Indiana starts a company selling window treatments out of her home.  Twenty years later she has 15 employees and two storefront locations.  But she didn’t build that.

Meanwhile, some kid in Chicago steals hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise from a Target.  But we don’t prosecute him for his crimes, because after all, he’s black.  He’s not responsible for his actions, any more than the lady with the curtains is responsible for hers.

This sort of ‘logic’ gets even more complex when they point out that white Americans are responsible for the actions of people they’ve never met, 200 years ago.  So I’m not responsible for the success of my medical practice, but I am responsible for somebody’s actions in Alabama in 1835.  I get a headache just thinking about it.

Leftists build power based on arguments like this.  It’s amazing that it ever works.  But honestly, it rarely fails.  How can you debate insanity without sounding insane?

Pursuing Compassion While Avoiding Insanity


The girl who cut my hair at Sport Clips talked about her desire to open her own barber shop, and her husband’s desire to open his own auto repair shop.  But then she explained why they didn’t do so.  She didn’t seem angry at the government for preventing her success, but I was.  This article was featured on PowerLine & InstaPundit and many other sites all over the web – it hit a nerve, apparently.  I still think about her – I hope she eventually opened her own shop.  But I’ll bet she didn’t.

Everything Is Not OK


I’m not the first to point out that leftism is best understood as a religion masquerading as a form of government (and Islam is best understood as a form of government masquerading as religion).  So how do leftists get conservatives to participate in a religion they do not believe in?  By requiring participation in rituals.  Religions use rituals to remind us of important things – even non-church-goers go to church for baptisms, weddings, and funerals – we mark important events through church rituals.  Leftists do the same thing, as I try to explain:

Genuflecting at the Altar of Progressivism


Speaking of religions, those who believe in manmade global warming are often astonished at my skepticism.  So I’ve learned to ask them, the true believers, some simple questions.  What temperature is the earth supposed to be?  Should it always be the same, or should it change?  Who gets to decide on the proper temperature of the earth?  And so on.  I list my approach to such conversations in this post.

What Temperature Should the Planet Be?


I’m fascinated by the traits which tend to lead to success.  Intelligence helps, of course, but enthusiasm and lack of fear of failure seem to be more important.  A great illustration of this is a friend of mine, Dr. Hopland.  I can’t remember the title I gave this piece, but I hate the title that the editors chose.  So I’ll call it,

We Can’t Prevent Reckless Mistakes Without Preventing Success


I approached the same idea with a commencement address that I gave at my high school some years ago.  This speech is one of my favorite essays.

Success Matters.  Failure Doesn’t.


Henry David Thoreau is widely viewed as a brilliant writer and social critic.  I take a different view:

I used to loathe Henry David Thoreau. Well, that’s a bit strong. Let’s just say that he inspired in me a passionate apathy for his writings.

That sort of makes sense, because what makes Thoreau so fascinating to me is that he is so remarkably uninteresting. I suppose it’s somewhat interesting that an uninteresting man would be inspired to compile his uninteresting thoughts into uninteresting books. Reading Thoreau is like looking at Instagram pictures of someone’s lunch. You don’t wonder how the lunch tasted, you just wonder why that person thought that you might be interested in pictures of their lunch.

This is pretty much how Mr. Thoreau’s writing was received in his day. His fans proudly say that he never made a penny in royalties from his writing (His fans tend to be the type who measure the success of an individual by their lack of success.). Although his critics point out that it was not from lack of trying – he had huge piles of unsold copies of On Walden Pond in his famous cabin. His contemporaries apparently viewed his books the same way I view Instagram pictures of lunches. They rolled their eyes and moved on.

Some Ricochet members pushed back against my criticisms, and pointed out that Mr. Thoreau really was a brilliant writer.  And they made some good points.  See if you agree with my perspective:

Shallow Thoughts on Walden Pond


I believe that smart phones, the internet, social media and so on have enabled us to withdraw from society at large and become increasingly immersed in subgroups of people who are very similar to ourselves.  This has led to increasing arrogance and decreasing empathy, which are sort of the same thing.  This has also led to problems with Americans communicating with their co-workers, neighbors, family members, and others not in their social media subgroups.  I think this is also partly to blame for our increasingly bitter partisanship, and even political violence.  I try to explain why I find all this so concerning:

Smartphones Destroy Empathy


A corollary to that concept is the idea that if conservatism is portrayed as evil, then virtue is whatever is furthest from that.  So virtue is always left of wherever you are.  This was illustrated when a Black Lives Matter protest temporarily detained the vice-president of the city council of Minneapolis, who is not just a standard leftist Democrat – this person is a black trans-sexual performance artist.  And BLM posted their violent threats on social media, because they knew they were immune from prosecution for their crimes, because they are to the left of the black trans-sexual performance artist.  Once the left wins, and declares the right to be evil, then society falls ever faster, ever further left – there are no brakes once this happens:

When Conservatism is Evil, then the Furthest Left Person is the Most Virtuous.


I met an old friend at a high school class reunion some years ago, and he reminded me of something I never should have forgotten – how a small act of kindness may seem like no big deal to you, but it can change someone’s life.  Without you even knowing…

A Small Act of Kindness


When someone argues their point with histrionic passion, it is likely not only that they are wrong, but also that they know they’re wrong.  I compared Harrison Ford making a fool out of himself at a climate conference to Democrat women wearing hats that look like female genitalia, and marveled at the power of the religion of leftism to demand its followers to make fools of themselves in public:

Those Who “Believe in Science” Don’t Understand Science


Leftists in general, and environmentalists in particular, tend to manage a mystifying balance of arrogance and self-loathing.  Here I explore the baffling religion of the turtle people of Hilton Head:

The Self-Loathing Arrogance of the Turtle People


This is another one of my favorites.  I compare Trofim Lysenko and Norman Borlaug, consider the results of their agricultural research, then speculate about why one of them happened in the Soviet Union and why the other one happened in The United States.  I think it’s a good explanation of one of the many dangers of limiting free speech, and attempting to centralize decision making.

Suppression of Free Speech Leads to Dead People


America’s system is not socialist as much as it is fascist.  Our government does not want to own the means of production.  It just wants to control it via regulations, taxes, subsidies, and so on.  Thus, private industry takes all the risk, government keeps all the profit, and the citizens blame the CEO’s instead of the politicians for the high prices.  I illustrate this by discussing the relationship between pharmaceutical companies and the FDA.  I’m critical of this system, although I tried to maintain New York Times – style neutrality in my title:

Let’s Blow it Up


The dangers of centralized control systems may not be immediately clear to those who have grown up in a free country like ours, but they are very clear to those who have lived under such systems.  Like my Ukrainian barber, for example:

Does Your Blood Not Run Cold?


I tried to explore the destructive force of leftism in general and identity politics in particular by comparing Marxism & Black Lives Matter to strategies used by prison guards to keep the peace in jails:

Destroying America by Destroying Lives by Destroying Hope


Another way of looking at this is considering the unseen destructive impact of the left’s technique of gaining power by convincing people that they are helpless pawns, and they need government to protect them from, well, everything:

Selling Fear is Evil


Democrats often portray themselves as more compassionate than Republicans, because they favor redistribution of wealth.  Take from the rich and give to the poor.  Unfortunately, there is a big difference between charity and government entitlement programs.  The latter distort not only the economy, but people’s souls.

Why Is Government “Charity” So Toxic?


I think that many people vote Democrat to absolve themselves of responsibility of making any real sacrifices to make the world a better place.  Why volunteer at a homeless shelter, when you can just put a bumper sticker on your car?  But I also think that this diffusion of personal responsibility leads to depersonalization of society, and demoralization of the human spirit:

Modern culture is often described as coarse or vulgar.

I think it’s just demoralized and depersonalized.

The diffusion of responsibilities is a tempting drug, but it has serious side effects.

Trust me. I’m a doctor.

I know.

And I’m really trying to care.

See if you agree with the rest of the post:

Physician Burnout is a Social Disease


Even though American society appears be increasingly depersonalized, and we seem to be losing our shared humanity, there are those who are fighting back.  It’s surprising where we can sometimes be reminded of our own humanity:

Shopping for Humanity at Food Lion


Leftism is ever changing because it has no underlying ethical structure, beyond the endless pursuit of power and control.  Leftist leaders must master a type of situational ethics that tend to confuse even their most devoted followers.  I view this as more of a strength than a weakness.

Liberalism Depends on Situational Ethics


Christianity’s sympathy for the less fortunate has, in my view, led us to elevate victims to positions of absolute power, which makes America’s politics seem surreal at times.  I’m not sure that conservatives fully understand this point, but leftists most certainly do.

The Power of Weakness


Leftist politicians sometimes appear evil by attempting to gain power by appealing to our hate rather than our love.  They appeal to petty jealousies and resentments, and ignore more unifying concepts like love thy neighbor and so on.  Is this because these politician are stupid?  Or hate-filled bigots?  No – it’s because hate is a more powerful emotion than love.  Which creates a real problem when you’re trying to build a society:

The Beauty of Hate


Some of the most beautiful things on this planet make no sense.  Like the sacrifices, and the rewards, of motherhood.  Why would anybody do that?  It makes no sense.  But nothing is more beautiful.  Or more important.  As I attempt to illustrate in this tribute to my wife.

There Are Many Types of Wealth


I tried to illustrate the virtue of the competition of capitalism by examining what happens when people feel absolutely secure and protected from competition or other outside threats.  In my view, the more secure one is, the less one cares about other people.  This seems backwards, but I think it’s true.

Predators Create Compassion


I think it’s also true that failure (and fear of failure) are essential to happiness and contentment.  Excessive security and comfort lead from boredom to pessimism to nihilism, and often to booze, drugs, and even suicide.  I’m not sure why, but I think Aristotle and Kierkegaard had a point here.

Contentment is Impossible Without Hardship … I think.


Many on the left see only two options:  Powerful centralized control systems or lawless, violent anarchy.  Hobbes was an atheist who feared what might happen when human nature was freed from the belief in, and the restrictions of, religion.  He believed that such societal destruction might be averted by the divine right of kings, a medieval quirk which would seem to have found new life in modern leftists.  I imagine a discussion on this topic with:

Thomas Hobbes, Greta Thunberg, and Me


Citizens of a democracy are likely to be uncomfortable with the divine right of kings.  So our ostensibly elected officials build their power not by ignoring rules, but by making more of them.  The complexity of our administrative state is how our bureaucrats work around the Constitutional restraints of our legal system.

It’s a Good Day


Many people fear ideologues.  But I think that ideology is preferable to cult of personality, and I think that this point is becoming increasingly clear in American politics:

The Moderating Effects of Ideology


Another variable is the left’s vicious response to perceived hypocrisy.  When you know your beliefs are phony, you can’t engage in debate.  You can only attack anyone who attempts to pull back the curtain and expose the phoniness.

The Logos of Chris Rock


This is another effort to explore leftist’s apparent intolerance of hypocrisy.  I think part of the explanation lies in the fact that conservatives are trying to build a society that they want to live in, while leftists are trying to build a society that they want others to live in, but that they themselves would not want to visit:

Leftist Hypocrisy is Not Hypocritical


Our infatuation with equality – and now, with equity – has led us to use our government for benevolent means that is steadily converting our democracy into tyranny.  This seems counter-intuitive, but it ends up being inevitable.

Converting Democracy into Tyranny


The true power of Critical Race Theory and the environmentalist movement is that it convinces Americans that everything they do hurts someone else.  Thus, we need government oversight of absolutely everything.  Even lightbulbs.  This leads to the creation of a powerful tool:

Convince people that their every action hurts someone.
Create models to convince people of impending doom if they don’t do what the government says.
Take control of society bit by bit, always with the pretension of helping people, so people don’t notice the loss of their freedoms.
Run for office on the popularity of giving the people a bit of their freedom back in exchange for compliance.

I’m not sure how this weapon against freedom can be countered…

The Licensed Human Being Replaces the Responsible Citizen


There is nothing obvious which holds America together – we don’t have a common race, or common religion, or common background.  All we have is a shared belief in a set of ideals.  So when leftists attack American ideals, they accelerate America’s descent into violent tribalism.

Intentionally Dividing Americans Is Evil


I’ve never understood why leftists say they believe in doing whatever they want – freedom from outdated social norms etc – but those same leftists build oppressive tyrannical societies every time they gain power.  So I wrote an essay comparing Aleister Crowley, Walter Duranty, and Bernie Sanders.  Surprisingly, this did not contribute to my understanding of this dichotomy.  Perhaps it will help you.

I Don’t Understand This Essay.  Please Explain It To Me.


I was amazed by a patient who was upset that I was reluctant to recommend treatment for him without data backing up my opinions.  I compared this to an odd view that many leftists have of independent thought:

Leftists View Independent Thought as Intellectual Laziness


My wife and I had dinner with an old friend in D.C. and I learned about the difference between “Think Tanks” and “Lobbying Groups”.  I also learned how difficult it is for politicians to get honest information about nearly anything.  No wonder our government makes so many stupid decisions…

Think Tanks, Lobbying Groups, and Leftists – Oh My!


The very next night, we had dinner with another old friend, and I learned about the difference between those who excel in government work and those who excel in private industry:

Venture Capitalists, Think Tanks, and Naïve Doctors – Oh My!


The prescient observations of Dr. Rudolf Virchow in the early 1800’s provide a good illustration that even in our gilded age of brilliance, computers, and science, that sometimes we still don’t know crap.  Which led me to suggest that using centralized control systems to amplify the impact of our current understanding is dangerous – because our current understanding is often wrong:

Perhaps limited government makes sense.  Perhaps we should seek to reduce the impact of harmful thinking by reducing the power of our government to enforce compliance to current theories.  Whatever they are.  Perhaps it is the amplification of bad ideas that is more dangerous than the bad ideas themselves.  Perhaps we should worship modesty more than arrogance.  Perhaps we should respect the ideas of others as much as we respect ourselves.  Perhaps we should remember that we may not be as smart as we think we are.

You can read the rest here:

Perhaps We Don’t Know Crap…


I believe that leftists are defined by their close-mindedness and intolerance.  I also believe that conservatives are defined by their tolerance.  See if you agree:

Conservatives are Defined by Their Tolerance


I’m fascinated by the fact that even leftists think that conservatives are nice:

Liberals Think Conservatives Are Nice


Another way to look at that point is to read “The Lord of the Flies”, which I find to be a frighteningly good analogy for modern politics:

Jack is Winning


What’s even more concerning about the intolerance and lack of empathy found in leftists is that our educational establishment, our news media, Hollywood, social media – all of them are teaching our children that such intolerance is virtuous and loving.  I use George Washington, Joseph Stalin, and BF Skinner to explain why I find that so concerning:

Teaching Our Children that Leftism is Love


I made three heroic efforts at explaining why I shouldn’t write movie reviews, while searching for meaning in sophisticated, intellectual literature such as “The Big Lebowski”, “Jack Reacher”, and “Boogie Nights”:

The Unabashed Patriotism of “The Big Lebowski”

Reacher and Democrats Are Boring

Man’s Search for Nothing


I’ve written a few obituaries, for people who meant a lot to me.

Eeyore Learns From Tigger … Eventually.

My Friend Joe

My Friend Lou Brock

Would You Destroy Your Friendship to Protect a Friend?

An Eyewitness to Mussolini’s Death


I tried to explain a rational approach to risk analysis in:

It Doesn’t Matter if Masks Work


This is brief post about Thanksgiving:

Life is Beautiful.  Even When it’s Not.


Hannah Arendt was horrified by Adolf Eichmann because he seemed like a boring, typical guy.  But he was also pure evil.  She coined the phrase “banality of evil” to describe him.  I think this is why leftism universally ends in evil – leftism is simply applied human nature, without the guidance of what leftists view as superstitions (religion).  See if you agree:

The Banality of Evil


I don’t think leftists love poor people.  I think they just hate rich people.  Or, more precisely, leftists understand that in order to gain power & control, they must find a way to weaken the rich.  Hiding behind a veneer of benevolence is an effective tactic.  But we should remember that when government redistributes wealth, they are not trying to help people who don’t have jobs.  They are trying to hurt people who do have jobs.

Progressives Don’t Like Poor People.  They Just Hate Rich People.


American poverty is difficult to define, but it does not appear to be a lack of money.  I think there is a big difference between being broke and being poor, but I’m not sure what that difference is.  The reason you can’t cure poverty by giving money to poor people is that lack of money is not their problem – not their root problem, anyway.  Poverty is a horrifying problem, which will be difficult to fix, because I think we’re ignoring the underlying causes.

What’s the Difference Between Being Broke and Being Poor?


I suspect that our higher education industry may be on the brink of collapse.  Or, at least, an enormous restructuring.  I compare it to The Catholic Church of 1500 and the British Empire in 1775, and point out some similarities that suggest that even big, powerful organizations can be threatened by just a few crank-pots, if their underlying structural problems reach critical mass.

Martin Luther, Ben Franklin, and College Tuition


I’m fascinated by what, exactly, makes Western Civilization so wonderful.  I search for that elusive element by comparing my experiences living in some of the poorest areas of America, to now living in one of the wealthiest communities in the country (Hilton Head).

Western Civilization:  The Invisible, Beautiful Miracle That We Ignore.


I’m also fascinated by the fact that many people who have lived so well because of Western Civilization not only know nothing about it, but appear to be overtly hostile to it.  I discussed Muslim immigration with a very nice Swedish lady I met at a medical conference, and she illustrated my point.  Unintentionally.

Why Is Sweden So Violent All of a Sudden?  It’s Just Rotten Luck.


I’ll break the pattern set by all the posts above by including one post about pure politics.  Donald Trump has a reputation as an out-of-control firebrand.  But I find him boring, and I explain why:

Donald Trump Is Boring

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  1. Justin Other Lawyer Coolidge
    Justin Other Lawyer
    @DouglasMyers

    I’m very glad for this cataloging of your posts.  And thank you for writing so regularly–I look forward to your posts.

    One minor quibble.  Based on your own admission, I suggest there is one unifying thread, but I’m unsure whether his name is Jack Daniels or Jim Beam.  Cheers!

    • #1
  2. Bob Thompson Member
    Bob Thompson
    @BobThompson

    Check your initial list of recurring concepts. Is number 8 worded correctly?

    • #2
  3. Dr. Bastiat Member
    Dr. Bastiat
    @drbastiat

    Bob Thompson (View Comment):

    Check your initial list of recurring concepts. Is number 8 worded correctly?

    I think so – am I missing something?

    • #3
  4. Dr. Bastiat Member
    Dr. Bastiat
    @drbastiat

    Justin Other Lawyer (View Comment):

    I’m very glad for this cataloging of your posts. And thank you for writing so regularly–I look forward to your posts.

    One minor quibble. Based on your own admission, I suggest there is one unifying thread, but I’m unsure whether his name is Jack Daniels or Jim Beam. Cheers!

    Jim Beam.  And you’re right, that’s a pretty consistent unifying theme…

    • #4
  5. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    A handy compilation of your stuff, Doc. Thanks.

    • #5
  6. Bob Thompson Member
    Bob Thompson
    @BobThompson

    Dr. Bastiat: 8.  Why do leftists consider conservatives to be evil, while they stereotype conservatives as non-threatening and nice?

    Do Leftists stereotype us as non-threatening and nice?

    • #6
  7. Dr. Bastiat Member
    Dr. Bastiat
    @drbastiat

    Bob Thompson (View Comment):

    Dr. Bastiat: 8. Why do leftists consider conservatives to be evil, while they stereotype conservatives as non-threatening and nice?

    Do Leftists stereotype us as non-threatening and nice?

    In my view, yes they do.  I even included a post about it above:  Liberals Think Conservatives Are Nice

    • #7
  8. Red Herring Coolidge
    Red Herring
    @EHerring

    When I was busy, I got behind on ricochet and accumulated several pages of unread posts. I refused to delete your posts. Then, when I had time, I could binge read several at once. With a reboot of ricochet several months ago, my notifications were wiped out. Thank you for this organization of your posts.

    • #8
  9. Bob Thompson Member
    Bob Thompson
    @BobThompson

    Dr. Bastiat (View Comment):

    Bob Thompson (View Comment):

    Dr. Bastiat: 8. Why do leftists consider conservatives to be evil, while they stereotype conservatives as non-threatening and nice?

    Do Leftists stereotype us as non-threatening and nice?

    In my view, yes they do. I even included a post about it above: Liberals Think Conservatives Are Nice

    Do they think of themselves that same way?

    • #9
  10. Dr. Bastiat Member
    Dr. Bastiat
    @drbastiat

    Bob Thompson (View Comment):

    Dr. Bastiat (View Comment):

    Bob Thompson (View Comment):

    Dr. Bastiat: 8. Why do leftists consider conservatives to be evil, while they stereotype conservatives as non-threatening and nice?

    Do Leftists stereotype us as non-threatening and nice?

    In my view, yes they do. I even included a post about it above: Liberals Think Conservatives Are Nice

    Do they think of themselves that same way?

    My daughter’s leftist friend laughed out loud when she suggested conservatives at Antifa riots.  

    I don’t know – but her friend suspected that she was conservative because she was always nice to everybody.

    • #10
  11. Dr. Bastiat Member
    Dr. Bastiat
    @drbastiat

    Red Herring (View Comment):

    When I was busy, I got behind on ricochet and accumulated several pages of unread posts I refused to delete your posts. Then, when I had time, I could binge read several at once. With a reboot of ricochet several months ago, my notifications were wiped out. Thank you for this organization of your posts.

    Wow!  What a nice compliment!

    Thank you! 

    • #11
  12. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    Even Elvis didn’t have this many hits . . . I’m all shook up!

    • #12
  13. Henry Castaigne Member
    Henry Castaigne
    @HenryCastaigne

    Stad (View Comment):

    Even Elvis didn’t have this many hits . . . I’m all shook up!

    And Elvis had more access to drugs than Dr. Bastiat. 

    • #13
  14. Dr. Bastiat Member
    Dr. Bastiat
    @drbastiat

    Henry Castaigne (View Comment):

    Stad (View Comment):

    Even Elvis didn’t have this many hits . . . I’m all shook up!

    And Elvis had more access to drugs than Dr. Bastiat.

    Not true.

    I have access to all the drugs I could possibly want.  Which is why I limit myself to Jim Beam. 

    • #14
  15. Caryn Thatcher
    Caryn
    @Caryn

    Thanks Dr. B.  Very nice catalogue raisonne’.  I haven’t gone through all of them yet, but there’s a little bittersweetness in doing so.  Such as, rereading comments on some threads where I’d already given “likes” and finding old and dearly missed friends, like Boss Mongo.  *sniff*  Also, a few people I now realize I have’t seen around here in a while and wonder if they moved on and why or have just been busy and quiet.  

    Like Red Herring, I’m glad to have all of these in one spot, as I also lost my “reading list” in the great notifications purge.

    Congrats on 800.  Looking forward to 1000.  That should be around the first of Spring, eh?  Great having you here; hope to meet IRL before too long.

    • #15
  16. KCVolunteer Lincoln
    KCVolunteer
    @KCVolunteer

    I too enjoy your posts.

    You said, It might be nice if Ricochet had an easier way to do this for each member, and for the site as a whole.  

    It occurred to me a short time ago that Ricochet is a repository of valuable information. Perhaps some of the best Western Civilization has to offer. TPTB would deserve the addition of great in front of repository, if there was a way to find all the excellent knowledge buried in the site.  (And they should advertise it.)

    What good is a library, if you can find anything in it?

    • #16
  17. Henry Castaigne Member
    Henry Castaigne
    @HenryCastaigne

    Dr. Bastiat (View Comment):

    Henry Castaigne (View Comment):

    Stad (View Comment):

    Even Elvis didn’t have this many hits . . . I’m all shook up!

    And Elvis had more access to drugs than Dr. Bastiat.

    Not true.

    I have access to all the drugs I could possibly want. Which is why I limit myself to Jim Beam.

    Elvis had a personal Doctor to give him drugs. He carried a medical bag filled with all sorts of drugs that he could administer to Elvis to put him to sleep or wake him up depending on the circumstance. Elvis’s influence and money was like that of a Middle Eastern Shah. Then again I don’t know much about the life of a concierge Doctor. Nowadays are the drugs significantly better and does having access to a hospital basically give you all the drugs that Elvis had with better quality? I am not a concierge Doctor so I am not entirely sure. 

    • #17
  18. W Bob Member
    W Bob
    @WBob

    For some reason, a phrase that you used in one of your posts, maybe a year ago, stuck in my head. It was the manner in which many young people speak today in order to disarm their listeners: “non-threatening upward lilt.” Such an accurate description of something that’s so ubiquitous that it’s almost invisible.

    • #18
  19. Chowderhead Coolidge
    Chowderhead
    @Podunk

    Dr. Bastiat:

    I approached the same idea with a commencement address that I gave at my high school some years ago.  This speech is one of my favorite essays.

    Success Matters.  Failure Doesn’t.

    This one is my favorite. I made a very short post on new years eve asking for everyone’s all time favorite and this was mine. Link

    Actually failure does matter. You have to be really good at it before you can succeed. 

    • #19
  20. Red Herring Coolidge
    Red Herring
    @EHerring

    Chowderhead (View Comment):

    Dr. Bastiat:

    I approached the same idea with a commencement address that I gave at my high school some years ago. This speech is one of my favorite essays.

    Success Matters. Failure Doesn’t.

    This one is my favorite. I made a very short post on new years eve asking for everyone’s all time favorite and this was mine. Link

    Actually failure does matter. You have to be really good at it before you can succeed.

    Rush pointed that out several years ago. He failed often before he become the goat.

    Time to organize you ideas into a book. Think of it as a “dog lovers” or “cat lovers” style of book with short articles about life. You can “publish” them on Amazon, buy copies for your kids at author’s rate, and folks here can get one.

    • #20
  21. Old Bathos Member
    Old Bathos
    @OldBathos

    You know, big fellah, you’re supposed to leave the greatest hits selection/cataloging to your future Boswell, presumably in the second or third volume of the Life & Times of Dr. Bastiat or however it’s titled.  Not even Shakespeare, Dickens or Aquinas gave us a list of their own greatest hits.

    • #21
  22. Dr. Bastiat Member
    Dr. Bastiat
    @drbastiat

    Old Bathos (View Comment):

    You know, big fellah, you’re supposed to leave the greatest hits selection/cataloging to your future Boswell, presumably in the second or third volume of the Life & Times of Dr. Bastiat or however it’s titled. Not even Shakespeare, Dickens or Aquinas gave us a list of their own greatest hits.

    They lacked the arrogance of a physician… 

    • #22
  23. DaveSchmidt Coolidge
    DaveSchmidt
    @DaveSchmidt

    I would rename the OP: “Dr. Bastiat’s Greatest Hits (vol. 1)”

    • #23
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