Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
Goldstein Wisdom
Long, long ago, back just this side of prehistory (measured in internet time) before Barack Obama rewrote the book on being America’s worst president, back in the heyday of blogging when the Vodka Pundit was his own man and not some suit working for the PJMedia mega-corporation, when the drudgereport was conservative (though still a bit shady), and Kim du Toit hadn’t yet quit sharing his particular mix of gun reviews and girlie pics (which, thank goodness, he subsequently resumed) there was Protein Wisdom.
Protein Wisdom was an irreverent, sometimes literary, often bawdy, reliably rebellious, and almost always entertaining blog written by a sketchy English teacher and/or aspiring writer named Jeff Goldstein.
The early bloggers weren’t a particularly stable lot, and my impression even back then was that Jeff fit right in. But I liked his stuff, thought his sendups of Noam Chomsky were terribly amusing, and shamelessly stole his style of recounting fake dialog for humorous effect, something that served me well on Facebook for the decade I spent there. (It was an easy audience.)
I didn’t keep up with the ups and downs of Jeff’s life, but when I discovered him on Substack I happily subscribed. (I don’t pay him for the privilege: Bari Weiss so far remains the only Substacker who gets a dime from me.)
Jeff’s latest piece, The Unbearable Lightness of Being Charlie Sykes, isn’t really about Charlie Sykes, though it does take a swing at him and the other low-hanging fruitcakes of the Bulwark and call them out for being the shallow hucksters and sellouts that they are. I appreciate that.
But mostly it’s about Russia and Ukraine and their importance, or lack thereof, in the grand scheme of keeping America alive, much less making her great again.
When Russia invaded Ukraine I wrote that, while I wasn’t heavily invested in the outcome of the conflict, I liked the idea of bringing grief to Putin, who is a thug, if we could do it without great risk and expense. That remains my position. (John Yoo recently expressed a similar view on the Powerline podcast, though it sounds as if he may be willing to endure a little more expense in that pursuit than I am.)
Jeff’s larger point is exactly right: America faces real existential threats, but Russia is not one of them, and saying that out loud is not, pace the smug pronouncements of dimwits like Mr. Sykes, an expression of solidarity with Putin and a sign that one is in Russia’s pocket. This is true even when President Trump says it, though the mental midgets of the Bulwark must pretend otherwise if only to preserve their brand.
As has ever been the case, our great existential threat is within our borders, as Mr. Goldstein articulates quite well in his piece.
I think opinions about both masking and supporting Ukraine are proxies for deeper alignments. People who mask assiduously are, like people who are passionate about Ukraine but who are not actually personally connected to either Ukraine or Russia, revealing a tell. I think I understand the litmus test where the evermaskers are concerned. The strongly committed Russia/Ukraine folk I don’t quite get. Perhaps I haven’t given the matter enough thought. I don’t think I intend to.
Published in Politics
I disagree that lack of interest (apathy) is synonymous with disrespect. How about a less-fraught example than either Ukraine or January 6: I personally (this is actually true) don’t care the tiniest microscopic bit about the K-pop phenomenon. How is that “disrespecting” K-pop (as a genre, art form, cultural expression, whatever)? Or perhaps this: I read a ton of non-fiction history books, but I have never read a book about, just to pick a couple of topics at random, the history of the American Indian presence in Michigan, or the history of cycling in the Upper Midwest. Is that disrespectful, or is it just that those topics don’t interest me?
I appreciate that, III, but I’m 49. So, I remember. :-)
I have no idea what you’re talking about. Isn’t this a public forum? You are not making any sense. I think your definition of respect is, um, “unique.”
I can respect someone and be indifferent towards them and their fate. I can respect someone who is drowning in a pool with hundreds of water moccasins and yet I won’t jump in to save him. I can respect someone struggling to pay their rent, but I still won’t pay it for them.
And I can respect the troubles of the Ukraine and still not wish to give them money and arms.
I thought the mask had to say BLM
I think I’ll do a post on this topic.
Yeah, don’t. You’re not making any sense at all.
Good! I want people to understand the issue well enough to claim that I’m not making sense.
He did threaten to attack Berlin and wax nostalgic about Russian soldiers being stationed here not long ago, so I find myself in agreement with those who think Ukraine will not be Czar Vladimir´s last territorial demand. South Ossetia wasn´t.
But some of Russia´s other neighbors have been making trouble for it, recently: https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/03/kazakhstans-seizure-of-russian-space-assets-threatens-the-soyuz-5-rocket/
So, there´s that good development.
I as a still moving 65 years of age, you are still young to me.