Medieval America

[4est_4est_Gump]

Victor Davis Hanson

Pessimists often compare today’s troubled America to a tottering late Rome or an insolvent and descending British Empire. But medieval Europe (roughly A.D. 500 to 1450) is the more apt comparison.

The medieval world was a nearly 1,000-year period of spectacular, if haphazard, human achievement — along with endemic insecurity, superstition, and two, rather than three, classes.

The great medieval universities — at Bologna, Paris, and Oxford — continued to make strides in science. They were not unlike the medical and engineering schools at Harvard and Stanford. But they were not centers of free thinking.

Instead, medieval speech codes were designed to ensure that no one questioned the authority of church doctrine. Culturally or politically incorrect literature of the classical past, from Aristophanes to Petronius, was censored as either subversive or hurtful.

...

Today, a fifth of American households have zero or negative net worth. The shrinking middle classes struggle to service trillions of dollars in consumer and student debt to big banks — in the manner of medieval peasants.

In the medieval world, impoverished serfs pledged loyalty to barons in exchange for their food and housing on the manor. In the modern world, progressive government is the bastion that distributes entitlements on the expectation that the masses show their political fealty at election time.

In medieval Europe, widespread literacy disappeared. Superstition reigned in place of reason.

Despite spending some $11,000 per student each year, are we all that much different? In many polls, more than a quarter of Americans believe in astrology. A quarter think aliens have visited Earth. More than 40 percent can’t name their own vice president. Nearly three-quarters of Americans have no idea what the Cold War was about.

The ruling cliques of the medieval court were full of insider knaves and scoundrels, plots and intrigue. Compare the current scandals, lies, and hypocrisies of our Beltway cloister in Washington.

...

http://www.nationalreview.com/node/441026/print

 

[4est_4est_Gump]

Such a great comparison on so many levels...

...

Medieval Europe was fragmented into local and warring fiefdoms. Tribalism trumped state unity — not unlike America’s descent into separate red-state and blue-state cultures and identity politics.

With ancient borders long forgotten, medieval elites relied on massive walls, moats, and keeps to stay safe — sort of similar to what we see with the present-day gated estates of Malibu and Silicon Valley.

Today’s zillionaire lords drive BMWs and fly in private jets instead of riding huge warhorses. They may wear jeans and flip-flops in place of robes and crowns, but their wealth and influence are as unlimited as the splendor of the lords of the medieval manor.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg apparently does not assume that state law enforcement can guarantee the security of his estate. Instead, he has his own security personnel to keep out bounders — and buys up all the houses around his own in a postmodern effort to form a sort of premodern moat.

...

Think, guns for me (in the form of bodyguards) but not for thee...

 

[hashtag45]

One of the best threads as of late.

Fingers crossed that the usual culprits (Disgustipated, Rob/Darbhinder et al) won't ruin it by littering it with their usual stupid stuff. Which will make posters who have someting meaningful to say, to start losing interest.

 

[4est_4est_Gump]

One of the best threads as of late.

Fingers crossed that the usual culprits (Disgustipated, Rob/Darbhinder et al) won't ruin it by littering it with their usual stupid stuff.
Which will make posters who have someting meaningful to say, to start losing interest.

They're Democrats.

It's what they do. Free speech is their cross, their sunlight, their bane.

If they can make everything and everyone that they don't approve of toxic, then they congratulate themselves as having struck a meaningful blow for freedom, not realizing that what they do is more akin to the religious restrictions of the Medieval period. They don't care how they shut you up, just as long as they shut you up. It is the fundamental attraction of Donald Trump. Those who have been made silent lest the be hounded out of a job, their business and their community by these tactics see a champion who says, I bought the microphone, I'm here, I'm not going away, I'm not going to shut up, I'm going to tell the truth about these haters and I know it better than any Republican because I was with them for all those years...



For example: look how our press treats Trump and contrast it to how it treats Mrs. Clinton, the "woman's champion."

 

[hashtag45]

Since you brought that up:
their cognitive dissonance is staggering.

Trump:
he talked trash about a one night stand - someone who, by the looks of it, wasn't the paragon of virtue and respectability to start with, if she started making out or throwing herself at a celebrity on the first date -.
So? I didn't like his asshole-ish immature bragging either. But the truth is, I and many other people don't respect those women either.

Hillary:
She helped A RAPIST (he was over 40, she was underage) get away with it, and she attacked and smeared the victim.
People say that she was just doing her job, and she had no choice.
Fuck no! I know that someone has to do those dirty jobs. But if you have a conscience, there are plenty other jobs to do, ourside of law or even within law.

 

[4est_4est_Gump]

Since you brought that up:
their cognitive dissonance is staggering.

Trump:
he talked trash about a one night stand - someone who, by the looks of it, wasn't the paragon of virtue and respectability to start with, if she started making out or throwing herself at a celebrity on the first date -.
So? I didn't like his asshole-ish immature bragging either. But the truth is, I and many other people don't respect those women either.

Hillary:
She helped A RAPIST (he was over 40, she was underage) get away with it, and she attacked and smeared the victim.
People say that she was just doing her job, and she had no choice.
Fuck no! I know that someone has to do those dirty jobs. But if you have a conscience, there are plenty other jobs to do, ourside of law or even within law.

In that particular case of Hillary, she was doing her job in that example. (The only lesson that we can get that is that she is just as crass and callous as is Donald Trump. I hope the heck that you read some of the links I provided to you to show you the speech and temperament of the woman in "private.")

The real parallel is what her husband actually did and those Lit Democrats (and "not-" Republican independents) who defend him to the hilt, to this day, saying you have no proof, no conviction and it was what he did in private and had nothing to do with how he performed his job, and besides, those women were all unbelievable tramps. But now, words are the equivalent of rape, sexual harassment and misogyny that preclude serving as President.

 

[RobDownSouth]

One of the best threads as of late.

Fingers crossed that the usual culprits (Disgustipated, Rob/Darbhinder et al) won't ruin it by littering it with their usual stupid stuff. Which will make posters who have someting meaningful to say, to start losing interest.

Que rang?

p.s. interesting that a "pakistani" understands Murican idioms like "fingers crossed"....

They're Democrats.

It's what they do. Free speech is their cross, their sunlight, their bane.

If they can make everything and everyone that they don't approve of toxic, then they congratulate themselves as having struck a meaningful blow for freedom, not realizing that what they do is more akin to the religious restrictions of the Medieval period. They don't care how they shut you up, just as long as they shut you up. It is the fundamental attraction of Donald Trump. Those who have been made silent lest the be hounded out of a job, their business and their community by these tactics see a champion who says, I bought the microphone, I'm here, I'm not going away, I'm not going to shut up, I'm going to tell the truth about these haters and I know it better than any Republican because I was with them for all those years...



For example: look how our press treats Trump and contrast it to how it treats Mrs. Clinton, the "woman's champion."

http://i1239.photobucket.com/albums/ff502/Soonyigump/aj_zpsku6yspct.jpg

 

[hashtag45]

looks like the racist imbeciles are starting to line up.

Geeze. IRL I and others would never interact with such individuals. But that's social media, I guess.

 

[RobDownSouth]

looks like the racist imbeciles are starting to line up.

Geeze. IRL I and others would never interact with such individuals. But that's social media, I guess.

No one is forcing you to interact with me. The ignore button is your friend. But how can you serve as "board sheriff" and protect the wimmenfolk here if you do that?

 

[hashtag45]

No one is forcing you to interact with me. The ignore button is your friend. But how can you serve as "board sheriff" and protect the wimmenfolk here if you do that?

Because you disgust me, you fucking piece of human waste.
Every time I read your petty and horrendous personal attacks.Be they under your real username or your attack alts.

 

[NOIRTRASH]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0SGplcdu7k

The more things change...

 

[Disgustipated]

Way to derail AJ's thread, Q-####.

http://i.imgur.com/AnMrI2H.jpg

 

[Liar]

Despite spending some $11,000 per student each year, are we all that much different? In many polls, more than a quarter of Americans believe in astrology. A quarter think aliens have visited Earth.

Not to mention the people who believe in a magic sky dude and (sometimes) his zombie son.

 

[Ulaven_Demorte]

Since you brought that up:
their cognitive dissonance is staggering.

Trump:
he talked trash about a one night stand - someone who, by the looks of it, wasn't the paragon of virtue and respectability to start with, if she started making out or throwing herself at a celebrity on the first date -.
So? I didn't like his asshole-ish immature bragging either. But the truth is, I and many other people don't respect those women either.

Hillary:
She helped A RAPIST (he was over 40, she was underage) get away with it, and she attacked and smeared the victim.
People say that she was just doing her job, and she had no choice.
Fuck no! I know that someone has to do those dirty jobs. But if you have a conscience, there are plenty other jobs to do, ourside of law or even within law.

Classic victim blaming by you. The typical "The slut deserved it" defense normally employed by men who see no problem with such behavior (once again you tip your hand, dude). Then you go on about smearing the victim?

Trump didn't "talk trash about a one night stand", he outright fucking admitted to serial sexual assaults on women and bragged that he "can get away with it" because he's rich, powerful, a star. Only someone with zero moral character would even attempt to explain that away or blame the women he assaulted.

Hillary didn't help a rapist get away with anything, she asked repeatedly to be cut loose from the case she was assigned, her client cut a deal with the prosecution and the judge gave him a light sentence. Every American charged with a crime is entitled to a defense attorney who must defend their client to the best of their ability or face ethics charges, even if that client happens to be a rapist.

You probably should refrain from commenting on things that you very obviously know nothing about. But then, that would impact your ability to post here at all wouldn't it?

 

[zipman]

What could turn America's direction toward a Medieval period?

- Rejecting science in favor of religion

- Disparaging higher education

- Tax laws that favor the 1%

- Treating women as being less than equal to men

Seems to me that the "progressives" are against all of these while the "regressives" all favor it.

 

[Disgustipated]

What could turn America's direction toward a Medieval period?

- Rejecting science in favor of religion

- Disparaging higher education

- Tax laws that favor the 1%

- Treating women as being less than equal to men

Seems to me that the "progressives" are against all of these while the "regressives" all favor it.

• Separation of church and state
• Segregation

 

[Emerson40]

One of the best threads as of late.

Fingers crossed that the usual culprits (Disgustipated, Rob/Darbhinder et al) won't ruin it by littering it with their usual stupid stuff. Which will make posters who have someting meaningful to say, to start losing interest.

Look, there on the horizon… Scuttling around in soiled underpants.




Able to dump accelerant over his head and light it quicker than you can click reply…




http://i.imgur.com/YYQmiUw.gif




Unemployed, incoherent, with all the social skills of a dog’s intestinal flatulence…




Jumps to conclusions faster than JBJ can drop the N-Bomb...




Determined to maintain his life’s trajectory to rock bottom…





ITS RACIST HASHTAG!

Have you considered starting your own forum or blog?

You wouldn't get to play the victim much, but think of all the ATTENTION.

You could invite all your racist chums to come and comment on your copy & paste jobs, and moderate who gets to reply.

You could all frot and bash the evil democrats, and bitch about unisex bathrooms and those filthy Muslims. A collective of small minds, circle-jerking and loving the sound of their own voices.

www.blatheringbunglecunts.com

 

[hashtag45]

...

Blah blah blah.
Quite the revisionist, aren't you? You should go for a career writing history books.
Or maybe not.
But don't worry. You might be lacking in subtelty, but you certainly make up for it with your aggressivenness.

 

[RobDownSouth]

Because you disgust me, you fucking piece of human waste.
Every time I read your petty and horrendous personal attacks.Be they under your real username or your attack alts.

Well, that's a rather specious rationalization to not put me on ignore.

"I hate Rob's vitriol so much I simply cannot put him on ignore!"

#SassySillySissy

 

[phrodeau]

Right, Hillary's rapist friend totally got away with it, because that's what doing jail time means, I guess.

 

[Pookie]

Well, that's a rather specious rationalization to not put me on ignore.

"I hate Rob's vitriol so much I simply cannot put him on ignore!"

#SassySillySissy

It's quickly evolving into NeverEndingJen.

 

[hashtag45]

What could turn America's direction toward a Medieval period?

1.Rejecting science in favor of religion

2.Disparaging higher education

3.Tax laws that favor the 1%

Treating women as being less than equal to men

While you were spot on with the tongue in cheek, I might have to challenge you on the first two points.

1. Religion (the spiritual side of it, that is) can be vital to one's wellbeing. What we see nowadays is an attempt to subvert any forms of religious beliefs (not just the personalised God and stuff). So the individual will end up directionless and demoralised, and will turn to government or to similar ideologies, for comfort.

2. Well democrats are doing that too, not just reps. They both are (serving the same master). See the saga with common core and charter schools.

 

[hashtag45]

Right, Hillary's rapist friend totally got away with it, because that's what doing jail time means, I guess.

one year is nothing for rape. Let alone the fact that the victim was underage.

 

[RobDownSouth]

It's quickly evolving into NeverEndingJen.

True, but Jen always WANTED to get the last word in.

Queerbait, on the other hand, has a pathological OCD-driven NEED to get the last word in.

 

[RobDownSouth]

one year is nothing for tape. Let alone the fact that the victim was underage.

No matter what alt he's using, there are several near-universal constants:

• Focus on Rob
• Getting the last word in
• Balky text-to-speech software on his phone