Dear Paul:
Regarding your column of last Friday. This was the best
thing you have done in the few years that I have been following your commentary
in the NYT. I have posted comments on those columns on the Times, but this
comment needed more than the 1500 characters.
My favorite remark, the, by very far, best, clearest, and to
the point, remark that you have as yet
to make on the unending stream of sophistic fog that issues from the mouths of
the current crop of “candidates” and, it needs to be said, many of your so
called colleagues in the ranks of the academic “economists” was this one
“Take
a moment to savor the cowardice and vileness of that last remark.”
“That,” you said “was
sinking very low.” Totally! It does appear
to me, however, that “Low” is a point which does not exist on the scale of
amorality. They, Paul, simply do not get it. Low means nothing to them. The scale
that they use is, “Will it sell?” All too
often the answer is, “yes”.
And “wait there is more”! You exclaimed. And indeed, you go on to enumerate
a long list of what to me are simply bald faced lies. It is absolutely amazing
that ignoramuses such as Wolfowitz and Chertoff would be allowed to be
present, let alone advisors.
“What’s going on here?” you ask. Your best answer, “My best explanation is that we're witnessing the effects of extreme tribalism.” Incredible!
Tribalism is a kind of social community that became extinct
in the modern world several thousands of years ago. There are of course remnants
on the planet of all of the stages through which Humanity has evolved. There are,
for example, in the deep jungles in South America, “tribes” of primitives who
still indulge in the occasional head shrinking ceremony.
One does not join or create a "tribe", one regresses into that
state. Modern tribalism which we see in particularly in the terrorist operations of the day, the Mafia, ISIS, the Tea Party, is a retrogressive effect of the shrinking of consciousness. Undoubtedly,
the capacity of the Bushes’ and their tribal member’s consciousness to include
even one “outsider” has shrunk considerably in the past few election cycles.
I can't post your entire column here, Paul, but I do
strongly recommend to all readers that you look into Paul Krugman’s May 15,
2015 Fraternity
of Failure.
Hold on Friends! The foundations are crumbling, or since
they were built on the sand of illusion, maybe they are just washing away.
Lots of love
-tom
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