Is Hypocrisy A Liberal Celebrity Killer For You? Overlook It? (Ron Paul, Al Franken)
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I'm currently at a T in the road, having just finished reading Peter Schweizer's Do As I Say (Not As I Do)/Profiles in Liberal Hypocrisy, covering such liberals as Michael Moore, Ralph Nader, Noam Chomsky, George Soros, Al Franken, Nancy Pelosi, Cornel West.
Alright! Alright! They're hypocrites! But, the question is, can you still value their works, books, accomplishments, and turn a blind eye to their blatant hypocrisies?
I'm really having a difficult time with Michael Moore, whom I respected, worshipped, until his hypocrisies were exposed. He likes to portray himself as an average working man with his baseball cap, and he'll stay in a 5-star hotel, rent a room in a lower-class hotel, to meet journalists, to keep up the image! Pro-union, he goes to Canada to makes his films with nonunion labor!
A co-worker, so incensed by his hypocrisies, refuses to read any more of his book, or see his films. Is this really fair?
And the televangelists? Doesn't seem to matter to their worshippers, when any hypocrisies are exposed, they go on worshipping them!
I mean, hypocrisy is hypocrisy. Most people are hypocritical about something. I've yet to meet someone who's never once contradicted themselves. The contradictions can be small, but some are more obvious than others.
Do I think that changes the value of their work? Not really. It may be a slight character flaw, but if they're good at what they do, that doesn't change because of an unrelated detail.
Bill Cosby is a non-political example. Yes, he probably did rape those women. When you have 30 accusers, it's kind of hard to act like they're just trying to get their 15 minutes of fame. But does his rather serious and criminal character flaw make him a bad comedian? No. If he was funny before, he's still funny now (though I always thought he was slightly overrated).
Same with anyone else. Edgar Allan Poe married his 13 year old cousin. Incest and technically pedophilia. But is he a bad poet because of it? No. In fact, that character flaw, that would never go unnoticed by someone who did that today, is generally downplayed.
Christopher Columbus. Responsible for the death of thousands and created a terrible slave trade. But he's still a good navigator.
Hypocrites can still give good advice, even if they struggle to follow it themselves.
I'm currently at a T in the road, having just finished reading Peter Schweizer's Do As I Say (Not As I Do)/Profiles in Liberal Hypocrisy, covering such liberals as Michael Moore, Ralph Nader, Noam Chomsky, George Soros, Al Franken, Nancy Pelosi, Cornel West.
Alright! Alright! They're hypocrites! But, the question is, can you still value their works, books, accomplishments, and turn a blind eye to their blatant hypocrisies?
I'm really having a difficult time with Michael Moore, whom I respected, worshipped, until his hypocrisies were exposed. He likes to portray himself as an average working man with his baseball cap, and he'll stay in a 5-star hotel, rent a room in a lower-class hotel, to meet journalists, to keep up the image! Pro-union, he goes to Canada to makes his films with nonunion labor!
A co-worker, so incensed by his hypocrisies, refuses to read any more of his book, or see his films. Is this really fair?
And the televangelists? Doesn't seem to matter to their worshippers, when any hypocrisies are exposed, they go on worshipping them!
What do you think?
What do the actions of the person have to do with the message? Either an argument holds water or it doesn't.
I'm currently at a T in the road, having just finished reading Peter Schweizer's Do As I Say (Not As I Do)/Profiles in Liberal Hypocrisy, covering such liberals as Michael Moore, Ralph Nader, Noam Chomsky, George Soros, Al Franken, Nancy Pelosi, Cornel West.
Alright! Alright! They're hypocrites! But, the question is, can you still value their works, books, accomplishments, and turn a blind eye to their blatant hypocrisies?
I'm really having a difficult time with Michael Moore, whom I respected, worshipped, until his hypocrisies were exposed. He likes to portray himself as an average working man with his baseball cap, and he'll stay in a 5-star hotel, rent a room in a lower-class hotel, to meet journalists, to keep up the image! Pro-union, he goes to Canada to makes his films with nonunion labor!
A co-worker, so incensed by his hypocrisies, refuses to read any more of his book, or see his films. Is this really fair?
And the televangelists? Doesn't seem to matter to their worshippers, when any hypocrisies are exposed, they go on worshipping them!
What do you think?
Cornel West is not an elected official. That's a good thing because I admire him. If he were an elected official I think my infatuation with him would whither and die. Additionally, West is not one of the elites that should be in the same category with the individuals you've listed. Pelosi is an elitist, Soros, Moore, Nader and so on. By that, I mean they have political clout and are at the table for their causes.
Dr. West holds no such privilege. He is merely a scholar with superb oratory skills and truly a decent human being.
I'm currently at a T in the road, having just finished reading Peter Schweizer's Do As I Say (Not As I Do)/Profiles in Liberal Hypocrisy, covering such liberals as Michael Moore, Ralph Nader, Noam Chomsky, George Soros, Al Franken, Nancy Pelosi, Cornel West.
Alright! Alright! They're hypocrites! But, the question is, can you still value their works, books, accomplishments, and turn a blind eye to their blatant hypocrisies?
I'm really having a difficult time with Michael Moore, whom I respected, worshipped, until his hypocrisies were exposed. He likes to portray himself as an average working man with his baseball cap, and he'll stay in a 5-star hotel, rent a room in a lower-class hotel, to meet journalists, to keep up the image! Pro-union, he goes to Canada to makes his films with nonunion labor!
A co-worker, so incensed by his hypocrisies, refuses to read any more of his book, or see his films. Is this really fair?
And the televangelists? Doesn't seem to matter to their worshippers, when any hypocrisies are exposed, they go on worshipping them!
What do you think?
Honestly I don't respect any of them and never really have so this isn't an issue for me. I respected and still respect Ron Paul even though he has some views that are hypocritical and/or contradictory. The reason why I respect Ron Paul is because he is honest and actually believes what he says and doesn't care if he is called a cook or not and he put up with a ton of grief for years and still carried on. Some one like Noam Chomsky I literally can't respect in anyway shape or form. He lives in Ivory Tower and works for the Pentagon all the while going on about the military industrial complex and has spewed conspiracy theory BS in regards to events in history. He plays the "evil empire" card about the US Government yet has more then willing worked for the Pentagon so just on that alone he lost any potential respect from me whatsoever.
With George Soros, I despise how he has made his millions/billions, but, on the other hand, partly because of his giving to causes I'm really big on, like his funding state ballots to legalize drugs, and more respectfully, funding measures to bring about physician-assisted suicide, this is one's man's sins I'll swallow hard to overlook!
But I do "value" people, organizations for their uses........as far as I deem it possible to trust them. For example, I'll often turn to Green Peace for intelligence (reading their reports and data)........but I wouldn't be part of them in a heart beat.
That said, what does that say of me? It says what I am in that said one way, I'm a spook (devious); said another way, I'm complicated.
I may fund your fight against a certain political issue but just because I do, don't expect me to vote for your party come election day.
Jesus, people actually read that garbage? Not because all the supposed "facts" contained in the book isn't true but it doesn't matter. The entire book is pointless, trying to profit off of unintelligent readers.
You know what, life is more complicated than just "hypocrites this, hypocrites that." There are gay Republicans lawmakers who voted for anti-gay bills. There are professional hitmen who go to church every Sunday. There are KKK members who root for the black players of their favorite teams. The point is, life is not black and white. There is a grey area in every body. Everyone has beliefs system who doesn't jive with their action. It's actually normal.
A GREAT DEBATE is how far we should hold someone's accountable for his/her belief vs his/her action. For example, I am against smoking. I think it is bad. But I have invested in Philip Morris stocks and made money and I see absolutely no conflict in that whatsoever. In fact, I pride myself in not letting my emotion get in the way of a good investment. I also placed bets on sport teams that I hate. Does that mean I'm a hypocrite? No. I just am able to differentiate my investment from my bias.
On the flip side, how annoying to expect everyone to carry out their belief to the extreme. If someone hates Rap music, for example, then that person is supposed to walk out of the room every time a Rap song is played? I don't think so. That's stupid. Same with some of the accusation in the book, so Pelosi is supposed to hire only union workers because she likes union? That's a bit much don't you think? Michael Moore is not supposed to own Haliburton stocks because he's against the war? That makes no sense. That'd means a person can only buy stocks of companies that he/she supports. Which is just not how the real world works.
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On the flip side, how annoying to expect everyone to carry out their belief to the extreme. If someone hates Rap music, for example, then that person is supposed to walk out of the room every time a Rap song is played? I don't think so. That's stupid. Same with some of the accusation in the book, so Pelosi is supposed to hire only union workers because she likes union? That's a bit much don't you think? Michael Moore is not supposed to own Haliburton stocks because he's against the war? That makes no sense. That'd means a person can only buy stocks of companies that he/she supports. Which is just not how the real world works.
It really boils down to having credibility. If you constantly go on writing books and making speeches about the military industrial complex and play the "evil empire card" in regards to the United States government around the world making a profit off that and then you willing go to work for the Pentagon you don't have any credibility. The same way some actors will go on about the environment and how bad it is and how the rich are exploiting everyone and how we all have to make sacrifices to save the planet. Yet they live in mansions, are part of the 1% crowd, take private jets and wear suits and dresses that cost more then most people make in a year to award shows. Basically what it comes down to is if your going to talk the talk then walk the walk. People can forgive and overlook some hypocrisy and contradiction. Yet when you have blatant hypocrisy people can't respect you or even take you seriously.
Hypocrisy among "Liberal Celebrities" is not the problem, most of those people are goons out to be in the spotlight and make a quick buck using any means necessary. Hypocrisy among politicians is what EVERYONE needs to be worried about right now. "I stand for/against [this]! [This] is evil and you should be against it too! We need laws and regulations against [this]! Oh but by the way, there will be 1,000 pages of loopholes that make the law not apply to me, and that make my cronies money, so I can go about my business as usual."
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