29 April 2022

Fred Reed is One of the Best Commentators of Our Times

I first discovered Fred about fifteen years ago.

I put links to some of his columns here because they are often blocked without some obfuscation.  He is not considerate of the howlers who scream at things that bother them, so social media typically blocks his writing, which is a terrible shame and recommends him most highly.  Fred is a real "straight shooter".

https://www.amren.com/commentary/2022/02/fred-reed-joe-biden-democracy/ - The Care and Feeding of Rabble: Democracy Its Own Self

https://www.unz.com/freed/blackness-fatigue-enough-is-too-much/ - This gives the best explanation of how "diversity" is at the root of most violence and wars.  Mixing strongly different people together is a bad societal idea. 

You can see Fred's recent columns here:  https://muckrack.com/fred-reed/articles


28 April 2022

So, What?

There are many, many things that just don't really matter.  

Not that we don't care or feel, that we want to feel true to ourselves and allow everyone else to also feel true to themselves as well, but in the end, these sorts of things usually don't really matter in ways that are meaningful.  It is terribly sad, but it is completely true.  Someone has to tell you this and it might as well be me.

Lately, when I am confronted with someone pushing anti-bias-curriculum or transgenderism or some "feel-good-for-nothing" philosophy in my face, I simply respond with "So, what?" and walk off. I will tell you why I do this even though such a response qualifies as the height of rudeness these days.

I am essentially lazy, as many people are but are loathe to admit. When it came time to pick a career, I chose early childhood education. When I was a missionary, I spent much of my time distracting young kids while others talked about God and religion. I enjoyed my time with the kids and they seemed to enjoy it as well.  I spent three years in college studying toward a certification to run child care centers so I could have fun with young kids and get paid for it. Ultimately, I got a degree in something else, failed at the child care business (who wanted some man looking after kids?) in several ways, and ultimately figured out that I needed to do something completely different to provide for my family.

At some point, I found out that reality demands that we often can't do or be something that we wish for. Life just shrugged, gave me a "so, what?", and I had to become a computer guy and do more lucrative work. Sad but ultimately very necessary for the needs of my family.

I also don't understand when reality is trying to teach me something. For example, our oldest son is autistic and was diagnosed with autism just before he turned three-years-old. He was debilitated enough to get government disability payments and will likely continue to do so for the rest of his life. At one point, I was reasonably sure that most of our children and I were likely also on the autism "spectrum" and I even had the kids tested toward seeing if they were debilitated as well.  My very wise wife would not allow me to get tested, seeing that I was just wanting some excuse to be a bit more lazy than normal with disability payments. At the time, the diagnostic industry was suffering a backlash of over-diagnosis and no other member of the family was declared autistic. It was a good thing because it wouldn't have really made any of our lives any better - just lazier.  It was a big exclamation of "So, what?" that I didn't notice at the time.

Life is hard and it is rather natural that people will find exemptions from as many aspects of life as possible. Current in-sensibilities are doing a pretty good job of generating life-exemptions based on feelings and self-truth. Politicians and celebrities, eager to appear caring and "woke", are happy to exempt one or another based on nearly any attribute or attitude from successful behavior - punishing business and people who demand standards and coddling the bizarre in every realm. Ultimately, there will be a sigh of sick satisfaction when the first green-haired, bulbously tattooed, and beastialic counter-human is handed the reigns of power in the world by a cowed and defeated majority.  However, until that time comes, I will join those who shrug and say "So, what?" when various deviants demand life-exemption and fiscal support toward no worthwhile purpose, just as such a thing was said to me on lazier occasions.

Get to work. Engage with life. The thing worth the loudest cheering is that each of us overcome to make a real contribution to the world in ways that really matter, such as making a family, bringing children into the world, and raising them to also do things that really matter.

Everyone who accomplishes anything worthy of note had to meet the demands of the existing reality. There are no real exemptions to this, no matter our limitations or how one feels or thinks about themselves.  The "woke" are welcome to live the limited existence that their behavior deserves, but they must change and at the very least stop harassing others if they want to have more or better. Screaming and hatred will not be profitable long-term. 

For those who are disrespected in spending their lives loudly demanding acceptance and exemption from social norms for their deviant selves and comrades, "So, what?"