~ Robert Heinlein
I was just re watching a PBS film about the Medici.
I watched again because I was writing about a recurring theme in my life, futile debate with an obtuse nit wit,
and the historical familiarity was deeper than any similar exchange I might have had with any "reality challenged American" from the last few weeks.
Throughout history, people of good will have been optimistic and thought mankind would evolve and all would be explained through logic, scientific observation, and art.
During the Renaissance, the Medici family were patrons of Botticelli, Michaelangelo, Leonardo and Galileo and...well you get the idea.
The Medici knew talent.
This monumental leap forward from the dark ages should have led us to a very different world than the one we are looking at today.
We should have no disease, poverty, or hunger. And we should be flying around in cars like the Jetsons.
But into this flowering of humanity
stepped the first of the wet blankets,
a monk named Savonarola.
This demented kid toucher hated everything the Medicis had encouraged; humanism, science, art.
And he used fear.
Fear of damnation and the ruin of the city.
He preached and fanned the flames of fear and started to gain an audience for his hatred and fear mongering.
While Lorenzo de' Medici was strong and was taking care of his people, Savonarola was just an early Rush Limbaugh.
But as Lorenzo’s wealth started to decline, he could no longer keep the network of friends and friends of friends that had made the city prosper.
And when his health failed, he actually called Savonarola to his deathbed and of course Savonarola being the loving christian that he was told a fearful Lorenzo that he was going straight to hell.
What a dick! But this twisted fart wasn’t done.
He got more and more fearful followers including Botticelli who was persuaded to throw his own paintings on the lovely bonfire Savonarola’s followers had already started with books.
Then after a nice fire, they liked to go around and beat up homosexuals.
Sounding familiar?
Then came the second turd in the punchbowl,
The Inquisition. (No one expected them!)
When Galileo, who’s evidence that he earth revolved around the sun was right there in the eyepiece of his telescope for all to see said,
"Here look for yourselves fuckers!"
The Inquisition replied,
"We don't need to look. The sun, stars, and planets are all fixed and the Earth is at the center of it all."
"Now would you like to recant or would you rather have a hot poker up your ass?
"END OF ARGUMENT!"
If this still sounds strangely familiar to you, you are not alone.
I have caught myself arguing with people who don't think evidence is an important part of argument.
So often I have labored and presented evidence, even off of Fox, only to be told it's liberal bias or have it ignored completely in some sort of psychological version of "LA LA LA! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"
The wittiest of come backs has been,
"Oh yeah? Well you're fat!" and the idiot's quod erat demonstrandum,
"END OF ARGUMENT!"
What argument? You ignored or couldn't understand what I said and you presented no evidence yourself!
My mistake was an assumed intellectual bipartisanship.
To discover the true nature of the solar system,
I was looking through the telescope and and they were listening to Glenn Beck.
I think all things can be resolved with a meeting of minds,
they had closed and boarded theirs up against any assault or dangerous light.
As long as mobs of people are so violently and mindlessly swayed by fear and dogmatically follow the rantings of a modern day Savonarola and need to consult a poorly written piece of fiction to see if their hand is right in front of their face,
we will need people of good will and optimism to continue to make two steps forward for every one step back.
If this still sounds strangely familiar to you, you are not alone.
I have caught myself arguing with people who don't think evidence is an important part of argument.
So often I have labored and presented evidence, even off of Fox, only to be told it's liberal bias or have it ignored completely in some sort of psychological version of "LA LA LA! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"
The wittiest of come backs has been,
"Oh yeah? Well you're fat!" and the idiot's quod erat demonstrandum,
"END OF ARGUMENT!"
What argument? You ignored or couldn't understand what I said and you presented no evidence yourself!
My mistake was an assumed intellectual bipartisanship.
To discover the true nature of the solar system,
I was looking through the telescope and and they were listening to Glenn Beck.
I think all things can be resolved with a meeting of minds,
they had closed and boarded theirs up against any assault or dangerous light.
As long as mobs of people are so violently and mindlessly swayed by fear and dogmatically follow the rantings of a modern day Savonarola and need to consult a poorly written piece of fiction to see if their hand is right in front of their face,
we will need people of good will and optimism to continue to make two steps forward for every one step back.
Meanwhile I'll be giving money for swinette* lessons in lieu of singing lessons.
*ask my brother Mike. He made me laugh so hard my nose bled!
1 comment:
Right on the money!It's really tough to keep any debate going when it's like playing tennis with a drunk person.
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