Curse him, I thought that was a public entry. I will summarize as best I can, but there are a few quotes of his I must give you, because they stick with me so (in italics). I hope he will not mind. (I don't think they will, these quotes are not particularly personal.)
Basically, he talks about how being part of the mob is fun. He says:
"Being morally outraged at something is so fucking tasty, honestly. But not tasty in the mouth. Tasty in the soul instead. It's the spiritual equivalent of a hot grilled cheeseburger."
He then goes on to say that we live our lives uncertain of many things, and there are so many gray areas in life, but moral outrage allows us to feel confident that we are "unambiguously right." Expressing that in public as part of an outraged mob supports us and confirms us in this feeling.
And when we are morally outraged (and unambiguously right) our anger is righteous, and therefore any actions we take, and anything we say in support of our cause is also right, and is for the good of the world.
It allows us to feel that we're DOING something, something purposeful.
And I think that is why we go looking for "people being stupid." Because if we (along with others) are right, and that person is wrong, and we tell them how wrong we are, then we are engaged in purposeful, satisfying, ego-affirming action.
I will close with another of his gems:
"And you know what? That sort of attitude is the rankest sort of Fight Club macho-assed bullshit. It is seductive bullshit, but more importantly, it is bullshit. It is the kind of bullshit that makes people believe that compromise is a personal form of treason, that doing things that people hate is a sign of personal integrity. It is the kind of bullshit that is believed by the sort of people who confuse shouting "you suck!" with sounding one's barbaric yawp over the rooftops of the world."
Honestly, he doesn't swear that much in the rest of the post. I wonder what is says about me that the quotes with swearwords stick with me the most?
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branchandroot
(no subject)
Date: 2007-08-09 05:01 pm (UTC)Basically, he talks about how being part of the mob is fun. He says:
"Being morally outraged at something is so fucking tasty, honestly. But not tasty in the mouth. Tasty in the soul instead. It's the spiritual equivalent of a hot grilled cheeseburger."
He then goes on to say that we live our lives uncertain of many things, and there are so many gray areas in life, but moral outrage allows us to feel confident that we are "unambiguously right." Expressing that in public as part of an outraged mob supports us and confirms us in this feeling.
And when we are morally outraged (and unambiguously right) our anger is righteous, and therefore any actions we take, and anything we say in support of our cause is also right, and is for the good of the world.
It allows us to feel that we're DOING something, something purposeful.
And I think that is why we go looking for "people being stupid." Because if we (along with others) are right, and that person is wrong, and we tell them how wrong we are, then we are engaged in purposeful, satisfying, ego-affirming action.
I will close with another of his gems:
"And you know what? That sort of attitude is the rankest sort of Fight Club macho-assed bullshit. It is seductive bullshit, but more importantly, it is bullshit. It is the kind of bullshit that makes people believe that compromise is a personal form of treason, that doing things that people hate is a sign of personal integrity. It is the kind of bullshit that is believed by the sort of people who confuse shouting "you suck!" with sounding one's barbaric yawp over the rooftops of the world."
Honestly, he doesn't swear that much in the rest of the post. I wonder what is says about me that the quotes with swearwords stick with me the most?