Why is Discordia Irrelevant in the Year 2009?

[Nephew Twiddleton]

So 2011 is coming soon.  Is it still relevant?  Are we still relevant?  Is anything still relevant? 

I think now more than ever, Discordia is needed.  But, I think now more than ever, Discordia would be shunned, ignored, and mocked.  I think in America it would be seen as a brand of intellectual elitism, even though I think it encapsulates some pretty straightforward, easy-to-digest philosophies. 

Aside from the whole worship of a female Deity thing, Conservatives should, in theory, like us because Think For Yourself, Schmuck is definitely quite antithetical to Let The Government Think For You, Sucker.  But then again, they haven't realized yet that they've pretty much signed over their thought-making to their favorite pundits. 

The Machine^tm is still churning right along.  It doesn't show any signs of slowing down or shifting course.  If anything, it seems like the gears are gnashing even louder. 

If intellectual elitism is a bad thing (and I still don't get what's so bad about someone being smarter), then the absurdity of Discordia might be a good selling point.

[hooplala]

So 2011 is coming soon.  Is it still relevant?  Are we still relevant?  Is anything still relevant? 

I think now more than ever, Discordia is needed.  But, I think now more than ever, Discordia would be shunned, ignored, and mocked.  I think in America it would be seen as a brand of intellectual elitism, even though I think it encapsulates some pretty straightforward, easy-to-digest philosophies. 

Aside from the whole worship of a female Deity thing, Conservatives should, in theory, like us because Think For Yourself, Schmuck is definitely quite antithetical to Let The Government Think For You, Sucker.  But then again, they haven't realized yet that they've pretty much signed over their thought-making to their favorite pundits. 

The Machine^tm is still churning right along.  It doesn't show any signs of slowing down or shifting course.  If anything, it seems like the gears are gnashing even louder. 

If intellectual elitism is a bad thing (and I still don't get what's so bad about someone being smarter), then the absurdity of Discordia might be a good selling point.

Yeah, same.  In fact I don't understand the aversion to elitism if its only in regard to acknowledging some people are better at some things than others.  Seems fairly juvenile to believe everyone is equal at everything.

[Cramulus]

the disdain for elitism is a few things

1) aversion to condescension
2) cultural territorial marker



A friend from NYC was staying at my place. In the morning we were going out for bagels and she said "Why would I want westchester bagels? I'm from Brooklyn." Like, how can you unwashed spags out here in the commons expect me to eat your common plebian bagels after having experienced the sublime joy of a Brooklyn bagel?

Sorry, I have a particularly low tolerance for NYC elitism.

/tangent

So 2011 is coming soon.  Is it still relevant?  Are we still relevant?  Is anything still relevant? 

I think now more than ever, Discordia is needed.  But, I think now more than ever, Discordia would be shunned, ignored, and mocked.  I think in America it would be seen as a brand of intellectual elitism, even though I think it encapsulates some pretty straightforward, easy-to-digest philosophies. 

Aside from the whole worship of a female Deity thing, Conservatives should, in theory, like us because Think For Yourself, Schmuck is definitely quite antithetical to Let The Government Think For You, Sucker.  But then again, they haven't realized yet that they've pretty much signed over their thought-making to their favorite pundits. 

The Machine^tm is still churning right along.  It doesn't show any signs of slowing down or shifting course.  If anything, it seems like the gears are gnashing even louder. 

Totally agree...

I think we need to inject some absurdity into some of the hot-topics of the day

off the top of my head, the TSA backscanners are an absolutely terrifying development in the oncoming police state. This is a great spot for some Discordian to start pushing the joke that this is actually really sexy, and if you just fetishize the exhibitionism/voyeurism, this is actually a good thing.

Que Horrormirth

[Nephew Twiddleton]

So 2011 is coming soon.  Is it still relevant?  Are we still relevant?  Is anything still relevant? 

I think now more than ever, Discordia is needed.  But, I think now more than ever, Discordia would be shunned, ignored, and mocked.  I think in America it would be seen as a brand of intellectual elitism, even though I think it encapsulates some pretty straightforward, easy-to-digest philosophies. 

Aside from the whole worship of a female Deity thing, Conservatives should, in theory, like us because Think For Yourself, Schmuck is definitely quite antithetical to Let The Government Think For You, Sucker.  But then again, they haven't realized yet that they've pretty much signed over their thought-making to their favorite pundits. 

The Machine^tm is still churning right along.  It doesn't show any signs of slowing down or shifting course.  If anything, it seems like the gears are gnashing even louder. 

If intellectual elitism is a bad thing (and I still don't get what's so bad about someone being smarter), then the absurdity of Discordia might be a good selling point.

Yeah, same.  In fact I don't understand the aversion to elitism if its only in regard to acknowledging some people are better at some things than others.  Seems fairly juvenile to believe everyone is equal at everything.

It's because all the stupid people think that the smart people think that they're better than them period, I think. Naturally its just their stupid talking but what can you do?

But, really what I think it is is that people with higher levels of education tend to be more liberal and atheist/agnostic. It offends conservatives. Fortunately for them, they have a bunch of demagogues that are able to make neutral words into negative words, so that being less than intelligent is somehow a preferrable state than being more intelligent. Of course it suits their purposes. They'd like the people to remain ill-informed.

[tyrannosaurus vex]

* TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION *
NOTICE TO TRAVELERS

THIS FACILITY IS EQUIPPED WITH T.S.A. BODY SCANNERS WHICH WILL REVEAL TO OUR AGENTS DANGEROUS ITEMS THAT MAY BE HIDDEN UNDER A PASSENGER'S CLOTHING.

THIS PRACTICE HAS DRAMATICALLY REDUCED THE DANGER OF USING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, MAKING YOUR TRANSIT SAFER AND LESS STRESSFUL.

HOWEVER, TSA ADMINISTRATORS WORRY THAT OUR HIGH SUCCESS RATE, AND THE STEEP DROP IN IDENTIFIED SUSPECTS, MAY LEAD TO DECREASED ENTHUSIASM ON THE PART OF OUR AGENTS, AND THEREFORE LEAD TO MISSED INFRACTIONS.

TO COUNTER THIS DANGER, WE ASK ALL PASSENGERS TO PLEASE VISIT THE RESTROOM PRIOR TO ENTERING THE SCANNER, PUT ON SOMETHING SEXY UNDER YOUR CLOTHES, AND STRUT THROUGH THE SCANNER LIKE A RUNWAY MODEL. THIS WILL RESULT IN A HIGHER ATTENTIVENESS IN OUR AGENTS.

DO IT FOR SECURITY. DO IT FOR YOUR COUNTRY!

[Cramulus]

  you still got it, bro

[Triple Zero]

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Wait.  Bagel snobbery is intellectual elitism? 

Also, I should now assume that I am on the same intellectual level as a teabagger?

[hooplala]

Wait.  Bagel snobbery is intellectual elitism?  

Also, I should now assume that I am on the same intellectual level as a teabagger?

Yeah not sure that was exactly what I was referring to.  Plus, Westshester bagels do suck, even Jessica Simpson knows that.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Wait.  Bagel snobbery is intellectual elitism?  

Also, I should now assume that I am on the same intellectual level as a teabagger?

Yeah not sure that was exactly what I was referring to.

I look at it this way:

1.  Filthy Assistant is neither trained to nor equiped for independent thinking.  His fellow Glenn Beck fans are in the same boat.

2.  I am, to one degree or another, equiped and trained for independent thought.  So are most, if not all PDers.

3.  There's a hell of a lot more of them than there are of us.

4.  Ergo, we are actually an intellectual elite, sad as that may be.  

QED.

[hooplala]

I'm comfortable with that, despite having recently made a Jessica Simpson reference.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

I'm comfortable with that, despite having recently made a Jessica Simpson reference.

Is she still alive?

[Cramulus]

Wait.  Bagel snobbery is intellectual elitism? 

My post was in response to the comment "In fact I don't understand the aversion to elitism if its only in regard to acknowledging some people are better at some things than others.  Seems fairly juvenile to believe everyone is equal at everything." and "If intellectual elitism is a bad thing (and I still don't get what's so bad about someone being smarter)..."

people usually hate on upper-east-coast-intellectual-elitism - which is just a manifestation of a larger metrocentric form of condescending wankery

I wanted to point out that this is a totally legit thing to be annoyed by, it's not just intellectual elitism, it's that a lot of people from large cities think they're the center of the civilized universe and everybody else is rednecks and barbarians

[hooplala]

But that's true.

[LMNO]

As usual, there is a problem of definitions here.

While technically you can use "elite" to mean a small group of people who have superior skills in a specific area of knowledge, it appears to me that when used as an epithet, most people intend it to mean a person who, having been skilled in one area of knowledge, suddenly thinks and acts as if they have equally skilled knowledge of all other disciplines.

Or to put it in more graphic terms, a linguistics professor who tells a plumber the best way to snake a drain.