Pangloss deceived me cruelly when he said that all is for the best in the world

[Cain]

Link

America is a Utopian society. It aspires to an achievable perfection, a middle-class egalitarian meritocratic democracy with no kings, no pharoahs, no rulers by inheritance or divine right. In this it is different to Britain, where I grew up, which has class differences that in many ways no side really wants to erase, rather only to throw the other down, or keep them down.

Hahahahaha no.

Or, as someone else put it, "It is possible for me to have more objections to a paragraph than there are words in it?"

[LMNO]

In other news Somalia is the perfect state, because it lives up to the conservative ideals of a small government.

[Placid Dingo]

I'd say Australia is a utopian nation for our willingness to engage with other cultures in meaningful ways, and accept newcomers with open arms and compassion.

[East Coast Hustle]

That must be why your immigration department is unabashed about preferring english-speaking immigrants from predominantly white countries.

[Placid Dingo]

OK, so we're no America, but ALMOST as utopian

[East Coast Hustle]

hey, I'm not complaining. I qualified for a non-sponsored skilled immigration visa because of it. Which I subsequently had to turn down because I ended up having to care for my terminally ill father, but still. Nice to know I can get in pretty easily when I decide to try again.

[Rumckle]

Not any more, ECH. You're on a boat now, which means you aren't allowed into our country.

[Kai]

Ah, Pangloss. When it leaks into biology we get things like Social Darwinism. 

[Cain]

But Social Darwinism would only be allowed to exist if this was the best of all possible worlds, Kai.

[Kai]

But Social Darwinism would only be allowed to exist if this was the best of all possible worlds, Kai.

Fuck Pangloss. Voltaire was trolling everyone with that thing.

[Cain]

Yes, but especially Liebniz.  Shame all these liberals who whine on about "holding up Enlightenment values" actually have no fucking clue what those values are, and keep repeating the errors of the past.

[Kai]

Yes, but especially Liebniz.  Shame all these liberals who whine on about "holding up Enlightenment values" actually have no fucking clue what those values are, and keep repeating the errors of the past.

Definitely.