opinion
Opinion pieces from the left, right, and everyone in between.
A Class In Anxiety
The dry mouth, sweaty palms and a sense of impending doom, are symptoms we can all relate to. Anxiety and stress are natural parts of protecting ourselves from danger, but they can also be debilitating. The individual may be overwhelmed and their reality perverted, sapping them of confidence and making it difficult to go on.
By Phillip Woodford8 years ago in The Swamp
Blacks Can't Be Racist
Allow me, if you will, to set the fucking record straight. Black people cannot be racist—I repeat—cannot be racist when it comes to white people. We're bigoted and prejudiced as SHIT!!!!!!! But nah, we're not racist. Black people are disadvantaged in a world ruled by a white power structure. We do not control or own any of the economic, legislative, judicial, military, academic, or legal institutions in Western civilization. We're literally guests in a house we, more or less built, but do not own.
By Dre Joseph8 years ago in The Swamp
Philosofail
Every once and again some philosophical dilettante gifts us with unparalleled sapience in video format. Incredible largess is displayed as complex philosophical ideas are broken down into bite-size pieces. Everybody's a fan. However, by that same token, we are, at times, treated to a buffet of word salad where sentences knot themselves together into argumentative catastrophes. I am speaking, of course, about one Philosophy tube. For some time now, Olly, who runs said channel, has amassed a considerable following, thanks in part to his unmistakably charming accent. Sometimes, however, his arguments are rendered far less persuasive than his character. For one thing, Olly pushed out an unscheduled video recently imploring viewers to imbibe his message about conservative voters. Clunky, disoriented, and haphazard, this video portended what calamity might unfold if Olly doesn't reorient his channel's ethos. Specifically, towards his videos end he, perhaps inadvertently, bifurcated his audience between those regular, left-leaning individuals, and everyone else. Needless to say, everyone else cocked their head at this unusual gesture. Philosophy tube, we thought, was dedicated to relaying important philosophical information in a manner that is both digestible and entertaining. However, on this occasion, Olly seemed to have pivoted his channel's purpose to pedaling those political issues that he regards as particularly exigent. Worse still, our gracious host closed the video's comment section to avoid potential squabbling. To me, Olly's actions here represent anti-philosophy's apotheosis. The imperative to close discussion unilaterally in an effort to have one's voice "heard" is an unpersuasive argument all together. On the one hand, scientific journals that pass peer-review gain clout as they demonstrate their robust defenses. Consequently, we generally revere articles that result from this process. On the other hand, theories or opinions that are produced without any analogous peer-review are, in a similar vein, looked down upon. This fact, of course, begs the question of why anybody militating on behalf of those thing's philosophical would decide to close himself off to criticism. So, for his credibility's sake, here I will offer a brief criticism of just one point made in his video. At one point, Olly indicated that America's invasion in Iraq was immoral on account of how many casualties there were at day's end. I find this reasoning wholly unconvincing. To Olly, our moral analysis of wartime conflict ends partially, if not wholly, when every body has been counted. There is one problem with this; that is, that this argument draws no meaningful distinction between consequences that are intended, and consequences that are foreseen. Intended consequences are subject to moral criticism because their agent desired them actively. Whereas foreseen consequences are pardonable by definition due to their un-intended nature. To illustrate my example, two thought experiments are required. For our first thought experiment, imagine that John was strolling in his local park when, suddenly, a drowning child arrested his attention. Impulsively, John flew into the water in an attempt to rescue this endangered child. Unfortunately, however, John’s efforts were thwarted when an alligator swallowed the boy. Now, would we judge John's actions as morally neutral? Surely not. His intentions speak volumes about his moral character. From what evidence has cropped up, we could surmise that physical limitations were all that prevented John's well-intentioned rescue mission. In other words, if John had possessed perfect rescuing-technology, then the child’s demise would have been averted. We should expect this conclusion in light of John’s impressive moral character. If, after all, John was eager to save the drowning child, then we can expect a fortiori that he would perform the task instantly if he had the right technology.
By Roger Smith8 years ago in The Swamp
Dear Liberals
Dear Liberals: So you say "Love is Love " and that you stand against racism, and you want equal rights for women, but you don't really mean it. Love is only love when it fits your definition. Racism is only wrong if you are the right color on the outside. Equal rights for women, but only if you are willing to drop your own morals and beliefs.
By Jenna Logan9 years ago in The Swamp
Conservatives are Zionists
Reports on the events at Grenfell Tower last month have begun an outrage of claims that Grenfell Tower victims were "murdered by Zions" who had been funded by the Conservative Party. Not sure this is true but the outburst of comments is now being investigated by the police, just to cover all bases in case it is true in this age of complicated terrorist attacks.
By Lizzy Arrow9 years ago in The Swamp
Dear Donald... We'll Have to Save Ourselves
Dear Donald, Following the unprecedented 2017 presidential elections, our nation has been swept into unknown territory. Our country appears to be more polarized than ever at least politically, which right now seems like the only thing people can talk about. And I must say it’s not for nothing. When the President of the United States is consistently in the spotlight for a multitude of wrongdoings ranging from sexual harassment charges to sheer ignorance regarding politics, it’s natural to question what is going on here.
By Glenn Bushinski9 years ago in The Swamp
Dear Theresa: What A Difference A Year Makes
Prime Minister May, Well now. It’s been one thing after another, eh? You started with such high hopes and great expectations a year ago. After David Cameron’s uncommonly swift exit from 10 Downing Street a year ago, you took charge of the government making history from day one, as the second woman in history to serve as prime minister and leader of the Conservative (or Tory) Party—no less than Margaret Thatcher was the first. You, therefore, stepped into huge shoes to be filled.
By Michael Eric Ross9 years ago in The Swamp
Quit Blaming Immigrants
Immigrants are people moving from one country to another. Usually because they believe in the new country more. They think it will offer them better opportunities. I've never heard of an immigrant moving to a place where they think they will never be accepted.
By Phoenixica249 years ago in The Swamp
