New Show: MindMatters (RIP Truth Perspective)

Looked to me like the few libtard women who posted were GREATLY outnumbered by the ones who loved everything about the podcast.

The thing that concerned me is the "power" of those very few (and possibly more piling on) to give Balogh a hard time for liking and defending us. As we've seen sometimes all it takes is a few very loud and vehement types to get the ball rolling and coerce the "offending" transgressor into submission and mea culpas. So far this hasn't happened though, which I'm glad for; Balogh's got her head on straight and seems to be a strong voice of reason.
 
Yeah, it's amazing how intelligence and plain common sense always trumps ideology.

But does it.

Most of us here had a master class in being attacked by flamers, defamers, and just plain psychopaths, thanks to Vinnie Bridges and his gang.

More and more, every day, we see exactly those types of people in the libtard league. It makes one wonder, of course, if that type of blindness and lack of insight in the majority of those of the liberal ilk is actually due to psychopathology? Goodness knows, they sure fit the description, right down to the "Energizer Bunny" phenomenon.
 
The thing that concerned me is the "power" of those very few (and possibly more piling on) to give Balogh a hard time for liking and defending us. As we've seen sometimes all it takes is a few very loud and vehement types to get the ball rolling and coerce the "offending" transgressor into submission and mea culpas. So far this hasn't happened though, which I'm glad for; Balogh's got her head on straight and seems to be a strong voice of reason.
Like you mentioned in the show (half jokingly), you hoped it wouldn't bring attention from the woke mob. The thing being that they'd come for her eventually - so maybe part of the discussion (or correspondence outside of the potential show) should be on that topic?
Forewarned is forearmed. Her books are an antidote to the madness.
 
It will be interesting to hear how she views all that in light of the understanding she exhibits in her writing. I'm sure she can handle herself, but we should keep in mind it's a real minefield for anyone to navigate and be sure to give her enough latitude to skirt the edges if that's her inclination, in my opinion. It would be unfortunate if we inadvertently drew the vitriol of the left in her direction.
 
Like you mentioned in the show (half jokingly), you hoped it wouldn't bring attention from the woke mob. The thing being that they'd come for her eventually - so maybe part of the discussion (or correspondence outside of the potential show) should be on that topic?
Forewarned is forearmed. Her books are an antidote to the madness.
I haven’t listened to the show yet but I had a thought that Balogh’s books also serve as a manual on how to deal with bullies, narcissists, and psychopaths. In each case the very thing done is development of a strong support network—safety in numbers. Next corner the villain to force their behaviour out from behind the curtain. Entrap them so that they may choose to flee but usually they are pushed until they break and commit suicide or are essentially killed by the required actions of self defence. The law in all this is not involved.
Perhaps Balogh’s villains are very uncomfortable mirrors for some of the women who react negatively to her stories of hero’s triumphing over manipulation and deceit.
 
How interesting that Mary Balogh decided to announce her intentions to have a discussion with fans of her work and some nutzoids went bonkers! She seems wise enough to navigate through it and get on with it, I hate to think that she would be discouraged. And also, that little interaction would be an interesting way to open up the conversation about the state of the world, if she's ok with discussing it.

I am delighted to learn that she will be having a discussion with you guys and I can't wait to watch it :)
 
The thing that concerned me is the "power" of those very few (and possibly more piling on) to give Balogh a hard time for liking and defending us. As we've seen sometimes all it takes is a few very loud and vehement types to get the ball rolling and coerce the "offending" transgressor into submission and mea culpas.
The thing being that they'd come for her eventually - so maybe part of the discussion (or correspondence outside of the potential show) should be on that topic?
Forewarned is forearmed. Her books are an antidote to the madness.
I'm sure she can handle herself, but we should keep in mind it's a real minefield for anyone to navigate and be sure to give her enough latitude to skirt the edges if that's her inclination, in my opinion. It would be unfortunate if we inadvertently drew the vitriol of the left in her direction.
Was thinking about this "pilling on" business earlier today, and what a shame that it takes place on her blog, or could further take place - with efforts of a few who hold spurious ideas, denouncing, willy nilly, a few young men for having a nice discussion. In this blog case above, Mary's courage to stand her ground was refreshing, and in keeping perhaps with how she writes.

Would be inclined to keep it light, as you said genero81, just skirt the silly social woke edges and let Mary go where she wants to go. There is no sense in aggravating the already hyper-aggravated - who as Mary said, may not even have read her books.

Be that as it may, whatever happens, the hosts of the show are certainly adept at interviewing, who would more than give Mary the respect she deserves.

I am a bit of a head-in-the-sand person as concerns things happening beyond the walls of my study. And I don't feel particularly guilty about that. I figure that my primary job is producing the very best stories I am capable of writing, and that is what I concentrate upon doing. That is within my control.

- Mary Balogh
 
Was thinking about this "pilling on" business earlier today, and what a shame that it takes place on her blog, or could further take place - with efforts of a few who hold spurious ideas, denouncing, willy nilly, a few young men for having a nice discussion. In this blog case above, Mary's courage to stand her ground was refreshing, and in keeping perhaps with how she writes.

Would be inclined to keep it light, as you said genero81, just skirt the silly social woke edges and let Mary go where she wants to go. There is no sense in aggravating the already hyper-aggravated - who as Mary said, may not even have read her books.

Be that as it may, whatever happens, the hosts of the show are certainly adept at interviewing, who would more than give Mary the respect she deserves.
Totally agree with Voyageur here, by taking the "Wise as Serpents" approach will be the safe thing to do me thinks, for Mary Balogh's safety and wellbeing. I know of course that the MindMatters gang will handle an eventual interview with Mary neatly and wisely as they always do.

Though it's astonishing to observe how the Eye of Sauron/the Entropic Center's attention targets and tries to neutralize those of an STO orientation as soon as they are trying to defend and promote values of an STO nature even indirectly.
 
I was thinking about a question that you guys could ask her, if you deem it appropriate, and this is not so much related to the main line of thought of the discussion here, but I have been curious.

I would be curious to know if she has heard any of the audio book productions that have been made of her work, those narrated by Rosalyn Landor in particular. In my opinion Landor does an outstanding job reading and acting them, and so I would be curious to know if Mary feels as though Landor does them justice and conveys them as she wrote them or as she intended them to be read.
 
At the end of our most recent show we bemoan the fact that there are so few films about Communism that give a relatively true picture of it.

Was reading through SOTT articles today and noted this article, Leninthink, by Gary Saul Morson:


Morson, delves deeply into the period and the man, Lenin, and other men in succession. It is quite a read, it also reminded me of a scene in the documentary discussed, Ennio - not sure what episode either, yet it starts with the election of Khrushchev, which sort of ties into the article above - Party thinking.

From memory (not exact), it goes something like this:

Khrushchev, after some maneuvering to become the First Secretary of the Communist Party, is standing in front of the politburo members (the hall is filled to the rafters) hearing his acceptance speech. Khrushchev turns to the crowd saying, that just before giving his speech he was handed a letter. Nikita tells the crowd, that the letter asks him why did he and others not stand, remaining in silence under Stalin's decrees (same with Lenin likely)? Khrushchev then shouts out, whoever wrote this letter, please stand up. Silence, and no one stands. Nikita Khrushchev said something like, you see, this is why we did not stand either.

Morson: What happens is something like this: when a criticism of the true ideology is advanced, or when embarrassing facts come out, everyone learns a particular answer. One neither believes nor disbelieves the answer; one demonstrates one's loyalty by saying it.

Robert Conquest (also mentioned in the article by Morson), remarked that this was the first time anyone had said one thing against Stalin publicly. Khrushchev had changed party lines in this regard, and thereafter, people came out to tell their stories about past leadership - leadership that they were inculcated to worship, to give their lives for, without really understanding a damn thing (not that it is different in other periods, in other nations at certain times).

Coming back to Morson's article, the picture is presented that people, including party members, really had no idea what was going on - what they represented, other than the Party, and whatever was said was done. He also looks to our now in time, and asks some questions at the end of the article (bold original to the article):

When I detect Leninist ways of thinking today, people respond: surely you don't think all those social justice warriors are Leninists! Of course not. The whole point of Leninism is that only a few people must understand what is going on. That was the key insight of his tract What Is to Be Done? When Leninism is significant, there will always be a spectrum going from those who really understand, to those who just practice the appropriate responses, to those who are entirely innocent. The real questions are: Is there such a spectrum now, and how do we locate people on it? And if there is such a spectrum, what do we do about it?

There is no space to address such questions here. My point is that they need to be asked.
 
Morson, delves deeply into the period and the man, Lenin, and other men in succession. It is quite a read, it also reminded me of a scene in the documentary discussed, Ennio - not sure what episode either, yet it starts with the election of Khrushchev, which sort of ties into the article above - Party thinking.

Thanks for the reminder of that docu-series you mentioned not too long ago and the dot connecting above, Voyageur. We've got a short list of dramatic films we'd like to watch and possibly do a show or two on but we should probably put that documentary on the list!

Also (teaser!), we have a very interesting guest lined up to discuss left wing authoritarianism from a personality/'moral tastebud'/rigorous analysis perspective coming at this from a different, but no less fascinating, angle.

And on that note, here's a bit about our most recent show which is a review of a wonderful film that is related to the topic at hand:

MindMatters: Do Not Watch, Comrade! 'The Lives of Others' Is Thought Crime


Soon after World War II, Germany was cleaved in two by the allies who won the war. 'West Germany' came under the influence of Western Europe and the US, and East Germany under the Soviet Union. The eastern section of Germany, under the political and ideological influence of Communism, came to develop one of the most notoriously oppressive secret police organizations in modern history: the Stasi.

On this week's show, we discuss Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck's moving and expertly directed 2006 German film 'The Lives of Others' (spoiler warning!). The movie's depiction of life under Stasi control, the power dynamics at play in the Communist nation, and the lives it destroyed, among other things, all contribute to make the 'The Lives of Others' an instructive work from which to understand the destructive power of totalitarianism on a very personal level. However, the film also offers a light of hope in the face of immense bleakness.

Join us as we discuss the film, its overall plot and themes, expert characterization, historical accuracy (or lack thereof), and why it deserves a watch - or two! Just make sure the Stasi don't find out. They don't arrest people on a whim, after all.



 
We hope you enjoy listening to the latest MindMattters discussion where we get into the Romantic Reading, giving our take on it against the backdrop of all the ideological craziness we're seeing. So if you've been on the fence about reading these types of books, you might very well see this additional reason for giving them a good try.

MindMatters: Campy Covers, Deep Psychology: Discover a Most Surprising Oasis of Virtue and Values




I've watched the show and gosh, I didn't want it to end. I've actually watched this one after the more recent one (about the fantastic movie The life of others) and I must say I became a fan, thank you guys for discussing and entertaining us with such insightful and significant interpretations and invitations to learn about ourselves and our world. Looking forward to watching belatedly the previous shows and to the participation of Mary Balogh, it will be great I am sure!

About the reading of the romantic novels, the thing that most impressed me in the show, was the focus on the process and the hope we get, while reading these stories, of the resolution of issues the protagonists face, and how they can become greater and better by working out these issues and by building a relationship and trusting and acknowledging their feelings and their individuality in the whole process. I mean, in particular, the hope and knowledge we the readers get while reading and seeing these conflicts and hardships that lead, after all the efforts and sufferings, towards the resolution and the emotional and spiritual well-being experienced by the characters.

The quote you shared of Someone to Love is amazing and it really sums up what I'm experiencing while taking part in the reading project. We don't need preachers but authors like Balogh who teaches us so much, while seemingly just entertaining us.

Thank you again!
 
This most recent MindMatters show zeroes in on and picks apart Leftwing Authoritarianism - making use of what is probably one of the most rigorous, extremely well researched, and up-to-date studies on the subject matter to be found anywhere we think:

MindMatters: Interview with Tom Costello: Yes, Virginia, There Is a Left-wing Authoritarianism!


Today on MindMatters we interview Thomas Costello, Emory University PhD candidate and lead author of a groundbreaking new study on leftwing authoritarianism. Long thought by social psychologists to be the exclusive of social conservatives (RWA), studies of authoritarianism on the left have been few and far between. Until now. Despite the almost willful ignorance about the subject in the field, LWA really does exist, and Costello and colleagues are clarifying its structure as a valid construct. It turns out that rightwing and leftwing authoritarians have a lot in common - and some differences too.

Join us as we pick Tom's brain about the history of the study of authoritarianism, how it became associated exclusively with conservatism, and what the latest studies are revealing about authoritarians on the left: those anti-conventionalists who channel their aggression against existing hierarchies and favor top-down censorship, and who are more willing to participate in political violence than their peers.




 
This most recent MindMatters show zeroes in on and picks apart Leftwing Authoritarianism - making use of what is probably one of the most rigorous, extremely well researched, and up-to-date studies on the subject matter to be found anywhere we think:

MindMatters: Interview with Tom Costello: Yes, Virginia, There Is a Left-wing Authoritarianism!

Happy you guys took this on, took on some of the dangling threads from Bob's work with Tom (and looked at his own work), in what turned out to be a further thought provoking discussion. You guys brought up some good questions with Tom, too - working to find the centre of it all without overly pigeonholing RWA/LWA sides. It seems in one way, whatever the former labeled authoritarian division, it manifests on a foundation of greed, manipulation and control et cetera, with the followers being any who believe in their lies and are willing to do extreme things to bolster them, left or right.

Whatever the case, much more work could be done on this, and I commend Tom for looking to reorganize Bob's original work to a better understanding (Bob's focus seemed to lead in one direction, even though he makes a clarifying stamens about RWA not being right, for the purposes of his paper).

Just a heads up, we'll be doing the interview with her this Wednesday. So if peeps have any questions they'd like for us to ask now is the time to post them!

Oh, just lovely, can't wait!
 
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