By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close
Machiavellian on 16 May 2019
Edit Thread
NightlyPoe said:
Machiavellian said:

If the interviewer was trying to make viewers dismiss Ben, isn't it up to Ben not to make it so easy.  Its one thing to be baited, its something else to jump both feet into the trap knowing the results.  Here is the thing.  Ben has a book that talks about the very thing he promoted in the past.  Why would any interviewer not challenge him to prove that he has changed.  That is how I took the questions from the interviewer.  The question is Ben grandstanding or is he truly changed how he approached topics.  From that interview Ben failed the test.  Do we believe this will be the only time Ben will be challenged whether or not he isn't the same person who promoted toxic rhetoric, probably not.  There are many people who talk about change but they are only talking about everyone else besides themselves.  This was the take away from that interview.  Ben is only preaching about everyone else needs to change besides himself.

Everyone's responsible for their own actions.  I'm just saying that I don't much care for the constant scrutiny people have to go through in order to justify themselves.  To take this to a lower tier, how many times have you seen athletes caught up in drama over some quote that is exploded into more than it is by the sports press (which is probably the most parasitic of all forms of journalism) so that talking heads can morph these people (often barely more than kids themselves) into caricatures instead of real people?  Same thing goes for celebrities, particularly young ones.

I just don't believe that life is all about passing the tests set up by jerks with bad intent.  And, no, I don't believe that his appearance here changes what he's saying in his book or whether it holds any merit.  Frankly, it should be blindingly obvious that anger is hurting our politics.  At least in the United States, the division is as bad as it's been since the Civil War in terms of two sides just talking past each other and considering the other side evil.  Heck, Ben Shapiro spends a large portion of his time at least talking to the other side, and not just doing it in a shock jock way like the Milos or Coulters.

If you come out into the public with your opinions, then you invite scrutiny.  If you are someone like Ben who has very strong opinions that are definitely polarizing to a lot of people then yes you do need to justify yourself.  Why should anyone give Ben a pass, he definitely doesn't give anyone a pass and he is more than happy to give his viewpoint on individuals which he has done a number of times.  I really do not get what you are saying.  Ben isn't a saint and he has torched people on a number of times so why should anyone go at him with kid gloves.  He is an adult and if he can give it he sure as hell should be able to take it.

Yes, I have seen when someone has said something stupid and people bring it up.  What I usually see is that people get upset just like Ben when they have said something stupid and people bring it up.  What you do not see is people willing to just simply say, yes, that was a mistake.  What you do not see is a person being humble about mistakes in the past an come forward with it.  If Ben did that, it would have shut the interviewer down because you cannot continue to challenge a person on a previous wrong if the person is willing to admit they were and be humble about it.  What happen with Ben is that you can see he hasn't moved on from those days.  The reason you get upset is that secretly you still feel the same way and you hate to be called out on it.  You cannot fight hate with anger when challenged and you definitely cannot get riled up when challenged about your past.  It shows he has a ways to go before he can expect others to change and move on when he hasn't himself.

Today's US politics isn't about hate in the way you state it, its about power.  Hate is being used as a weapon which we see everyday. it's more about showing the difference between everyone and making people fear those differences which is used as fuel for votes and power and currently it appears the Republicans are using it more then the Dems but both parties do the same.