If you want an image of the future as we desire it, imagine a boot stamping on Jonathan Jones’ face… forever

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Jack Graham

Jack Graham writes and podcasts about culture and politics from a Gothic Marxist-Humanist perspective. He co-hosts the I Don't Speak German podcast with Daniel Harper. Support Jack on Patreon.

5 Comments

  1. Lucy McGough
    August 29, 2013 @ 6:06 pm

    I agree.

    Reply

  2. Jacob Nanfito
    August 30, 2013 @ 2:20 am

    Yes. The war pimps smell a buck to be made and their mouths are watering.

    Reply

  3. frank fair
    August 30, 2013 @ 12:56 pm

    Surely to complete the parable you need the poor liberal onlooker to say "Well I can't trust this concerned passer-by can I? But then what am I supposed to do?".
    And the only other strong voice right now is saying "Leave it alone, this isn't your fight. Give to charity and nothing else"
    And meanwhile the abusive husband is going to keep beating and beating the wife and children.
    What does he do?

    Reply

  4. Jack Graham
    August 30, 2013 @ 4:31 pm

    You've exposed the limitations of my analogy (all analogies are limited… if they weren't, they'd be descriptions rather than analogies). This analogy isn't suited for the expression of the wider, complex possibilities. It was designed to take the piss out of a narrow, simplistic and dishonest premise.

    Suffice to say, there are strong voices out there saying things other than "give to charity" but the liberals either don't listen or despise those voices.

    Reply

  5. Gavin Burrows
    August 31, 2013 @ 6:51 am

    To complete the parable as-is, insofar as it represents mainstream political discourse, the liberal onlooker would have to say "I don't want to go to war now, I'd rather wait a little longer." Which is pretty much what the Labour amendment was, and most 'anti-war' commentators are saying. Wait for the inspection team to report, even though they're already said they won't attempt to apportion responsibility. They're just going to confirm or deny whether chemical weapons were used. Which we could take a reasonable guess at already…

    However, either option ("Let's go to war now" vs. "No, let's wait a bit") many be hard to shove back on the table now Cameron's bungled it so badly in the Commons. Some people are opposed to upper class twits getting themselves positions of political power. I'm rather in favour of it myself…

    Reply

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