J.B. Pritzker, Governor of Illinois, gave a terrific commencement address at Northwestern University, with a fabulous explanation about how to spot an idiot. He says that idiots are not necessarily stupid. They may be your boss. They may even be elected President.
If you want to see the 20+ minute speech, it’s here.
If you want to see the part where Pritzker explains idiots, state at about 7:50 into the speech.
If you are on Twitter, see it here:
Summary:
“Whenever I’m about to do something, I think ‘Would an idiot do that?’ and if they would, I do not do that thing.” – Dwight Schrute
And what is the best way to spot an idiot? Look for the person who is cruel.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
xoxoxoxoxox!!!!!!!!
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“I am here to tell you that when someone’s path through this world is marked with acts of cruelty, [he or she has] failed the first test of an advanced society.”
–Jay Robert “J.B.” Pritzker
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Pure showboating and virtue signaling from a rich boy who has had every path to success in his life greased by family money. It’s easy for him to be generous with other people’s money; he has never worked for his own.
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For those who enter the fora on this blog to complain about ad hominem arguments, pay attention to the comment above from Jane Morrow: Simply put, it epitomizes the argumentum ad hominem–i.e. “argument against the man.”
Nice work!
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And the genetic fallacy. He could be a horrible human but the content of the piece still be great.
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Absolutely Bob, and thanks.
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You seem vociferous against the minority of people born to wealthy parents.
Pritzker’s Wikipedia bio notes he worked on staff of two US senators and a representative; so he has worked for money. He chaired the Illinois Holocaust Museum capital campaign and planning among other efforts.
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Exhibit A, for an idiot
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Re: The arraignment of Don the Con
No, this is not “a dark day for America.”
“There’s a crack, a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”
–Leonard Cohen
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This is the light starting to get in.
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There’s a crank in everything.
That’s how the Trump gets in.
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With thanks to the late Leonard Cohen.
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Diane This is FYI from this morning’s Huffington Post:
“CNN’S JAKE TAPPER, MSNBC’S NICOLE WALLACE ASK PRODUCERS TO STOP AIRING TRUMP ‘SPECTACLE’ Anchors of two major news networks decided to stop airing footage of Trump’s visit to a Miami restaurant shortly after his court appearance. “I don’t need to see any more of that. He’s trying to turn it into a spectacle and into a campaign ad,” CNN’s Jake Tapper said. Trump supporters cursed a journalist and threw her out of the Cuban eatery for asking a question. [HuffPost]”
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I’m really worried about where this is heading. How far will Trump supporters go?
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MSNBC said last night that they would not air Trump’s NJ speech because it would be all lies. And it was. They summarized what he said after he was done. Journalists have a problem: how to let him speak without using them as a platform for outright lies.
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Diane It IS a problem for journalists. And part of the problem is that it’s not so much Trump, but that he was actually our president.
And so, the “spectacle” is not all-Trump. It can’t be in a democracy. The spectacle is the number of people who continue to support him and the contributing factor of the deliberate confusion between (a) the real press and (b) entertainment aimed at only the LCD among us. CBK
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Oh, and R.I.P. Astrid! And thank you.
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Astrud
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With apologies to E.B.B.
Trump:
How do I loathe thee? Let me count the ways.
I loathe thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach. I cannot stand the sight
Of thee. Disdain thou makest me embrace.
I loathe thee to the level of every day’s
Most fervent rage, by sun and monitor light.
I loathe thy morals, thy contempt for every right.
I loathe thy vanity, seeking constant praise.
I loathe thee with the passion one might choose
To heap on vandals, and with my childhood’s faith
That decency, under thy boot, we shall not lose.
So may we curse thee with every waking breath
Thy objectification of all, thy conman’s ruse,
Thy instincts not of a man but a wasp on Meth.
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Well done!! Huzzah!!
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In other news, Mercedes Schneider reports that “On June 08, 2023, the Louisiana legislature sent to the governor’s desk HB 8, requiring all public elementary, secondary, and postsecondary schools to display ‘In God We Trust’ in the classroom.”
June 8. That would be last Thor’s Day.
They didn’t say which god.
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Trumpanzee. n. Religiously devoted follower of Donald J. Trump, aka, Don the Con, who is himself, to use a term coined by logician and wit Jon Awbrey, a “moneytheist.”
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There are, of course, many devotees of moneytheism in the American political class.
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Years ago I found an obscure gem of a book with stories about acts of resistance by Catholics in lower Franconia, Germany. Your comment reminded me of one of my notes:
“A girl who replaces a cross in her classroom after the Nazis banned them worries if her mother, who knew nothing about the act, would be sent to a concentration camp.”
It’s not the act, it’s the governmental requirement either banning or requiring something to eliminate individual autonomy. There’s no difference in intent.
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Beautifully, poignantly observed, Greg! You should post links to your brilliant reviews of these!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1022841000
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Trump’s wife, former first lady Melania Trump, was notably absent on Tuesday, reportedly opting for a visit to the dentist instead.
It’s very possible that Melania knows how to spot an idiot.
MIAMI, Florida—Former President Donald Trump was placed under arrest for the second time in two months as he arrived at a heavily fortified Miami courthouse on Tuesday afternoon to face his first federal indictment.
Trump flew to Miami from his New Jersey golf club on Monday afternoon, then was driven to the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse from his golf club in Doral, a 12-mile drive across town. His motorcade arrived shortly before 2 p.m. and headed to an underground garage.
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Popping the cork on some Dom Pérignon to celebrate the possibility of Donald going to prison?
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Melanoma to the dentist? Biden had a root canal? Sounds like a fishy way to arrange a hook up to me!
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