The matter of the Arrest of Gates by Crowley dismays me terribly. The privacy issues alone are worth discussion. However, the case shows the absolute inability of the American People at large to detect bullshit whatsoever. Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire is indeed fascism run amok.
But the American people first need to attune themselves to Reality and Reason before they can handle such things as discussion of an arrest. The Real World is inglorious, and the call on the case was made by Gates and Crowley, two pissed-off fellows trying to navigate the world as best they could.
The dangers of fascism do not come from the stoop of a Harvard residence. It runs deeper, and is far more our fault than we wish to admit.
(subject) should be (qualitative) (characteristic.)
Negroes should be more respectful.
Police should be less racist.
Any time that a missive is entered to THEM, and a subjunctive form of the indirect order is used, then fascism has whispered. Officer Crowley might well indeed have lost control of the spiral by offering such advice, if he did so - Prof. Gates, you should be less agitated.
If Gates heard this (which is speculation) then he probably blew up (overreacted?) and the whole thing got on the Red Line to Hell.
But the American people first need to attune themselves to Reality and Reason before they can handle such things as discussion of an arrest. The Real World is inglorious, and the call on the case was made by Gates and Crowley, two pissed-off fellows trying to navigate the world as best they could.
The dangers of fascism do not come from the stoop of a Harvard residence. It runs deeper, and is far more our fault than we wish to admit.
Here is the fundmental linguistic form of fascism.
(subject) should be (qualitative) (characteristic.)
Negroes should be more respectful.
Police should be less racist.
Any time that a missive is entered to THEM, and a subjunctive form of the indirect order is used, then fascism has whispered. Officer Crowley might well indeed have lost control of the spiral by offering such advice, if he did so - Prof. Gates, you should be less agitated.
If Gates heard this (which is speculation) then he probably blew up (overreacted?) and the whole thing got on the Red Line to Hell.
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