Sunday 19 May 2024
He was not a rascal by predilection
Keene eyed her with observation. He himself had slight depth for a man doomed to live by his wits, and he was under the disadvantage of really feeling something of what he said. He was not a rascal by predilection; merely driven that way by the forces which in our social state abundantly make for rascality.
George Gissing – Demos (1886)
It is probably necessary to take a fragmented view of our dire cultural situation and describe it in a number of ways, from the malign schemes of political fanatics the failings of abject stupidity. The overall problem seems to stretch from one end of this spectrum to the other and all points in between, including important offshoots such as racketeering.
Clearly Net Zero is at least stupid and malign, but there is also a curiously petty aspect attached to it, more parasitic than responsible. Virtue-signalling is abundantly evident as we know, but much of it is petty eco-etiquette where saying the right thing is far more important than doing anything significant.
There is also degree of rascality about eco-etiquette which complicates any effort to untangle motives behind projects such as Net Zero. Malign motives are clear enough, but some dilettante political actors are only prancing around on a bandwagon without any great interest in using it as anything but a bandwagon.
No, the men whom we honour are merely rascals who have had the good fortune not to be caught red-handed.
Stendhal - The Red and the Black (1830)
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2 comments:
With regard to the eco-nonsense, there seems to be a wide range of differing sincerity. Some clearly believe what they say, and whether correct or deluded have thought it through. The majority, though, use eco-babble in a phatic way. It establishes identities and membership, and they put no more thought into it than when they respond "Yes, it is a bit chilly, but the met office say it will warm up later", or "Yes, just a mild cold, thanks, but nothing worth bothering the doctor with."
A small number of loons have set in motion a huge comet's tail of pointless chatter just because challenging opinions causes embarrassment and disapproval.
Sam - yes there is a wide range of differing sincerity and much of it would evaporate overnight if the official narrative were to change. It will probably be much slower than that when it occurs, but there are a few signs.
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