Now that Deane is away in San Francisco for the week, off attending the big annual Society of Biblical Literature/American Academy of Religion circus, it is up to the rest of us to keep things going here.
I’ll keep this short for today and just throw out a question that has been irritating me of late, one that can be asked in relation to a number of different things, from the professionalisation of the academic world to the devolution of democracy in many parts of the world to a non-choice between the far right and the extreme right – though some places still have more authentically centrist options available, the Left seems to have almost disappeared from mainstream politics. The question is thus:
Is withdrawing in disgust the same thing as apathy?
(Intelligent) thoughts from the gallery are most welcome …
The Dunedin School 
Sir, where does this desire to surrender to apathy come from? How can such a defeatism to rightest forces be even countenanced at this, the moment that global capitalism in its senile world historical stage reaches its apogee of crisis? Why, not 30 minutes ago I – also in attendance at this AAR/SBL/ETS event – encountered the Occupy San Francisco movement. There were dozens – hundreds even – of young people camping out on this cold, rainy November night for one reason and one reason alone — the new Versace line at H&M Is released to the general public at 9am tomorrow. You ask if withdrawing in disgust is the same thing as apathy. But this is the wrong question, sir. Answer me this: what are you waist and inseam measurements?
It depends what you mean by far- and extreme- right. I’m a blue-collar worker and belong to the English Defence League, which is often labelled as a “far-right” organisation. Nothing could be further from the truth. Labels should and must be interrogated, and the first questions should concern the assumptions and motives of the labellers.
Right, Ed – while some would say “far right”, others would say “standing up for the best in English values, preserving the best of English culture, and maintaining the right of an Englishman to be an Englishman”.
But I say you’re a cunt.
Sir, but Luke Johns in particular,
I may be reading too much into your comment, “cunt”, but I think you are implying there is something wrong with Ed’s thinking outside the box. You are just typical of the liberal media who deliberately misunderstand brave people like Ed and his fellow Metric Martyrs and Fathers 4 Justice. By dressing up as Batman and Robin, for instance, these concerned patriots are saying ‘no’ to the politically correct brigade who sneer ar the average wifebeater merely because they avoid seeing their kids for 5-6 months at a time and refuse to contribute anything to the children they probably love so much.
I for one will dare to ask the question they won’t let me ask: are we not under sharia law when a pissed up lover of the England of Shakespeare, the Hobbit, John Milbank, and white people can’t casually kick the shit out of the mother of his child? My grandfather did not fight in two world wars and one world cup just for my apples to be weighed in so-called “millimetres” at the market.
For King Arthur and the Round Table,
Colin
Oh dear, my remark appears to have provided an excuse – if one were needed – for foul language to be used on a Christian website. I’ll answer the points if the posters learn to post in a manner respectful to all the readers of the blog. In the meantime, I guess the dialogue will continue in other places with people who know how to disagree without resorting to obscenity. I must apologise to the administrators, writers and readers of “The Dunedin School”, and ask them not to let their views of British patriots be determined by the two trollers above.