275 Comments

I personally wouldn’t embrace this line of thinking as I have worked in a “verbally sophisticated” line of work for over 30 years; I was a surgical RN. The number one trusted profession had lost her way during covid. Healthcare, a “verbally sophisticated” society, actually showed its true colors. First do no harm, but only if it means one will/can keep their (specialized) job. I no longer work as an RN, took a job half my normal pay, and not in direct patient care. My take: Those seasoned in healthcare and still working know better, are cowards and not able to cross the gap of integrity that now exists in healthcare. They have chosen a lifestyle for themselves and their children they are not willing to give up, satisfied with staying silent, turning a blind eye. The new recruits, younger ambitious docs and nurses are brainwashed through covid propaganda, they do not carry skill to think through why they do what they do. They follow instructions and protocols, would not think to second guess.

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I completely agree. I too am a nurse that quit my job at a clinic at the very beginning when they started with segregating the lunch room. I still can't believe this.

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Thanks for being brave and having integrity!

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Very true. Their pay depends on “follow the directions from administrators”. It is the WEF take over of our world. I don’t trust many medical folks anymore. Many have sold their souls for security and money. A loss of love and respect for humanity. I’m praying🙏

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Not to mention that admission requirements to medical and nursing schools have been lowered. Residency evaluations have been lowered or eliminated. Medical students at UCLA med school could not pass the basic achievement test at graduation.

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I feel sick as we watch this wonderful country being destroyed with ignorance one step at a time. Just think, many of these students won’t be able to pass Anatomy, but they will pass them anyway. Poor medical care in America,-here we come

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You are correct about the admission requirements. In this Imprimus edition, Heather MacDonald reveals a lot of what is happening.... https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/disparate-impact-thinking-is-destroying-our-civilization/

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My husband read that on the plane from Canada to United States two days ago. He couldn’t talk enough about that article.

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Here is another article highlighting this trend. Very concerning, to say the least...https://www.mindingthecampus.org/2024/06/13/my-surgeon-might-be-a-diversity-hire/

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What an excellent article! Thanks for the link.

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You're welcome!

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There are other reasons beyond lack of understanding that ppl choose the path of compliance. Those ppl who do have the language skills for recognizing nuance and yet STILL choose to be on the side of tyrannical coercive forces in order to "stay comfortable" are the very worst of it all, in my opinion more abhorrent than the psychopaths who seek leadership for its clear path towards the tyrannical standard.

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I bet you have unlimited smiles most all day long,

once your sky high Cortisol levels vanished along with unexplainable stress from others.

Good on ye.....Survive to thrive.

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I've heard that the third of nurse force that left rather than take the clot shots is mostly back but with higher pay and waiver for shots as traveling nurses. Any truth to this, or has the medical crowd been handpicked now for comiance in the next plandemic?

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I don’t “like” this, but it is near perfect in describing the insanity of today’s medicine.

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A silver lining of the COVID response, is many see the depravity of the medical system. It was there before COVID.

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Verbally sophisticated but predominantly female, which would prove the thesis. You would be one of the exceptions, perhaps due to higher IQ (not sure what "verbal IQ" means...)

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And I failed to mention: Thank you for being a medical professional. I'm sorry you are no longer a practicing surgical RN. I'm sure it is the professions loss as well as yours.

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Thank you for your comment! It strikes to the heart of why, just this morning, my wife and I were discussing our collapse in confidence in the medical profession, in general.

How could a thinking, somewhat knowledgable person, trust the medical profession since it has and still is promoting the widespread use of a so called vaccine, now proven to be potentially lethal? Rhetorical, I know. They could not.

BTW, I too can't, based on my personal experience, buy into this "study" from Canada. It sounds like hogwash, to me. I suspect the study group, if there really was one may have been quite small and/or cherry-picked. However, I do realize we are living in times quite different from my coming-of-age (I'm 68) and I do encounter a lot of people who don't seem to be "wired" correctly. All I have to go on is my frame of reference and an occasional peek outside the box. So I could be the one full of hogwash.

I know, based on what I was taught in mortuary school, that atheists are most often college educated or have advanced degrees, and I know from personal observation that they are usually left-leaning politically and socially, and are quite well spoken.

I'm of a group (high school drop-outs) who are probably more likely to be clods when it comes to command of the language, but because of having worked in various jobs dealing directly with the public for over 50 years, I have a reasonable command of the English language, and thanks in large part to spell-check, manage to write in a somewhat intelligible fashion.

I don't know if that makes sense or not. I suppose I'm trying to say: "You can't judge a book by it's cover."

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You make sense, no need to ask for confirmation. A degree issued by crackpot institutions are meaningless and having a level of command with language has little if anything at all to do with receiving a degree (confirmation from other). University is about the biggest scam in culture today. MOST of the exceedingly intelligent people I've come across are not indoctrinated by college training.. It is actually an inverse signal as far as I'm concerned. Self taught people are proof of true intelligence. They find their own path, and that takes something else beyond and more consequential than plane intelligence. You might call it the "x" factor. That x factor calls bullshit and is the best navigation system on the planet. Props to dads who shed this life intelligence naturally onto their children by doing instead of talking.

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Like! My like button does not work, for some reason.

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I don't buy into it either. Peterson is a mixed bag. He preaches things that are useful and work. But Jesus, what a know-it-all. He thinks he has all the answers, yet can't stay off drugs.

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Your former colleagues are debt slaves, practicing slave medicine in order to make payments towards their debts, in perpetuity. The majority are not free to do otherwise, as the consequences of quitting would be far worse for them than continuing on with what they've been educated and trained to do, and what pays the bills & supports their family and lifestyle.

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Brent, thank you, I appreciate your comment. “The majority are not free to do otherwise, as the consequence of quitting would be far worse for them than continuing on with ....”.

I wanted to comment on this phrase: “consequence of quitting would be far worse for them”. Everyone, those in healthcare who make a livable wage and/or those who struggle to pay the bills, put food on the table, etc, is being tested in this hour whether one believes it or not. One of the cores of nursing is safety first - do no harm. I (like everyone else had and will have going forward the opportunity to count the cost as it relates to their own world) chose to take the right stand and lose everything I had poured my 60 years of life into instead of harm by injuring and killing all ages of humanity. I lost my 27 year marriage and nursing licenses for starters as I spoke truth and let the chips fall where they may. Others will have opportunities elsewhere to go toe to toe. If you haven’t already, I pray courage rises up and what is right prevails in spite of the personal losses that will incur. We are in a fight bigger than ourselves, it is a time for self-sacrifice, speak truth at all cost, what really matters in life will then find you.

Have an amazing remainder of your day.

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Precious Lynn, I’d like to know you. If everyone behaved as you, they could not capture our beautiful country. I’m right beside you. I’m old, so I won’t be here much longer. I grieve over my blessed and beautiful America, as demons move forward to destroy it. If people don’t stand up and sacrifice, there will no longer be a word in this world called “freedom”. Give me Liberty or give me death. God gave us freedom and these monsters are trying to take it away. Think of what all the soldiers have given. It’s about our country and freedom. I guess the youth don’t know what the loss of freedom even means. We have become a country turned away from Almighty God and leaning into narcissism. I pray and pray that God comes back to our beloved country.🙏. Thank you for what you have given. God knows what you have done❣️

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Lost your marriage? I could be wrong, but from the context you provide, sounds like good riddance.

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You're amazing. Thank you for your courage! Thank you for telling your story!

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Hear hear for you, Ma'am. I did one, will not be quiet until medical professionals stand TF up and admit culpability. And I do not like the band wagoneers or the apologizers. I made these categories up for what I was witnessing out on social media. 😝 Self-explanatory but I will regale if necessary.

Proud of you Ma'am. ✊🇺🇲🇨🇦🇬🇧🇦🇺🇨🇮

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Nailed it.👍🇦🇺

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I think this idea applies to individuals more than groups because it's impossible to know what certain groups think organically about anything anymore because they've all been subsumed into the machine.

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As in everything there’s a hierarchy. As a fellow RN we follow orders. Trusting our leaders good intentions. They being human may decisive us for a time.

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That's got to be too categorical an assessment. "ALL those seasoned in healthcare and still working" are guilty of what you say?!!

I invite push-back here from those who agree with Precious Lynn and I about the seriousness of the Covid/Vax Disaster, including the horrific Deaths from the Mandated Protocols part of it, who in some way are in or connected to health care. Isn't nurse Dee for example, of the great Dee's substack, still working? https://dee746.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=substack_profile Not everyone faced an either-or choice, and there can be legitimate disagreement about the tactics needed now for dissidents who work in health care. What would our side gain by all of them quitting? Is your idea that the existing hospitals have revealed themselves to be un-reformable, so any worker of integrity should jump ship to new alternative institutions as soon as possible? Or do you think they should quite even before? Or do you want them to risk firing by making public statements now, after a couple of years of being "cloaked"? I can imagine a good argument for that. I'm not saying I know the best approach, but please say more, about what your fuller position on all this is, on what paths exist to "cross the gap of integrity."

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I understand and agree with part of your point. I tend to shy away from using absolutes in my speaking and writing. However, as someone aged and in need of more-than-occasional medical care, my observation is that the medical profession, in general, is noticeably diminished from pre-scamdemic times, and won't likely recover in my lifetime.

I would vehemently disagree with any attempt to downplay the seriousness - the outrageousness - of the so-called pandemic and the phony "vaccine, and the systemic effects on the medical profession. It was and remains fascist-promoted mass murder. Just to be clear, I am using "fascist" in proper context, here. The crimes against humanity known as the COVID pandemic and subsequent "miracle" vaccine, as Mr. Trump calls it, are a product of the illegal and unholy marriage of industry (pharmaceutical / Medical Complex) and government.

I would also ask of you Carl: Are you in the medical profession?

I'm not but I was in the death care industry for over a decade and was married to an RN, so I know a tiny bit about the inner workings, and I am aware of changes, not for the better.

And just saying that a surgical RN with 30 years under the belt might be worth listening to, closely.

Peace!

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Thanks John, good comment. 1. I was commenting on what Precious Lynn said. 2. no, I'm not in the medical profession.

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Oh yeah? "People who are less verbally sophisticated" is your put-down of the so-called salt of the earth, which while that may include its share of bigots also includes many decent, honorable people struggling to survive in a predatory system run by greedy "verbally sophisticated" leaders of hedge funds, big corporations and sold-out governments. Get off your "highly educated" high horse

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No, that’s not what he meant. He was referring to the people who are so uneducated that they don’t know what a woman is.

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You are of course entitled to you opinion, but I took it similarly to Mr. Brownstein. Perhaps I'm overly sensitive.

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No. Jonathan that's just denial and pride that they know what is best for others. It's hardly I.Q.

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It’s not they know what’s best for others, it’s just accepting basic biological facts as being true. Society used to lock lunatics up in mental institutions but now it makes them university professors and legislators.

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I don't think John is necessarily on a high horse (giddy up] however what you say Michael is so true. Look how the less verbally sophisticated (not) have turned words in WHO treaty which turns words around and tries to make one think they are saying something they are not. I think it comes down to how one is able to critically think through the issues which is learned over life experiences (nature or nurture). However I do believe "they" had to take down the education system so another avenue to learn some critical thinking is gone.

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It is definitely critical thinking that is missing. There are too many Book smart out there , lacking in common sense and grounding.

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You’re a classic example. Talking about you.

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I thought the exact same thing...such a chuckle, the lack of self-awareness.

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I have such a mixed reaction to this comment. I am all for the salt-of-the-earth folk and agree with your condemnation of “highly verbal” oppressors.

But your opening straw man salvo: …organized religions with their divorce from nature and spirit, puritanism with its denial of pleasure and joy…

is an utterly uneducated assertion.

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What you don’t know or understand about puritans would fill on ocean. Speaking of uneducated assertions, …

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Oops , should have posted that under Michael Brownstein

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Try looking at the bloody, corrupt, pleasure-denying, woman-suppressing history of Christianity through the Middle Ages clear up until recently. Same with Islam. The only exceptions were the mystics and saints, many of whom were burned at the stake. Of course now, things are different. Now we're only saddled with "Christian nationalism," which is a creepy version of my way or the highway. This uncompromising self-righteousness is as far away from Jesus Christ as it's possible to get

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Christianity was actually one of (if not the) first religions to give value to woman. Jesus gave woman lots of attention that would have been considered wrong in His culture. There is a reason He had so many devoted female followers. They had never been shown such respect before.

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Jesus was not a Christian; he was a member of 'The Way' sect. Christianity came a couple of hundred years later. Women are placed in subordinate positions in the Christian Church for the most part, and I think the message Jesus preached has fallen on deaf ears.

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Please don't make blanket statements that are untrue. Two things: first of all, I wasn't talking about Jesus and his message, I was talking about what the church turned into for many centuries after -- including condemning women and sexual pleasure. Second, read up on cultures previous to Christianity. Many examples of the Goddess first and foremost

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I don't see Jesus supporting the Church in witch burning. His teachings were intellectually simple to understand, difficult to practice, as they require us to go against selfishness. Corporate Christianity is a man-made business, that exerts powerful control over congregations via fear teachings, which has nothing to do with love that heals.

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Those ‘Goddess religions were fertility cults and the worship either involved temple prostitution or virgin sacrifice or both, not exactly uplifting for women , no?

You sound pretty bitter about Christianity, what’s behind that?

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Dislike, Michael. Christianity is the only real movement to dismantle Communism. Just like we saw in the 1980s. Christians (Catholics) have written and taught against Marxism and its illicit thought progeny for over 100 years. See Pope Leo Xiii, “Rerum Novarum.”

Christianity opposes every one of Communism’s abuses, because the Lord Jesus Christ taught humans about God’s love for the individual, the dignity and value of every individual human. That includes homosexual people, BTW! But. Christianity does not give any of us the “right” to live in “any way” we want, without experiencing consequences both natural and supernatural. God’s moral laws are as implacable and consequential as His physical Laws of the Universe. The consequences just aren’t always immediate. But they are there. Christianity teaches us the principles of these laws to protect us from our own abuses.

The Pride flag as you are bashing Mrs. Alito for flying, below, is the emblem of a movement intimately tied to the Communistic efforts used by Leftists to bash and silence Christians, whose worldview and philosophical underpinnings ultimately guarantee every freedom we enjoy in the West: the Freedom to think and to believe and to live rightly, and to seek Truth. I’m sorry you speak aright in one thought and then dismantle your arguments in the next.

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Exactly true about the pride emblem. Yes, they can choose to be what they want but that's hardly the end of story!

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mmm...Puritans were earthy communal Protestants despite being often smeared by tendentious (secular) historians as evidenced by the usually derogatory term "puritanism."

And if you really don't know the difference between the Islamic view of women and the Biblical view...I am at a loss to even know where to start!

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What do you know about ‘Christian nationalism’ that isn’t propaganda from the SPLC?

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Amen! As a Traditional Catholic, I honor God and His Commandments. I support the Magisterium of the Church and will practice my faith as my forefathers worshipped: attending the Traditional Latin Mass.

I will not succumb to modern secular society and its corruption of morality, but will stand by and proudly declare my beliefs.

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Examples please

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yes

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I would argue that many of those "high verbal oppressors" aren't really all that adept with language. I.e. They are not particularly sophisticated with a language's breadth and subtlety. What they are often good at is reading people and manipulating people by telling them what they want to hear. Bush Jr. was a good example of this. His handlers presented him as a non-sophisticated, down to earth, good ol' boy. Part of his attraction for many was his limited vocabulary and his inability to pronounce "nuclear" as well as other neologisms.

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Ivory Tower-itis afflicts many!

I support you, Mike B.

-Farmer’s and Coal-miner’s Daughter with an Ivy degree.

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This is the second time in a week that I've taken exception to Mr. Leake's apparent point of view. I'd buzz off if not for the fact that I get more "education" and entertainment from reading the comments than I do from his editorials!

I hope you are doing better. I've been praying for you.

Peace!

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If we agree with anybody all of the time we must not be truly thinking and listening to what they are saying. The way in which we disagree and how we rationally talk it out is what will make us strong. If we stop questioning we have stopped thinking.

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Great points! Thanks!

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Thanks, John!! PET scan this Friday! :)

And, I agree about the comments sections!

And i love forming invisible friendships with some commenters! I pray for you too!

God bless, my invisible friend!

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Like! - my like button just won't work :( , probably because I'm very challenged with everything computer.

Have a great night!

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No, i think there is something going on with the like button, or people’s browsers, or something weird. Many people have the same complaint. And there are many fewer likes on posts now.

God bless, JU!

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Thank you! I'm praying for God's will to be done in your life and for a clean scan, tomorrow!!!

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Hit me the same way… I’m not impressed by ridiculous terminology, when that same “educated” person doesn’t have the basic common sense to do simple tasks.

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I think John also forgot that during the Covid pandemic, the educated fell for the jabs more than their less educated fellow Americans

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Only the slightly better educated. People with PhDs were among the least conforming.

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Every doctor I spoke to went along, even some of those also in the functional medicine side of things.

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I forget the source, but I recall reading that the two categories least likely to accept the need for the mRNA jab were PhDs and young black men. Perhaps that is a reflection of the adage "A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing", for people who know less than they think they know and for people who have learned not to trust 'the man'.

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Doctors fell, truckers fought.

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Right on! I'm a high school drop out and was blessed by YHWH, and a modest knowledge of microbiology, and human anatomy and physiology, to know that the so-called vaccine was dangerous - and I knew it immediately upon its release because of the simple fact that every single vaccine ever previously approved for widespread use, underwent years of testing first. That's why I remain astonished that so many highly educated medical professionals submitted to the poison jab. They had far higher level science courses than those I took in mortuary school. Crazy!

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You mean the indoctrinated.

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Or, stand in the streets screaming and yelling not knowing what the hell they’re protesting about. The Soros money is worth it to these types at every level!

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👏👏👏👍

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😂😂

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"So uneducated they don't know what a woman is." You mean uneducated like Mrs. Samuel Alito, the wife of the Supreme Court justice?

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Your lack of self-awareness in responding to the very point made in this stack is comical, hun. Parroting obscenely dimwitted ad hominems about Alito's wife because she dared push back against...uh...a woke karen neighbor who descended into calling Mrs Alito the 'c' word, the very same politically correct authoritarianism that is the very topic of this, lol

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Agree.

Mrs Alito is a courageous woman. The month of June is, according to the Roman Catholic Church, the month devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The ‘pride’ flag is an insult to my faith and will so declare it.

Viva Christo Rey.

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Yes., and that flag was raised as a weapon to sow division and hate.

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THAT is faith in action. You and Mrs Alito are indeed courageous, especially in the current culture of derision toward Christianity in general.

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Thank you, Tori.

In our modern, secular society ‘acceptance and tolerance’ is strictly offered only to those who follow a liberal mindset. If you believe in the Bible, 10 Commandments and disavow homosexuality, abortion or alternative lifestyles, the knives come out to attack. How dare you disagree with enlightened western culture!!!

In addition … the FBI may visit your house!

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BTW, hun, Mrs Alito is a college grad who worked as a librarian and in the U.S. attorney office in Newark and in the DOJ, sooooo...your low-IQ verbal score and politically correct authoritarian bent is once again Exhibit A.

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Mrs Alito in her taped comments was not pushing back against a cursing neighbor...she was condemning the Pride flag. That to me is worse than being low IQ, as you put it. I am a happily heterosexual male so it has nothing to do with me personally. But people must have a right to try and find their way to a happy, fulfilled life without having shade thrown at them by judgmental , better-than-thou phonies who believe their way is the only way

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So? She *was pushing back against the Pride flag*...hence you just named the politically incorrect thought crime that you believe she should be punished for---by slanders and dishonest insults--- by the VERY SAME judgmental, better-than-thou phonies like YOU, hun, lol....Self-awareness can be your friend, if you let it. You are literally proving Peterson's hypothesis!

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Mindless insults will get you nowhere. I may not share anything with those who wave the Pride flag but I support their right to wave it. This is the USA, not some fantasy version where only those who agree with you avoid condemnation. It's called accepting other human beings as equals.

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Come now Tori, is rebutting in such a condescending manner really going to get you anywhere? Like with the "hun" stuff.

If you just want to insult someone, surly you can come up with better than that.

I believe that for now, we still have the right to have our own opinions and to express them, except of course on platforms which engage in censorship.

Perhaps less snideness and more reason would be more productive and less polarizing.

Peace!

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I can’t help but think that the Pride flag defense you are flying here is being used in exactly the way you are decrying, Michael.

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I believe so, as well...rather feebly circuitous in that defense of the pride flag, to convey the superficial appearance of objectivity, but...extremely superficial and eroded quickly. What I find comical is the self-inflicted buttressing of Peterson's own observation, lol.

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Oh, so you can push the ‘pride’ flag in everyone’s face, and disregard others deeply held religious beliefs, but a Catholic Christian cannot declare their faith and honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus?

Who’s the pot calling the kettle black …

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This is ridiculous. You're not reading what I write. I wasn't puishing the pride flag in everyone's face, I was saying everyone has the right to pursue life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That includes Catholics.

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illiteracy goes hand in hand with ignorance. Without a good command of the English language how are people to understand the underhanded ways in which government language sneaks right stealing and outright robbery into our laws? I am pretty much self educated and I am appalled at the inability of most people to grasp the basic concept of analyzing the crap our governments impose on us. My rule of thumb is to try and learn something new everyday. That means researching and independently assessing what you are told or read. Most people do not go beyond the crap on television which in reality is mostly subtle brainwashing. Most young people now a day can barely read and thus struggle to understand what they are reading. Most don't read anything because of the effort they must put into it due to their limited reading skills.

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If nothing else, your comment got some traction! way more rep than I've ever gotten.

Intellectual stimulation. It's what this is all about, right?

And "predatory system"; the most appropriate term I've seen. Perfect. I'll have to borrow that. Thanks!

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Great comment. Mike Ditka once said: "Statistics are for a**holes."

The Canadian study sited by Mr. Leake is "statistics".

This "study" seems like some serious broad-brush stuff, to me, but since I'm from the unsophisticated class, I may well be completely misunderstanding it all.

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A lot of sophisticated verbiage is fluff, with nothing substantial at its core.

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I picked the wrong lifetime to become a professional Writer. Whether intentional or not, the Digital Age has ushered in a precipitous decline in literacy, and with it, a commensurate decline in verbal sophistication. We are now bombarded with so much "information" from every direction, no one can consume it all. So we want "all the information in 164 characters or less." And no deep thought or serious analysis can be communicated with such brevity. People who no longer read anything of length lose appreciation for the power and beauty of words, and the sophisticated thinking required to master them. If "the pen is mightier than the sword," to control a population, you take away their swords. Drop the "s" from the beginning of that word, and you have "words." Which very few people now understand, to any depth.

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I disagree - keep on writing! Your documentation, your writings will someday become extremely valuable. Getting through Gulag Archipelago now, wondering why was this covered up, while the other burned in over and over and over…

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Yes, we are actually assaulted by so much information that it is burdensome. Language isn't static though. So, much writing in the past was unwieldly and getting to the point was a tedious task. Not to say we should go 'beige' for speed and efficiency; it is context dependent. I want to read beautiful language tethered to good concepts.

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Masterful statement. Far beyond my ability, but never the less correct. 🙏

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We have the words of so many great writers… and only so much time. Surely there is a good reason for the barbarians to cycle through and destroy everything, again and again, so the human consciousness has room to rewrite its story again.

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It is like keeping 'the beginner's mind.' Or creating those lovely mandalas in the sand, they will dissolve with the incoming tide.

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I have a simple view that opposes politically correct authoritarianism.

It's the axiom that all people are created equal and are endowed by our Creator with unalienable rights to life, liberty and property.

I find those who try to parse out the various flavors of socialism/authoritarianism are the ones who are PC.

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More importantly, con artists in all fields deceive and manipulate with flowery language.

Don't fall for it.

Why believe the smooth talkers?! Because they know how to con?

Just say no. And don't sign anything.

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I personally believe woke people lack common sense. They are not knowledgeable about “real” history— the why’s and reasons for decisions made during a specific period of time. -Not knowing /understanding how people thought during a specific period of time which is different from the period they are presently living in. -Lacking insight/depth of understanding. They just know facts, and they are easily persuaded by their peers.

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Mr. Leake - I think a key problem is that the people you describe are NOT confused. They are certain, and secure in their beliefs; countering dissenting information with insistent proclamation of their chosen dogma and demands for agreement and conformity as opposed to any further consideration such as might be suggested by countervailing data. We may hope that enough of them will be able to be educated sufficiently that they could overcome habits of limited thinking and be moved. At this time I don't know whether to be optimistic about that being possible or not.

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I agree. I have some family members like that, also. Plenty of woke education, but lack critical thinking or should I say, the desire to even use critical thinking .😢

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I think Jordan Peterson is wrong. I think he says many inaccurate things but does so eloquently and poetically. I also think Peterson often hits the nail on the head too. Not in this case though. Being flexible with opinions and being willing to change perspective in light of new information takes a level of humility, and mental effort. Many are too 'lazy' to dig deep, they don't have the 'will' for it. Humans are imitators.

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Ahh No.

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I read a study a while ago. They asked people with different levels of knowledge of a subject how knowledgeable they were. Those with very little knowledge rated themselves the highest because they had no idea what they didn't know. As their knowledge of the subject increased, their assessment of their knowledge decreased as they realized how much they didn't know. This trend followed until you got to the people that were the most knowledgeable. They rated themselves relatively high, but not necessarily higher than those who knew almost nothing on the subject.

I have also seen this kind of thing when a person is an expert in one area, but they speak like they are an expert in another when they know practically nothing on the other subject (or are parroting lies they've heard and believe). The thinking you are an expert shen you are not is not necessarily linked to intelligence or IQ.

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Agreed, it is more self-righteousness and shooting from the hip with a superficial understanding that can lead to such dogmatism. I am ashamed to admit, I have been guilty of this many times, and later had to eat my words after a little more education on a a subject. None of us have the time or energy to plumb the depths on every issue, but we can obtain a working knowledge with a small bit of effort.

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They are confused, althought they may not *feel* confused.

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I think the limitation is due to a lack of healthy skepticism, that is a skill that can be learned.

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I know plenty of people with fine vocabularies and complicated jobs who are fiercely tribal. People defend the indefensible endlessly. All about protecting the herd.

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Or protecting the worldview imposed by the programmed matrix. While they may have a fine vocabulary, they are limited in their ability to see reality from many viewpoints, and instead cling to an imposed patterned worldview.

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Definitely a huge factor. These people have based decades of their lives on a world view that ia clearly a disaster

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People become so identified with their beliefs that it becomes 'who they are.' So, they take it personally when someone disagrees. But beliefs are not our true identity.

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.

The Good News Is

We Don’t Have To Re-Imagine Liberals.

We Don’t Even Have To Imagine Them.

They’re Complete Fucking Idiots.

.

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The "complete" and the "f*cking" and the "idiots" part I can agree with. But are they really classical liberal or just woke "libertards." I.e. lock-step liberals who look around, see which way the wind is blowing and then following along understanding that to "go along is to get along."

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Over 25 years ago, an acquaintance described such people as "arrogant dumb-fucks". The term accurately combines the left's two most prominent attributes.

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And their preferred form of government is what we see today: fuckocracy.

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I prefer idiocracy.

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A great term too, and a wonderful movie, but I believe today's governments go beyond stupidity into absolute evil, hostility to human life itself. The dictator in Idiocracy, though not terribly smart, actually wanted things to improve and went looking for intelligent guidance.

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Jun 12·edited Jun 12

I like Yves Smith's description as well - "the crapification of everything". The "left", who are not classic liberals, sure know how to destroy things, and never build anything good and beautiful, as far as I can see.

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And not the least bit liberal in the original meaning of the word, which was belief in liberty for the individual and society as against the rule of a king (state) and a state-affiliated church.

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My son has PhD, teaches university & is very woke.

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That makes him highly educated - but not necessarily very smart. No offense intended.

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STEM or ????

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I’m so sorry. He has been brainwashed. Most University people are under the “anti common sense spell” . I have a few in my family. Hurts my heart.

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What a bunch of bitches

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Yippee! Your special!

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That would be spelled “you’re”, as in, you are. I now get what Peterson is saying.

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You are correct. My disgust with your comment made me temporarily ignorant. I need to discuss this tendency with my PhD son and daughter-in-law, but as much as I adore both sons, my younger who is simply an Expert Senior Analyst for a government agency and leans more conservative politically and is NOT woke, is my chosen son for personal opinions. Being females with a strong propensity to get the last word in this could go on forever, which is already boring. I just thought your original comment was kind of tacky and reflects an elitist attitude which prompted my uneducated sounding comment. I apologize for obviously misjudging you. :)

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Yikes! I think that's (or "that is" if one doesn't like contractions) "you're" for "you are."

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Lol. What a polite way of describing stupidity.

Arrogance being the flip side of the coin.

Lack of courage, comfort and arrogance explain a lot.

Once one is certain one becomes ideological, from there stupidity reigns. Too bad i have no recent real-world examples to back up my theory.

Ill just assume i am also stupid but just at a different point on the continuum.

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Yes, it's the arrogance about their stupidity that drives a lot of the current political discourse. In my personal life, it seems that getting numerous vaxxes has made this worse in some individuals.

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I agree, it does seems that way, doesn’t it.

I see much less composure these days. My addicted friends are further along their path with no letting up on the gas pedal. My other friends seem to have stuck their heads even further up their backends.

Although a liberal couple i know did say trudumb must go.

So its hard to define but i do wonder if the gene therapy produces cognitive inflammation resulting in lower IQ, less self-awareness and ultimately death.

At some point the pain of reality cannot be ignored and has to be dealt with, so i still have hope. Lol.

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The WOKE like to scream and swear, the lowest form of communication.

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What took me decades to understand (much to my lack of psychological understanding) is that there is a significant proportion of the population that you simply can not reason with. They believe things and do things because that's the way they want it. And no amount of reason or cajoling is going to change them. They don't want to understand. They want things their way. Period. No questions asked. (These are the people who too often respond to their intelligent children's question with: "Because I said so!" They are authoritarian is make up and view the social world as a strict hierarchy with those above them to be deferred to and those below them to be bossed around and ordered about.

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My Dad used to say "Because I said so!" when I was a young person in the 60s. In hindsight, I think it was as good an answer as any. It would immediately get our attention and we would quit whining or complaining. He would also say " When you are a grown up you will understand and you will be able to make your own decisions. Until then, this is my house and you will do as your told. Nowadays, too many adults bow down to their princes and princesses.

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I disagree with this corollary assessment. As far as I can see, intellect is no stalwart against authoritarian tendencies. In fact, the intellect serves as a great framework for self-importance, which it wraps up nicely in verbal eloquence to justify all manner of authoritarian behaviors/attitudes (incl. superiority). It is quite evident that verbal eloquence often serves as a dressing for ideas that are distinctly authoritarian. I don't think lack of verbal sophistication is a marker for authoritarianism anymore than it's presence is. To me, an anti-authoritarian stance comes from somewhere else, maybe a more sophisticated, yet down-to-earth existential framework set apart from intellect and emotional tendencies (yet still informed by those).

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Right, the intellect does not want to be dethroned, it is the seat of hubris I think, unless used for practical matters only. I think childhood influences combined with temperament impact how adults respond to propaganda. A strong spirited child who was suppressed by an overbearing, and spirit crushing parent, is likely to rebel against later iterations of the original prototype, just as they did in childhood. Then there are children who grew up in a bubble of safety and cannot imagine the level of evil that occupies human organizations. Explaining will alienate them, and you as messenger will be viewed in the negative.

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'Cases' in point, Joe and Kamala, perhaps the two most bumbling orators in the history of speech.

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Jun 12·edited Jun 12

Joe's problems started long before his dementia. Charged with plagiarism during law school, part of his defense, according to a NY Times article, was ''My intent was not to deceive anyone, for if it were, I would not have been so blatant . . . if I had intended to cheat, would I have been so stupid?'' Once a Biden, always a Biden.

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Hard to know where his intellectual bankruptcy ends and his moral bankruptcy begins.

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If we follow that theory then one would think the "less verbally sophisticated" are somehow controlling the world. Where do you think these movements come from? It is from academia, government, military industrial pharmaceutical legal financial complex- whose "elite" members seem to be very "verbally sophisticated". I'll take the "less verbally sophisticated" in my life boat any day - you can have the "verbally sophisticated" in yours. Yes, you may have more "sophisticated" conversations and arguments. But my boat will carry the folks that will figure out a way to survive, while the "verbally sophisticated" in your boat will end in cannibalism.

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The verbal sophistication of propagandists puts a dent in this argument. Sophistries require intelligence.

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