Friday, April 26, 2013

The root causes of not committing sociology

"This is not a time to commit sociology," said Stephen Harper, asked when is the right time to study the root causes of acts of terrorism like those by the alleged Trainspotter Two.

"The root causes of terrorism is terrorists", said Pierre Poilievre three times on CBC Power and Politics yesterday.

Politics and its Discontents has clips up of both Steve and Poilieve's statements.

Neither statement has anything to do with terrorism at all of course; they were just manufacturing an attack on Justin Trudeau's "root causes" response to a terrorism question in his interview with Peter Mansbridge.

In 2004 journalist and author Ron Suskind related the following conversation with a senior Goerge W Bush advisor :
"The aide said that guys like me were ''in what we call the reality-based community,'' which he defined as people who ''believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality.'' 
I nodded and murmured something about enlightenment principles and empiricism. He cut me off. ''That's not the way the world really works anymore,'' he continued. ''We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality -- judiciously, as you will -- we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.'' 
So, how are y'all enjoying the 'other new realities' Steve has created in his 39% empire ?
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12 comments:

LeDaro said...

"Anyway, no drug, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of society. If we're looking for the source of our troubles, we shouldn't test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed and love of power."
P. J. O'Rourke

Toe said...

But wait Harper is funding sociology for the root causes of terrorisome.
http://www2.macleans.ca/2013/04/20/stephen-harpers-search-for-the-root-causes-of-terrorism/

It's just that the timing was all wrong, we can only ask why when he says we can.

Boris said...

Wow, this Trudeau fellow has got Harper rattled. It's all so "mirror, mirror on the wall". Be sort of fun if the [Neo]Trudeau became the root cause of Harper's eventual...committal.

Boris said...

I mean, I'm entirely sure that painting Justin Timberlake, sorry Trudeau as a metrosexual Bollywood star is actually hurts the man in this day and age.

Anonymous said...

Terrorism in Canada is Harper. Don't you just love Harper's FIPA deal with Communist China? I just read? Harper has ordered Police not to speak to his M.P's unless, Harper approves. Wonder why he didn't just dictate that, to his M.P's himself?

Alison said...

What I want to know is - now that S-7 has passed, if I loan my cell phone to a sociologist and he uses it to commit sociology, will I automatically get up to 14 years in prison?

Toe : One presumes they are actually funding numerous studies on root causes but have found their Jed Clampett persona to be a more effective fundraiser among the 39%.

LeDaro : The root cause of Con coffers is ignorance.

Boris : 'Commit sociology' does sound a bit like 'commie socialism' though, doesn't it? Chequebooks coming out ...
I'm not sure the metrosexual bollywood thing is gonna work for them either.
I was saying to West End Bob the other day - like him or not, Trudeau is royalty up here, Canadian heritage even, as Canadians have known him from birth. The Cons' tired old bit of trying to brand an opp candidate before he can brand himself isn't going to work this time.

Anon and your many aliases : I've often wondered - what is the root cause of your distinctive use of random commas? ;-)

LeDaro said...

Alison, sociology is the study of human behaviour. Last 50+ years research has shown that crime rate can be reduced if we know root causes of crimes and remove the root causes. Same goes for terrorism. Stop killing in Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries as US and NATO has been doing then terrorism will go down. Harper cares less for root causes. He rather build more prisons to put people in jail and bigger army to participate in wars. That is where problem lies with Harper and that is why he is ignorant.

Anonymous said...

LeDaro: Go here. Scroll down to S-7.
Start reading.

Boris said...

Yes, it does sound like "commie socialism" but all the chequebooks in the world won't raise their polling past a secure threshold. They can't become something they aren't, which is what they would need to break that magic number. The ONLY trick they've got is to lie, cheat, subvert, and call people names names.

Hmm, I can imagine a weekly bilingual youtube series "Sociology with Justin Trudeau" where for 10 minutes he commits sociology on some aspect of Canadian society and politics threatened by the Harper gov't and closes by thanking SH for raising the issue. He's a teacher after all...

Boris said...

Hmm, have the Dippers and the Greens copy it, and soon we'll have the parties trying to out-educate Canadian voters.

Alison said...

I know, LeDaro, I know. I think everybody, including Steve, knows. It just doesn't fit with his agenda, as you say.


Boris : Quite aside from furthering the coronation of the S-7/FIPA dauphin, that's a brilliant idea. Youtube fireside chats. Send it to them.

Boris said...

Alison, thanks! I'm not all that keen on annointing dauphins either, so I sent it to the Greens, Grits, and Dips in turn. Told them they could even play nice and work together. Who knows...

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