David and I were email penpals for a few years back in the early 2000s. We were friendly if not friends. Our correspondence became less and less political over time. I think he, most of all, wanted to be seen as a great writer and astute observer of human nature. But I believe that his political and moral fundamentalism prevented him from fully realizing his literary ambitions. He could only see heroes and villains and very little in between. I haven't paid any attention to his work in at least 15 years. I want to be surprised that he supported Trump. I want to believe that David's strict moral sense would've prevented him from supporting such a man. But I also could've predicted that David would've embraced the cartoon-like deification of Trump—the hero worship. It's that very same hero worship that led David to embrace some nefarious figures on the left in the 1960s. I once wrote to David that I thought he'd based too much of his current life on getting revenge on his former self. He said he'd ponder that theory. We stopped corresponding shortly after that.
"too much of his current life on getting revenge on his former self" is exactly right. Also getting revenge on his parents, I think.
The pathology was so overt. So much of what he did was unconsciously designed to produce the kind of reaction from the left that would affirm his beliefs that he would always be treated unfairly. And the left, of course, always played its part to the tee.
I had a few opportunities to work with Gitlin when I was at the J-School -- suspect I had fairly similar quasi-affectionate ambivalence about him as you did about "D Ho."
My sense is that Gitlin was sort of a dick, or at least a pretty serious egotist. He also wrote a negative review of my wife's book, so I hold that against him.
David and I were email penpals for a few years back in the early 2000s. We were friendly if not friends. Our correspondence became less and less political over time. I think he, most of all, wanted to be seen as a great writer and astute observer of human nature. But I believe that his political and moral fundamentalism prevented him from fully realizing his literary ambitions. He could only see heroes and villains and very little in between. I haven't paid any attention to his work in at least 15 years. I want to be surprised that he supported Trump. I want to believe that David's strict moral sense would've prevented him from supporting such a man. But I also could've predicted that David would've embraced the cartoon-like deification of Trump—the hero worship. It's that very same hero worship that led David to embrace some nefarious figures on the left in the 1960s. I once wrote to David that I thought he'd based too much of his current life on getting revenge on his former self. He said he'd ponder that theory. We stopped corresponding shortly after that.
"too much of his current life on getting revenge on his former self" is exactly right. Also getting revenge on his parents, I think.
The pathology was so overt. So much of what he did was unconsciously designed to produce the kind of reaction from the left that would affirm his beliefs that he would always be treated unfairly. And the left, of course, always played its part to the tee.
The dangers of the self-fulfilling prophecy.
You're more charitable than I!
But is that only because I met him personally. Don't you have batshit conservatives in your life who you have some affection for?
Better not to. It only marks me as a compassionate libtard and makes them hate me even more.
I defer to your strategy for your people. Being excessively tolerant of conservatives is part of my brand.
I had a few opportunities to work with Gitlin when I was at the J-School -- suspect I had fairly similar quasi-affectionate ambivalence about him as you did about "D Ho."
My sense is that Gitlin was sort of a dick, or at least a pretty serious egotist. He also wrote a negative review of my wife's book, so I hold that against him.
Horowitz was a huge inspiration to me at one point in my journey to neoconservatism. He did lose me after awhile though.