Author: Crowhill Report

New York Times issues correction of story about death of Capitol police officer. He wasn’t killed as a result of a blow to the head with a fire extinguisher. He had a stroke. Possibly as a result of something that happened that day, but it wasn’t the way the media reported it.

You count on the fact that initial reports from major news stories will be wrong. It’s a rule of the universe — like the rule that whenever I fix something of any significance, I end up bleeding.

Freddie Gray, George Floyd, the Capitol riots, alleged election irregularities, Bubba Wallace and the “noose,” … it doesn’t matter what it is. If it’s sensational, the first reports are almost always wrong.

In Conspiracy Theory, Jerry Fletcher, played by Mel Gibson, is compelled to read The Catcher in the Rye. He doesn’t know exactly why. (It’s a good movie, by the way.)

I can relate, a little. From time to time I have to re-read That Hideous Strength, by C.S. Lewis. Mostly, I think, because I happen to be looking around for a book to read, and there it is. My copy is old, yellowed and somewhat battered. If I get the urge again, I think I’ll have to get a new copy.

This time I jotted down a few notes, as they occurred to me. Things I find interesting, compelling, or worth mention.

• There’s a lot to learn in the resentments we feel towards others — especially spouses. At first I labeled this as “feminism causes resentment,” which I think is partly true, but Lewis is an equal opportunity critic here, and he criticizes Mark and Jane for their resentments.
• Ambiguity is a tool of oppression.
• The so-called educated people are the ones who are most deceived by propaganda.
• There are interesting social dynamics and inner motivations to consider in being in or out of the select group. E.g., trying to be in the “in” crowd can be a big temptation for some.
• Importing non-native workmen — especially those of a particular disposition — is a fairly reliable way to cause trouble in a town.
• Crises are sometimes manufactured to justify emergency actions and regulations.
• Obedience is related to love.
• It can be insufferable when a person thinks of himself as educated.
• It’s important to have a skeptic around.
• Modern education does not induce or teach nobility, and modern man lacks noble thoughts.

THS is decently good at diagnosing many of the ills in modern society, but it doesn’t offer much guidance or hope in fighting against it — except to pray and hope for a miracle. So in that respect it’s somewhat disappointing.

Does that mean I’m channeling McPhee?

P&C drink and review some hot and cold sake, then discuss gaslighting.

They start with a review of the 1940 film with Ingrid Bergman — to get the original context for the term — then, along with special guest Longinus, go through a list of modern issues that might or might not be gaslighting.

The goal of gaslighting is to get the person being gaslighted (gaslit?) to accept as true something the gaslighter knows is false, to the benefit of the gaslighter. But as you go through things that have been held up as examples, it can get complicated.

• Does it have to be a single deceiver on a single victim?
• Does there have to be an intent to deceive?
• Does it have to be sustained — not a one-off?
• Does there need to be malice involved?
• Is a sign of gaslighting that “the argument is over”?
• Can there be unintentional gaslighting?
• What if you’re lying in service of a greater good?

By the end of this show you might not have a perfect answer, but you’ll have a better sense of the concept.

P&C drink and review Sierra Nevada’s bottle-conditioned porter, then discuss Ayn Rand and objectivism, with special guest Longinus.

They quickly review the basic tenets of objectivism, then discuss how those ideas play out in three works: Anthem, Atlas Shrugged and Fountainhead.

The boys discuss what these ideas mean, and whether they’re useful and applicable in the real world.

My home office is in my daughter’s old room. It’s not the greatest location. One of the walls was a dark red color (not too bad), but in front of it was a pink bookcase, which I didn’t like. And the light was behind me, which wasn’t good for zoom calls.

This weekend I moved the light. That messed up the wall, so I had to spackle and re-paint. I also painted the bookcase. The wall went from dark red to green.

It occurred to me that switching from red to green was an opportunity. I was hoping someone would ask me about the change. I was going to pretend nothing had changed and ask if they were red-green colorblind, or maybe their monitor was having a color problem.

Nobody asked. 🙁