Comments on: Dirty Harry and the Utopian Twinkie http://summalogica.com/blog/dirty-harry-and-the-utopian-twinkie/ A Cruise Ship Of Reason on a Sea of Kool-aid Tue, 18 Jan 2011 18:47:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: Brad Nelson http://summalogica.com/blog/dirty-harry-and-the-utopian-twinkie/comment-page-1/#comment-849 Brad Nelson Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:51:39 +0000 http://summalogica.com/?p=947#comment-849 OK. I'll out myself to this point and no further: Anyone or any group who follows the Saul Alinsky playbook is probably a "Harry". OK. I’ll out myself to this point and no further: Anyone or any group who follows the Saul Alinsky playbook is probably a “Harry”.

]]> By: Dave http://summalogica.com/blog/dirty-harry-and-the-utopian-twinkie/comment-page-1/#comment-848 Dave Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:46:54 +0000 http://summalogica.com/?p=947#comment-848 As I read Brad's the State of the Union came to mind...and the one before that...and the one before that. Speaking of the most recent one, the poignant line, "With all due deference to the separation of powers..." was particularly harryesque. And then there were the cheering minions. Where does he get off chiding the Supreme Court and Congress. Oh, that's right, they stand in the way of The Rule. Truly the founders knew that the temptation to wear the precious was great enough that they installed several checks much to Harry's chagrin. Maybe the One will take a lesson from Clinton and move right for expediency's sake. What was conspicuously missing from the allegory was the civil war era dissolution of the Whigs and its modern corollary. That I would like to see fleshed out. As I read Brad’s the State of the Union came to mind…and the one before that…and the one before that. Speaking of the most recent one, the poignant line, “With all due deference to the separation of powers…” was particularly harryesque. And then there were the cheering minions. Where does he get off chiding the Supreme Court and Congress. Oh, that’s right, they stand in the way of The Rule. Truly the founders knew that the temptation to wear the precious was great enough that they installed several checks much to Harry’s chagrin. Maybe the One will take a lesson from Clinton and move right for expediency’s sake. What was conspicuously missing from the allegory was the civil war era dissolution of the Whigs and its modern corollary. That I would like to see fleshed out.

]]> By: Brad Nelson http://summalogica.com/blog/dirty-harry-and-the-utopian-twinkie/comment-page-1/#comment-846 Brad Nelson Mon, 01 Feb 2010 23:15:04 +0000 http://summalogica.com/?p=947#comment-846 This little piece is certainly not the Mona Lisa. But if the Mona Lisa were merely a portrait it wouldn't be in a museum after 500 years in the first place, and no one would talk about it. I think the most interesting thing about a good allegory is the variety of interpretations it elicits from different readers. In this story, there is clearly a white hat and a black hat, but the identity of real-world corollaries, whether individuals or institutions, is the sole domain of the reader. Thus an allegory is more the mirror of the fears and biases of the reader than of the writer. This little piece is certainly not the Mona Lisa. But if the Mona Lisa were merely a portrait it wouldn’t be in a museum after 500 years in the first place, and no one would talk about it. I think the most interesting thing about a good allegory is the variety of interpretations it elicits from different readers. In this story, there is clearly a white hat and a black hat, but the identity of real-world corollaries, whether individuals or institutions, is the sole domain of the reader. Thus an allegory is more the mirror of the fears and biases of the reader than of the writer.

]]> By: Diana http://summalogica.com/blog/dirty-harry-and-the-utopian-twinkie/comment-page-1/#comment-845 Diana Mon, 01 Feb 2010 21:27:03 +0000 http://summalogica.com/?p=947#comment-845 I like to imagine that this blog post is a work of art in a museum. It would be so at home there. It’s obscure; It can be interpreted in many different ways; it plays to different emotions in different people. The word choice and carefully constructed phrases are like colorful brush strokes on a canvas. The author is obviously passionate about his work. But, because this blog is all about logic and persuasion through rhetoric, I was disappointed at the confusion I was left with after reading through this colorful work twice. I’m still unclear about which of my three or four interpretations are what the author is getting at. Does he want to expose something? Get me to think something? Move me to action? Any hints? I like to imagine that this blog post is a work of art in a museum. It would be so at home there. It’s obscure; It can be interpreted in many different ways; it plays to different emotions in different people. The word choice and carefully constructed phrases are like colorful brush strokes on a canvas. The author is obviously passionate about his work.

But, because this blog is all about logic and persuasion through rhetoric, I was disappointed at the confusion I was left with after reading through this colorful work twice. I’m still unclear about which of my three or four interpretations are what the author is getting at. Does he want to expose something? Get me to think something? Move me to action?

Any hints?

]]> By: Gloria Pratt http://summalogica.com/blog/dirty-harry-and-the-utopian-twinkie/comment-page-1/#comment-844 Gloria Pratt Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:42:33 +0000 http://summalogica.com/?p=947#comment-844 I got lost and couldn't catch the analogy. Is it just me? I got lost and couldn’t catch the analogy. Is it just me?

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