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Silicon Valley pastor decries hypocrisy of area's rich liberals

theguardian.com

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Re: Silicon Valley pastor decries hypocrisy of area's rich liberals

#51

It's easy to resolve this discrepancy when you realize these people are not actually liberal or progressive.

No True Scotsman fallacy? I personally give the respect to people to refer them as they would like to be identified. If a Muslim jihadi says he is a jihadi, I respect his self identification and call him that. Similarly, I respect these people's self identification as liberal or progressive.

> I personally give the respect to people to refer them as they would like to be identified

Huh? Why?

Seriously, I don't understand that kind of thinking. I don't think individuals necessarily deserve that kind of power others. Sometimes we should adjust to save other peoples feelings. But having that as the default seems crazy. What if they are full of shit? Or misuse that power? Or I simply disagree with them.. shouldn't I have the right to disagree with their self identification?

Re: Silicon Valley pastor decries hypocrisy of area's rich liberals

#52

Large SV companies have nowadays become cash-making media machines of a gargantuan scale, acquiring that cash from all over the world for a service of questionable value, and investing it back in a relatively small area while providing only a few tens of thousands of jobs there. This distribution of capital creates a huge imbalance, no matter how "liberal" the stakeholders are.

My sense from reading was that he was upset by what he perceived to be hypocrisy on the part of the wealthy. In that they talked the talk about charity and making the world better, but their actions spoke differently. So liberal words, liberal values being expressed, but pure greed when it mattered.

People who pay attention have always known this about high society liberals. They will latch onto populist movements to help raise their image with the public and bask in the prestige that comes with it, but behind the scenes they are not progressive at all. For many, being wealthy is not enough, for they must also be admired by the general public, and you don’t get there by supporting unpopular views.

It’s pathetic really. Always say what you mean and mean what you say. It’s better to have a strong connection to a small niche of people, than a shallow connection to the general public.

Re: Silicon Valley pastor decries hypocrisy of area's rich liberals

#53
post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not quite. I don't know what the church is nor can I speak about it's motivation. I'm speaking about the gospel. Matthew 19:23 specifically: Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. It's a rare thing for Jesus to make a pronouncement like that in the text. Which leads me to believe it's an important part of his teaching.

I think that 19:23-26 may be more clear than 23 by itself? Also, out of curiosity, what translation is that?

>>Also, out of curiosity, what translation is that?

First returned Google result in Firefox private mode[1] indicates this wording is specific to the King James Version (KJV).

[1] http://biblehub.com/kjv/matthew/19-23.htm

Re: Silicon Valley pastor decries hypocrisy of area's rich liberals

#54
post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I commute between New York and the Bay Area, and am consistently struck by how plutocratic of a city San Francisco has become. Most social functions are held in private venues and heavily segregated by race and class. Leaving a charity event, a millionaire will casually step over a homeless person en route to their apartment. They will talk about poverty in Africa and then vote in NIMBYist politicians. A total guttin…

It's a dangerous trend that people with money less and less interact with people with less money. Private schools, super expensive neighborhoods, super expensive gyms, bars and restaurants. These people have the power to influence political decisions but they have no idea how most people live.

This is why YIMBY movements will continue to fall flat on their face.

Re: Silicon Valley pastor decries hypocrisy of area's rich liberals

#55

It's easy to resolve this discrepancy when you realize these people are not actually liberal or progressive.

It's gross that the American professional class posture for status by one-upping each-other with views on social issues too radical for a 20th-century bomb-throwing anarchist, while simultaneously acting as middle-class to upper-class conservatives on every issue where they can have a material impact.

I'm waiting for the day you literally see city government in Palo Alto or Berkeley obscuring a homeless camp from view with a rainbow banner or a Hate Has No Home Here sign.

(The lovely thing about "hate has no home here" is that neither does anyone else.)

Re: Silicon Valley pastor decries hypocrisy of area's rich liberals

#57
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Reminds me of one of my favorite Biden quotes, “Don’t tell me what you value. Show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.”

good quote. the "it's hard for a rich man to enter heaven" sentiment rewritten in modern language. i don't have access to their balance sheets and P&L statements, but nowadays i assume most of our well-respected thought-leaders, entertainers, politicians and other public figures are fundamentally fakes and frauds, continually perfecting their SJW cover stories. and i think they do it as much to fool themselves as to…

Don't forget the environmental "champions" who fly private...

Re: Silicon Valley pastor decries hypocrisy of area's rich liberals

#58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Claiming someone's actions don't line up with their words is not a no-true-Scotsman scenario. I think he's simply alleging that their revealed preferences do not line up with their stated preferences.

I think what you describe is pretty much exactly the no true Scotsman fallacy. [Delete rest of comment, not relevant]

It is not fallacious to have defined criteria for membership of a group - the fallacy is to create new criteria on a whim in response to criticism.

Re: Silicon Valley pastor decries hypocrisy of area's rich liberals

#59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My sense from reading was that he was upset by what he perceived to be hypocrisy on the part of the wealthy. In that they talked the talk about charity and making the world better, but their actions spoke differently. So liberal words, liberal values being expressed, but pure greed when it mattered.

People who pay attention have always known this about high society liberals. They will latch onto populist movements to help raise their image with the public and bask in the prestige that comes with it, but behind the scenes they are not progressive at all. For many, being wealthy is not enough, for they must also be admired by the general public, and you don’t get there by supporting unpopular views. It’s pathetic…

Always say what you mean and mean what you say.

That's a radical notion for almost everyone, not just the rich! Surprisingly difficult in practice too.

Re: Silicon Valley pastor decries hypocrisy of area's rich liberals

#60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No True Scotsman fallacy? I personally give the respect to people to refer them as they would like to be identified. If a Muslim jihadi says he is a jihadi, I respect his self identification and call him that. Similarly, I respect these people's self identification as liberal or progressive.

Claiming someone's actions don't line up with their words is not a no-true-Scotsman scenario. I think he's simply alleging that their revealed preferences do not line up with their stated preferences.

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