The Mainstream versus the Lunatic Fringe

President Theodore Roosevelt spoke of a "lunatic fringe." Although it would be comforting to believe that the couple in the previous posts:

http://smolyhokes.blogspot.com/2016/07/facebook-conversation-with-asian.html

http://smolyhokes.blogspot.com/2016/07/asian-american-females-white-husbands.html

were part of the lunatic fringe, this is not the case.

I have known this couple for many years.  Both are very intelligent and well-educated.  Moreover, these are nice people that one would not hesitate to invite into his home. They may not be in the center of the movement spewing "white male privilege," but they are certainly not on the fringe.

One can question this couple's rationality, logic, and fairness on the issues. One can note that their inclination is to verbally attack rather than verbally convince, or even discuss rationally. Any questioning of the accuracy of their statements is deflected not by explaining their statements, but rather, by verbally attacking the questioner for having the temerity to question their statements. As a stretch, one might even call some of their statements lunacy, but this couple is definitely not part of the "lunatic fringe."

My guess is at least a quarter of the folks spewing "white male privilege" are similar. They do not want a conversation about problems. They simply want to verbally attack anybody that does not share their views. As I will note in a forthcoming post, "white male privilege" has become such a mantra for many of these people that the term is used when it applies and when it does not apply almost indiscriminately.