Comments on: Chuck Norris, Culture Warrior? http://larison.org/2007/11/27/chuck-norris-culture-warrior/ n. the principle of good order "Observe the strange inversion of all order and sense! Dignity debased; how vilely is the function of a consul prostituted!" ~The Craftsman Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:31:51 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: Daniel Larison http://larison.org/2007/11/27/chuck-norris-culture-warrior/#comment-8196 Wed, 28 Nov 2007 13:05:09 +0000 http://larison.org/2007/11/27/chuck-norris-culture-warrior/#comment-8196 Well, part of my point in this post is that Chuck Norris, c. 2007, is in agreement with social conservatives and is a social conservative, which makes Huckabee's embrace of him make a lot more sense. At least as far as Norris is concerned, Huckabee isn't embracing the actor and his films, he's embracing a conservative who happens to be well-known because of those films. The argument about capitulating to cultural rot would be this: a social conservative can't very well complain about vulgarity and violence in entertainment and popular culture if he embraces entertainers who specialise in those very kinds of entertainment, and this embrace represents a capitulation to the very things he supposedly deplores. If vulgarity and violence in entertainment are corrosive and representative of a general decline in standards, social conservatives shouldn't do anything to endorse or approve of them--at least not if they mean what they say about the corrosive effects on society. We are in agreement that Huckabee is not really a conservative, so I'll leave it there. Well, part of my point in this post is that Chuck Norris, c. 2007, is in agreement with social conservatives and is a social conservative, which makes Huckabee’s embrace of him make a lot more sense. At least as far as Norris is concerned, Huckabee isn’t embracing the actor and his films, he’s embracing a conservative who happens to be well-known because of those films.

The argument about capitulating to cultural rot would be this: a social conservative can’t very well complain about vulgarity and violence in entertainment and popular culture if he embraces entertainers who specialise in those very kinds of entertainment, and this embrace represents a capitulation to the very things he supposedly deplores. If vulgarity and violence in entertainment are corrosive and representative of a general decline in standards, social conservatives shouldn’t do anything to endorse or approve of them–at least not if they mean what they say about the corrosive effects on society.

We are in agreement that Huckabee is not really a conservative, so I’ll leave it there.

]]> by: Koz http://larison.org/2007/11/27/chuck-norris-culture-warrior/#comment-8194 Wed, 28 Nov 2007 12:54:09 +0000 http://larison.org/2007/11/27/chuck-norris-culture-warrior/#comment-8194 Well, I more or less agree with Novak's assessment of Huck so I'm not particularly interested in carrying his water. But I don't think you have much of an argument here. In particular, I can't see exactly what it is Huck or socons are capitulating to, or how these ads or endorsements are doing it. If anything, they might help because as I see it, Huck really is a sanctimonious busybody that socons are often caricatured to be, but these guys give off a little different vibe. Well, I more or less agree with Novak’s assessment of Huck so I’m not particularly interested in carrying his water. But I don’t think you have much of an argument here. In particular, I can’t see exactly what it is Huck or socons are capitulating to, or how these ads or endorsements are doing it.

If anything, they might help because as I see it, Huck really is a sanctimonious busybody that socons are often caricatured to be, but these guys give off a little different vibe.

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