Shaun Maguire—venture capital partner, SpaceX bet winner, sophisticated bigot—wants you to know that Zohran Mamdani “comes from a culture that lies about everything.” That it’s “literally a virtue to lie if it advances his Islamist agenda.”
I hope not too off topic, but I have some things to say about the Islamophobia directed at Mamdani. Back in the 1990’s, I traveled to Pakistan to experience the Roof of the World—the great mountain ranges of the Hindu Raj, Hindu Kush, Pamir, Karakoram, & Himalaya—and to hike & raft Class V whitewater in those mountains. Trip of a lifetime. We experienced an extraordinary hospitality culture throughout Pakistan, where we were invited into villager’s homes, fed delicious treats, & given small gifts. The villagers were of the Ismaili sect of Shia Islam, whose leader, the Aga Khan, is a philanthropist who resides in Europe. His foundation funds development in NW Pakistan (now Gilgit-Baltistan), including a school for girls which we visited. The Ismailis are moderate—no fundamentalism with them.
Then on to Hunza, one of the most beautiful places on earth, where education & liberal ideas
are the culture, & the people are also Ismaili. Our guides were from Hunza—there was singing & dancing, & a supply of the local moonshine, Arak.
I spent 2 days in Lahore with a guide—I spent several hours in the Sufi shrine, Data Durbar, where all the great religions are made welcome. Tragically, a few years ago, this shrine was attacked by the Taliban, with significant casualties. Most Westerners have no knowledge of the Ismailis, or of Sufism, which is the mystical form of Islam, thought by some to precede Islam & perhaps may even be the original primordial form of religious worship. The Sufi’s stand for “Peace & Love & the Great Infinity”, & call themselves the Anti-Taliban. In Saudi Arabia, Wahhabism is the form of Islam—fundamentalist & cruel—and transported to Afghanistan to form the Taliban. Yet the USG aligns itself with the Saudis. My point here, is that it would behoove all of us to attempt to understand other cultures & their religious beliefs, & to avoid lumping everyone who is not white, not privileged, & not ‘just like us’ into pejorative categories based on fear & prejudice. Practicing empathy & an open heart can be transformative.
“We have to do a better job of correcting the truth with the other half of the truth.”. How broken do you have to be to tie yourself in enough knots to say that?
Podcaster Belle of the Fifth Column has taken to calling the Republicans signature bill the “one Big Beautiful for Billionaires Bill.” I think that covers it pretty well.
"And that—that inability to recognize their own systematic deception while projecting it onto others—that’s the sociopath problem made explicit."
Yet, at least in the popular mythology of sociopaths, they know that they're lying. That's their supposed superpower -- they can knowingly do the socially forbidden without guilt, without even showing stress on a lie detector test. Are we looking then at (1) this myth being wrong, or (2) there being two classes of sociopaths, the knowing and unknowing, or (3) we're looking, in the examples you cite, at a variety of psychosis, where the central problem is delusion ... and they are being honest within the frameworks of their delusions?
I'm not a psychologist. I did study the stuff half a century ago as an undergrad.
You’re right about the projection, Mike—when you’re surrounded by professional liars, it becomes impossible to find anyone authentic. So many republicans, from trump to millions of everyday Americans who voted for him, think everyone lies because everyone around them lies.
They lie, manipulate and project. Their policies are cruel and sadistic. The comparison with mental illness is apt. The mainstream press failing to point this out shows their failure and complicity.
You've just revealed the shortcut to understanding American politics for years.
Watch what Republicans accuse Democrats of doing to destroy America. That is the exact thing Republicans are doing do destroy America.
I hope not too off topic, but I have some things to say about the Islamophobia directed at Mamdani. Back in the 1990’s, I traveled to Pakistan to experience the Roof of the World—the great mountain ranges of the Hindu Raj, Hindu Kush, Pamir, Karakoram, & Himalaya—and to hike & raft Class V whitewater in those mountains. Trip of a lifetime. We experienced an extraordinary hospitality culture throughout Pakistan, where we were invited into villager’s homes, fed delicious treats, & given small gifts. The villagers were of the Ismaili sect of Shia Islam, whose leader, the Aga Khan, is a philanthropist who resides in Europe. His foundation funds development in NW Pakistan (now Gilgit-Baltistan), including a school for girls which we visited. The Ismailis are moderate—no fundamentalism with them.
Then on to Hunza, one of the most beautiful places on earth, where education & liberal ideas
are the culture, & the people are also Ismaili. Our guides were from Hunza—there was singing & dancing, & a supply of the local moonshine, Arak.
I spent 2 days in Lahore with a guide—I spent several hours in the Sufi shrine, Data Durbar, where all the great religions are made welcome. Tragically, a few years ago, this shrine was attacked by the Taliban, with significant casualties. Most Westerners have no knowledge of the Ismailis, or of Sufism, which is the mystical form of Islam, thought by some to precede Islam & perhaps may even be the original primordial form of religious worship. The Sufi’s stand for “Peace & Love & the Great Infinity”, & call themselves the Anti-Taliban. In Saudi Arabia, Wahhabism is the form of Islam—fundamentalist & cruel—and transported to Afghanistan to form the Taliban. Yet the USG aligns itself with the Saudis. My point here, is that it would behoove all of us to attempt to understand other cultures & their religious beliefs, & to avoid lumping everyone who is not white, not privileged, & not ‘just like us’ into pejorative categories based on fear & prejudice. Practicing empathy & an open heart can be transformative.
“We have to do a better job of correcting the truth with the other half of the truth.”. How broken do you have to be to tie yourself in enough knots to say that?
Podcaster Belle of the Fifth Column has taken to calling the Republicans signature bill the “one Big Beautiful for Billionaires Bill.” I think that covers it pretty well.
"And that—that inability to recognize their own systematic deception while projecting it onto others—that’s the sociopath problem made explicit."
Yet, at least in the popular mythology of sociopaths, they know that they're lying. That's their supposed superpower -- they can knowingly do the socially forbidden without guilt, without even showing stress on a lie detector test. Are we looking then at (1) this myth being wrong, or (2) there being two classes of sociopaths, the knowing and unknowing, or (3) we're looking, in the examples you cite, at a variety of psychosis, where the central problem is delusion ... and they are being honest within the frameworks of their delusions?
I'm not a psychologist. I did study the stuff half a century ago as an undergrad.
You’re right about the projection, Mike—when you’re surrounded by professional liars, it becomes impossible to find anyone authentic. So many republicans, from trump to millions of everyday Americans who voted for him, think everyone lies because everyone around them lies.
You have to understand making life for the poors is a sin.
They lie, manipulate and project. Their policies are cruel and sadistic. The comparison with mental illness is apt. The mainstream press failing to point this out shows their failure and complicity.