Masochism and Jesters

As much as I am a bleeding heart liberal and a Jesus lover, I am also an ornery, sarcastic bastard. I am also sick and, apparently, feeling somewhat masochistic. I get the feeling that it is time to turn on Fox News, or whatever appropriate pseudonym you use for it, and comment on whatever idiocracy I thus encounter. Doctors would probably note that getting yourself into a rage would have little benefit on your health. I wouldn’t disagree, but maybe there is some greater telos in this experiment.

I turned on Fox News to find Huckabee interviewing two former Presidential Press Secretaries; nothing interesting here.

About a week later I consider revising this experiment, but fearing Fox news I consider examining the top story on their website. I am spurred on by a quote from Hitler: “… the one means that wins the easiest victory over reason: terror and force.” (Mein Kampf, Volume I Chapter 2) I am not, as some might assume, comparing Fox News to Hitler. This quote was in reference to his adversaries, so if I am comparing anyone to Hitler it would be MSNBC. Fox News is clearly victorious over reason in some parts and terror and fear are the tools that they use. So, it seems that on this one point the devil was right. The devil is usually wise and will inevitably be right on some points. Surely a moron couldn’t trick a nation into genocide.

Times are different now and it seems that the devil’s knowledge has eroded over the eras. The genocidal seem to have almost faded away and the Fear mongers stand in their stead. The devil en vogue has the passion but lacks the reason. He is a Fool and a Jester who juggles imaginary balls that he uses to deceive a good many.

If a wise man fools someone, he will inevitably feed some reason in his attempts to overcome it. The same cannot be said for the Jester. He can cry and rant and read snuff cans, but no quantity of reason will be passed to his audience. The man fooled by the wise man is thus left with a chance to escape and turn reason around. The Jester’s fools have no such hope. Res ipsa loquitur.