Please tell me what I meant

A reader took me to task for my commentary on a murder recently in the news. The reader calls me a “sanctimonious hypocrite” and characterizes my post as follows: “Human tragedy as political rhetoric. Very nice.”

The political rhetoric allegation puzzles me. I want to know what political end ‘my’ rhetoric promoted. I quoted from the Brothers Karamazov. Ivan argues passionately that not even God can ever make right the crimes committed against children. In doing so he rejects theodicy and he rejects heaven. I missed the political part of that.

Did this reader not read my post? That doesn’t make sense. Why would anyone bother to comment on something they had not read? Did he not understand the literal meaning of it? I find that hard to believe.

So what am I missing here? I stipulate that I have a mental blind spot that keeps me from recognizing the political meaning of what I wrote. That’s why I need your help.

Tell me, dear reader (you, not that other reader), what was the hidden agenda I was pushing? I’d like to know. I can offer one clue. I think my agenda is of the extreme right. Can anyone flesh out the details?

Posted on May 22nd, 2006 by pwyll
Filed under: blogging, politics, religion

2 Responses to “Please tell me what I meant”

  1. A radically spiritual progressive libertarian, on May 23rd, 2006 at 11:33 am Said:

    There was no political agenda in what you wrote, Only a heartfelt response to a tragic situation.

    The poster was an idiot.

  2. Paco Malo, on May 24th, 2006 at 9:49 pm Said:

    I agree absolutely with the first paragraph of the radically spiritual progressive libertarian.

    Bear in mind that even the great literary mind of Ezra Pound stumbled when it came to the Russian classics.

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