By Thorsten J. Pattberg for The Saker Blog
This is Part 2 of a series: “This concise text will introduce to our distinguished readers the most deadly ways to subvert, to demoralize, to lobotomize and finally to liquidize someone‘s brains… until they are reduced to nothing more than another helpless Schizo Fran or Mona Loser ready for suicide or the local madhouse. “
Not many relations are as stressful as those relations with a dedicated quibbler. The quibbler is a nitpicker, a raisin-slitter, a hard-ass over the tiniest details and forgettable non-problems – stuff we couldn’t care less about.
Such a person will effortlessly drive you mad. He will quibble over the definitions of words, worry about trivialities and find flaws in every case you present to him.
“Buddhism was founded in India and spread to East Asia, but in India itself it declined after the 12th Century. ” “Not true,” says the quibbler. He has “seen a Buddha statue in New Delhi last year on a business trip with Joe!” Indeed, the quibbler’s sole proclivity in any conversation might just be to disassemble, to discourage or to sabotage what is the case. This can be done by a sly lawyer who objects to anything the prosecution champions out of principle in order to derail proper proceedings; or it can be done by a chatty manager who shamelessly blames middle management or the bookkeepers in order to obfuscate responsibility.
So, when US president Bill Clinton in 1998 technically lied under oath to Congress that he did not have a sexual relation with Monica Lewinsky or any other staff member in the Oval Office, he was nevertheless immediately acquitted during his impeachment trial. This was the result of Bill’s impeccable quibbling to Puritan theology: Apparently, the president was under the general impression, shared by the sages in Congress, that “sexual relations” does not say casual blow-jobs.
Nervous quibbling had divided the nation before in 1995 during the O. J. Simpson murder trial, in which former sports icon and movie actor Mr. Simpson was de facto found guilty for the double-murder of his wife and her lover, but de jure acquitted because of a shriveled glove and a gutty defense lawyer: “If the glove doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”
In big business just as in big politics, during all the important negotiating, contracting and bargaining, the quibblers – not the signatures – are usually in charge. They come for the details and will phrase and interpret the whole thing any way they want. As one anecdotal divorce lawyer assured his client: “You reached an agreement with your wife not to tell anyone? Well, how about you write it down then and leave it on my desk.”
When the United States in 2003 primed for invading oil-rich Iraq, it summoned the Pentagon’s archaic scammers and pettifoggers to legislate a new legal category – that of a ‘preemptive war’ – to stop Saddam Hussein before he could be defending himself with weapons of mass destruction, even though Mr. Hussein had no such weapons. This giant elephant in the room of course didn’t bother war preparations, as the lawfins in Washington now argued that “preemptive war” could mean anything, including destroying Iraq before it could have been acquiring such weapons in theory in a parallel universe of thoughtful quibbling.
Unsurprisingly, quibbling in western Christian denomination has always been associated with ‘the devil’, and the quibblers in literature were ‘the devil’s advocates’. A nation of quibblers, on the other hand, cannot be deterred by ethics or morality. Hence the Americans’ relentless digging the ‘the rule of law’ from under the rest of the world: At one point, the freest people in the world employed 2/3 of lawyers on this planet.
The author is a German writer and cultural critic.
A good society and character is driven by the core value of “Integrity.” A good conscience and soul is the key driver of the integrity. Agree with the premise, “A nation of quibblers, on the other hand, cannot be deterred by ethics or morality.” Amoral seeks an excuse to bicker, blame and brawl.
The Financial Empire reflects a “negative identity” in that it creates an opposition to blame, distract, guide and justify its actions. What are Empire’s media key themes? Why? Some of Empire’s lackeys openly state, “I’d rather be seen as evil than incompetent.” So Empire’s team isn’t stupid or incompetent, but evil.
Warren Buffett, is famous for saying “You only see who’s swimming naked when the tide goes out.” Well, the tide is going out. The Financial Empire’s rulers, lackeys and Orcs (individuals without conscience) are becoming more and more exposed, for those who hadn’t figured it out, as a massive humbug. Big Humbug!
Is the Empire in relative or absolute decline? Relative decline lets a super power cut losses and retrench and recuperate, …. Absolute decline either results in collapse, or results in fear and war and overstretch, which then results in implosion and collapse. Pursuing coercive imperialism with a hubristic attitude isn’t a winning strategy.
Why America Failed: The Roots of Imperial Decline by Morris Berman
https://youtu.be/GzgY20d2MtU
Bulldozing machtpolitik, is somewhat amusing to observe, but it does not change the reality.
Thank you Max ! – I came to this conclusion (your 1st -four paragraphs) when I tried to determine the economic chain involved in determining prices (supplier – to manufacturer- to futures market) (or tickets -vender- slaper)
The conclusion I quickly came to .. a racket … plain and simple….(no questions asked) (this takes reason and logic and induction (not the concept of quibbling) to assertion …
I quickly ascertained … all it takes —is….time….infinite money….and infinite think tanks…to come up with( and subsequently hide) the next racket to fleece the next population group (us and the future “us”) also universities and policy supporting the deception.
Instead of stating this (obvious to me) in the Valdai article – (in other words their group if simply stating the psychology of the symptoms — which Never intended to address the root cause of the problem (ribba and the current paper money system)
When a group of economics get together and discuss the symptoms…again …I can’t believe it ( I guess if one’s perceived living runs off it through repeated deceptions – let’s just keep the circle of deception going I guess )
If we got rid of paper money and ribba – guess what no more inflation, guess what society gets better not worse.
The idea of capitalism were invented to deceive people that a banking system based on usury is necessary for growth (pure rubbish- assumes money can exist in a system – which it can)
The problem with the previous Valdai article was
1) I was giving context to what is causing the problem (not the problem itself- which I assumed people already know of)
2) for doing this I was labeled a never ending list of tedious to read “psycho” terms(by mod no less) (go through every point I wrote and prove it wrong- then maybe I will take the terms with a sense of “maybe”
3) problem with this article it is also rubbish because it describes the psychology of the problem (which is a symptom of people who do not critically think – by the way.)
P.S. mod deleted and important (the most important link in my reasoning) in place of essentially condemnation of my sanity (if mod is not at my level- sorry…that does not make me crazy…read your own policy and apply it to yourself and the L 444 fellow after you- and anyone else who agreed with them(did not check)
P.P.S this website did not have a problem with Max- did wth me (my reasoning was the same- just mine included the justification to the cause– harder to pull off- takes more courage- so give me a break – the very least the mod and any one else who decided to label their psychology terms on me could do is applogize – I think I deserve at least that)
P.P.P. S . If this is not posted…I am gone…never coming back…and simply will not care anymore about the designers of the site (yours deed and choice here- I have done my best- have reached out- but will not beg any further)
Thank you
it’s never gonna work, niet, nada, just be careful not to get lost in the tide of falling debris.
3) problem with this article it is also rubbish because it describes the psychology of the problem (which is a symptom of people who do not critically think – by the way.)
No, it is not rubbish. It is however a different view. It’s very hard, but people have those.
The rest is off topic and belongs somewhere else.
dear Thorsten,
thanks for this next chapter.
▪︎ The English have a saying I like, “the devil is in the details.” I think a lot of the negative influence of quibblers comes from indulging in sophistry, with underlying lack of good intent (it may not always be ill will). And ultimately, they only trivialize and sideline themselves, for serious and considered people will soon recognize their insincerity and dissembling.
The term “quibbler” is awkward in the English language though. It connotes someone who is engaging in small tactics or mere nuisance. However, from your text I think your intent is that they are really harming their society and world around them, and not engaging in small harmless acts. Perhaps it needs a stronger English term?
▪︎ In 1998, as a youngster, the trial of W. Jefferson Clinton was a seminal event, which helped open my eyes a little.
The Honorable Henry Hyde, one of the managers of Clinton’s impeachment, himself committed a similar act, which he attributed to “a youthful indiscretion (in his 40s)!” So by that logic, Clinton was par for their course. I realized Congress was essentially a horse-show and all of it was meant to distract and titillate Americans – and to lower their prestige worldwide.
The earlier 1995 OJ Simpson event was largely used by media to divide Americans along racial lines. I was more annoyed by OJ’s Bronco chase interrupting key moments of the Knicks-Rockets basketball final!
Has US media served any positive role in Americans’ affairs since JFK died?
▪︎ One thing Clinton (and especially Blair) could be held accountable for was beta-testing the responsibility to protect doctrine (R2P) in 1990s, with their serial aggressions against Yugoslavia and Serbia. This was before the term became in vogue. This occurred long before this deceptive policy was enshrined in the UN in mid-2000s.
▪︎ I agree, ‘the rule of law’ is merely the latest dishonest rendition of R2P and other earlier fig leaves designed to justify aggression and make it look like a Just War. For sure, ethics and morality have played little role in the weltanschauung of Anglo-Zionists for centuries.
Shouldn’t the English saying be “the English are the devil?”
No Krungel, it should not be. We cannot make such a wholesale statement to people by virtue of where they are born.
Charming image accompanying the progression of the Menticide Manual, suitably skull like and horror orientated!
One step at a time, and if you are a professional therapist, teacher or kindergarten leader, then some of the stepping so far is not unknown. Even watching ones colleagues, other professionals, the tendency can be there,
In its mildest form harmless but annoying, and as it progresses further, (leading into lies and cover ups, as the evasion of some issue or truth to another agenda, through argument or whatever,) becomes more deep set and hard to recognize.
I’ve observed this too, maybe quibbling and its advancement are hypnotic, creating a strange acceptance and a dulled “keep the peace” awareness.
Had lunch with an academic who grossing over some conversation looked up from his meal said the words ‘I Hate Lawyers’ then went back to eating his meal? It left me thinking what happened there? lol?
Menticide? Yep, menticide alright!
Poor fellow.
It just occurred to me that in the Proverbs this phenomenon is described something like: It’s better to live on top of a corner of the roof of a big house than to live inside of it with one of these types described here.
Thorsten described the small and individual experience but then kicked it open to the countrywide, and the so-called leaders. So what can we say?
It’s better to live on a barge on a river than to live in a country with these types?.
It’s funny, I have run into this idea somewhere else some years ago.
The long and short of it was if you propose to build a nuclear power plant no one questions much, other step aside and listen, with the assumption that you must know what you’re doing if you have such high aspirations.
On the other hand if you propose to build a bikeshed, everyone chimes in with nitpicking over everything.
Why We Focus on Trivial Things: The Bikeshed Effect
https://fs.blog/2020/04/bikeshed-effect/