WFB Remembered

[LDAHL]

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/10/debate-william-f-buckley/504620/

There’s an interesting piece in the Atlantic about William F. Buckley, Jr. Like Ronald Reagan or Barry Goldwater, he is one of those conservatives who has been safely dead long enough that liberal publications can say positive things about him. I wasn’t aware that he used to send Ayn Rand postcards written in liturgical Latin just to tick her off. It made me realize most of my youthful heroes are dead.

Of course the main thrust seemed to be about the general decline in punditry, especially conservative punditry, since Firing Line. I felt they perhaps could have mentioned some of the intentional and unintentional cable clowns of the Left, but that probably wouldn’t have got past the editors. Still, it’s nice to remember a time when political debate wasn’t limited to an uncreative exchange of invective.

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You know, just a few days ago I was watching some clips from Firing Line. WFB kept leaning over so far!

Anyway, he had Christopher Hitchens on there in 1984 -- a loooooong time ago. Hitch had a way of just really throwing knock-out zings in many political and cultural debates. But I'll be darned if Buckley didn't zing'em too. :)

Also, the intro theme to Firing Line, yeah, so classic in its own goofy way.

I am going to take a few to follow your link and read the article.

Also: I have quoted WFB several times in work meetings, openly citing him for said quotes. Packs a wallop!

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Wow! This! This right here, from the article:

"For all its flaws, Buckley’s work is a reminder that space for debate matters—true debate, between people of opposite worldviews, oriented less toward production values and sound bites than curiosity and strength of argument."

[LDAHL]

Also, the intro theme to Firing Line, yeah, so classic in its own goofy way.



It's the Allegro Assai from the Brandenburg Concerto 2.

Buckley was a big Bach fan.

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Also: The quote from the article below just hits home for me. As I am in class with vapid students chasing a paper to hang on the wall who scoff and roll their eyes at the few students who want to challenge ideas, critically examine orthodoxy, and perhaps redirect the river of notions I think real intellectual sparring is needed more than ever.

"Buckley may have been eminently smug and often wrong, but at least he was willing to spar. Occasionally, he even changed his mind. That’s what good discourse looks like."

I think WFB's smugness was part of a rather amusing charm!

[LDAHL]

Also: The quote from the article below just hits home for me. As I am in class with vapid students chasing a paper to hang on the wall who scoff and roll their eyes at the few students who want to challenge ideas, critically examine orthodoxy, and perhaps redirect the river of notions I think real intellectual sparring is needed more than ever.

"Buckley may have been eminently smug and often wrong, but at least he was willing to spar. Occasionally, he even changed his mind. That’s what good discourse looks like."

I think WFB's smugness was part of a rather amusing charm!

I suspect that if he were alive today he'd have them scurrying for the safe zones, or more likely be banned from speaking on campus entirely. I miss the days when people like Buckley, or Hubert Humphrey ("the happy warrior") could debate ideas as if ideas mattered without taking the intellectual short-cut of attacking the opponent's motivation.

What we also sorely lack on the Right (and on the Left as well, if they would only admit it) is the sort of quality assurance role guys like Buckley used to fill. He was able to pretty much cast out fringe types like the John Birch Society, Ayn Rand and others from respectable conservatism.

[Ultralight]

What we also sorely lack on the Right (and on the Left as well, if they would only admit it) is the sort of quality assurance role guys like Buckley used to fill. He was able to pretty much cast out fringe types like the John Birch Society, Ayn Rand and others from respectable conservatism.

Largely a valid point.