悟空老弟的这一短文,我是一定要搬运的!:-)
Odd Couples及其它
作者:wukong
米国最高法院大法官中有一个大保守派,名叫Antonin Scalia,此人观点极为保守,不少左派自由派人士对他恨之入骨,说他是法西斯、尼安德特人、反革命,还有更难听的话。但是奇怪的是,他在最高法院内外最好的朋友之一,不是保守派同僚,而是自由派女法官Ruth Ginsburg。Ginsburg在很多问题上与他意见相左,甚至对立,可以说是他意识形态上的敌人。为什么还能成为好友呢?
无独有偶,专业政治咨询员兼评论员James Carville、Mary Matalin 两口子,也是类似的odd couple。这一对更离奇,他们夫妇各自献身于对立的党派和理念。Carville是资深民主党,多年来为民主党竞选班子工作;Matalin是资深共和党,是Karl Rove的朋友和同志,还曾直接为切尼工作。1992年总统大选,Carville为克林顿卖命,老婆Matalin则为老布什效劳;2004年也是如此,甚至大选之夜充当在小布什和凯瑞之间传话的角色。
类似的odd couple还有诸如加州州长阿诺-史瓦滋内格夫妇,参议员Ted Kennedy和 Orrin Hatch(前者是民主党大佬,后者是共和党资深议员),等等。
为什么这些意识形态上水火不容的人却能成为朋友甚至夫妻呢?还是来看看Scalia和Ginsburg的例子,看看自己怎么说:
Scalia说:"I attack ideas. I don't attack people. And some very good people have some very bad ideas,"
针对Scalia的很多尖锐的不同意见,Ginsburg并不take it personally,相反,她说:“I take it as a challenge. How am I going to answer this in a way that's a real put down?"
这其中的原因,是Scalia本人是一位出色的辩论者和作者,他的写作风格既犀利尖刻,又奇丽多彩,机智幽默,是最高法院9大法官中最出色的作者之一。这一点,连他的论敌都不否认。用Ginsburg的话说:“As annoyed as you might be about his zinging dissent, he's so utterly charming, so amusing, so sometimes outrageous, you can't help but say 'I'm glad that he‘s my friend' or he's my colleague,'"
用Scalia自己的话说:"I can be charming and combative at the same time。""I love to point out the weaknesses of the opposing arguments."
不用说,charming在很大程度上是天生的,但是辩论中少一些人参公鸡,多一点油墨,多一点饭,总还是可以做到的。这世界上,哪有那么多不共戴天的敌人?更多的,恐怕还是Scalia说的,是very good people have some very bad ideas。究竟什么是good ideas什么是bad ideas,仁者见仁,智者见智,不必搞统一思想,谁手里也没有绝对真理。七彩的世界好过光谱单一的世界。
二
现任副总统拜登是个口无遮拦的政治人物,时不时会制造一些gaffe,既给媒体一些爆料的素材,也给大众一些饭后闲聊的话题。最近的一次,莫过于说为了避免猪流,大家应当少乘飞机、少坐地铁的故事,害得白宫急忙出来澄清。不过,拜登有时也会有警世骇俗的至理名言,比如这一句,是他在与佩林辩论时说的:“Never question someone's motives. Question their judgement.”
这句话与Scalia的attacking ideas but not people有异曲同工之妙。网络论坛的辩论时也一样,动不动就指责对手是这个党那个党,是五毛一块,或者有什么不可告人的动机,似乎这样一说,自己就是绝对真理和绝对正义的拥有者, 是道德高地的占有者。有这么简单?
少一点对别人motives的无端指责,就不会有那么多无谓的口水战。
三
说小站是沙漠里的芳洲有点过了,但她确实是不可多得的一块宝地。几位王冠辛勤耕耘,使大家有这么块地儿,闲来可以在这里爆点笑料,播点八卦,侃点育儿经驯夫经健身经美容经,同时也兼谈点国家事天下事,不亦乐乎。是人群的地方就有左中右。不同意见总是有的。但是如果大家在辩论hot-button issues时,都能记住以下三原则,那么天涯小站离天涯芳洲就不远了:
1。Attack ideas. Don't attack people.
2。Be charming, if you can. Keep in mind that style is no less important than substance.
3. Do not question someone’s motives. Question their judgement.
- Re: zt: Odd Couples及其它posted on 05/04/2009
悟空还活着?;)
怎么就和咖啡结下深仇大恨了呢?我也少了个柿油派偏将。 ;) - Re: zt: Odd Couples及其它posted on 05/04/2009
悟空自从读古诗开始,就养成了暮气沉沉。也许小站艳丽一些,可以给他一些刺激。咖啡里面的人,已经不够性感了。小站不仅女人艳丽,连男人也像女人,悟空读古情诗终于为情所累?但读古诗读成变性恐怕还不至于。
touche wrote:
悟空还活着?;)
怎么就和咖啡结下深仇大恨了呢?我也少了个柿油派偏将。 ;) - Re: zt: Odd Couples及其它posted on 05/04/2009
小站太像老干部俱乐部了, 没有曹长青之流其实也很郁闷。 - Re: zt: Odd Couples及其它posted on 05/04/2009
早上起来看junk news,这条新闻倒是蛮让我感动:“汪明荃罗家英终成眷属 5月2日美国注册结婚”。
我觉得常常是odd couples才能天长地久。
等下阐述。
我可以去把悟空请来。 - Re: zt: Odd Couples及其它posted on 05/04/2009
咖啡近来世风日下,希望有更多吾空这样的君子来。 - posted on 05/04/2009
老干部 wrote:
小站太像老干部俱乐部了, 没有曹长青之流其实也很郁闷。
这是大实话,笑得人弯了腰。所以有时候,没有曹长青的时候,人们也总喜欢从自己人中给搞出逼出几个曹长青了。小站是指天涯小站?
悟空建设和谐社会的理念是不错的。隔着银河系远望这些odd couples,童话成分,全在笔下人为了。悟空一向是标准的“理工科”形象,得归为方舟子之又臭又硬的一类。难得有此佛门善念。:)
当然,里面的大道理我一向也是同意的。过去我们听说,为了革命理念夫妻能互相揭发,反目成仇,以为是戏剧化成分居多。现在看了其它老坛上的意识形态争论,才知此说不假也。似乎意识形态理念不同,几乎能让你曾经的性感全无。网上曾经吃喝见面的老网友们尚且如此翻脸成仇,何况人间。有时候你会奇怪,这些网人有何资格去追究和嘲笑过去的历史。:)
- posted on 05/05/2009
The SCOTUS is the most peculiar branch of the US government - unlike the other two branches that are elected by the people directly, all it's members are appointed by the President, and once confirmed by the Senate, serve a lifetime tenure. Unless they commit a very serious crime and get impeached by the congress, they can serve until the minute they drop dead. Over the years some of them grew into senile idiots who slept during oral arguments. Both Douglas and Black served until they were in their nineties. Thurgood Marshall on the other hand, was known as a "dirty old man" - he got all excited watching porn movies in determining some of the landmark indecency cases.
While he was known for his acerbic tongue, Scalia's legal opinions are certainly not universally regarded as always well reasoned. As one of the two most consistent ideologues on the court, many of the opinions he penned can't really be taken seriously as the diatribes are so predictable and outcomes preordained. Rigidity is not a virtue in being a good justice.
To be an effective justice on the bench, a sit-on-the-fence personality sometimes is far more significant in shaping the major decisions coming before its docket. Justice Stewart was the deciding vote in many of the important cases of its day. Other times, an astute politician who can persuade people to agree with him shines the brightest. The late liberal justice Brennan probably was most responsible to shepherd through the passage of all the civil rights decisions, other than Earl Warren himself.
As for predicting whether a justice is "conservative" or "liberal," it's mostly a crap shot, although the conservatives are getting better at it. The current batch of Scalia, Thomas, Roberts and Alito were all homeruns for the Republicans, as compare to the past failures of Warren, Brennan, Souter, Blackmun, etc. Democrats also suffered the misjudgment of a colossal proportion: Kennedy sent his pal White to the court, and he repaid him by voting as one of the most conservative justices of the modern time. But White had at least the decency to wait for a Democratic President before retiring. His replacement appointed by Clinton preserved a semblance of balance.
- Re: zt: Odd Couples及其它posted on 05/05/2009
James Carville、Mary Matalin 肯定不是soulmate ;) - Re: zt: Odd Couples及其它posted on 05/05/2009
- Re: zt: Odd Couples及其它posted on 05/06/2009
连男人也像女人? 太伤众了吧。
要不要去看看,还是有几个会打架的嘛。
壹 wrote:
悟空自从读古诗开始,就养成了暮气沉沉。也许小站艳丽一些,可以给他一些刺激。咖啡里面的人,已经不够性感了。小站不仅女人艳丽,连男人也像女人,悟空读古情诗终于为情所累?但读古诗读成变性恐怕还不至于。
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