Mary Gillis: I think about this line a lot these days.

I think about this line a lot these days.

Yes, I know the character saying it is an unrepentant psychopath. I don't care, it's a great line and an extremely pithy criticism of prioritizing systems over outcomes.

Cormac McCarthy has a knack of giving his most evil characters his most penetrating insights.

just cause he's evil doesn't mean he's not right

ALRIGHT JULY 1st everyone back

To be sure though, it’s no country for old men to be running.

This is an argument for the ends justifying the means. It's an argument for heartless nihilism. I'm not sure that's what you're getting at, right?

He's essentially saying "Why have you ever restrained yourself from harming other people if the end is you being harmed? How foolish?"

Carson Wells : Do you have any idea how crazy you are? Anton Chigurh : You mean the nature of this conversation? Carson Wells : I mean the nature of you. imo Chigurh represents chaos, a lack of fate beyond an inevitable death; his justifications for violence only underline the meaninglessness of it

it’s a good line, but in context simply a justification for his own actions; some edgelord “my rule is there’s no rules” hokum

There are certain movies you watch once and can't remember a character's name a week after. There are others that you watch and you still remember quotes from it years, sometimes decades, after you watch it.

❤️

Exciting days to be at the sunset of the American experiment

The thing is if he had just called the cops instead of taking the briefcase of money...

Same sentiment but I thought it was "road" instead of "rule". Have I been saying that wrong all these years

I’m thinking about the coin toss. Call It.

The rules are fine. Not following and/or deliberately misinterpreting and/or ignoring them is the problem.

But if the rules allow those who don't follow the rules or deliberately misinterpret the rules to amass enough power to do that with impunity, of what use are the rules?

Yes, crooks are gonna crook. If we let them crook, they're gonna keep on crooking. We gotta make sure the crooks know there will always be consequences.

But that would require new rules, since the current ones aren't doing that.

That's when Congress needs to it it's job (yes, I know, the GOP is not doing it's job, and collaborating, and all that ...)

But Congress isn't doing its job. Because there's no rule that requires them to. So of what use are the rules?

The function of a system is what it does.

the critical thing here is the WRONG rules are being followed, the WRONG rules are being enforced decorum has been pursued at the expense of preventing venal maniacs from seizing power, in the apparent belief that if you leave foxes in charge of the henhouse they'll share their dinner

Yes

The rules are always useful to oppress others.

Bad rules, sure.

that's how I talk about economics

He's got a point.

This is why it has to be ok to suppress fascism, even if it feels a little wrong to hurt those little beasties' feelings.

We gotta fight for what’s right, even if it’s redefined. And be here for one another not to give up hope.

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