Burn of the Day
- Donald R. McClarey
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 43 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
I think Shea always benefited from an editor like Brian St. Paul. The thing is, 18 years ago he was episodically bilious in an erratic sort of way. Now he’s consistently bilious in a predictable sort of way.
In 2016 Shea framed Dr. Feser’s position that the death penalty is not intrinsically illicit as it has been authorized in certain circumstances both by scripture and by Church tradition by saying:
When it comes to taking human life, the right wing culture of death asks “When do we get to kill?”
and
“I want to kill the maximum number of people I can get away with killing” is, on the face of it, a hard sell as comporting with the clear and obvious teaching of the Church…
At the time it would have been hard to believe that Shea would have been able to become progressively more unhinged for six years straight.
Rudolph, the problem is that Mark isn’t unhinged. He’s very hinged. Everything he does is focused on defending his alliance with the Left by defending the Left at all costs, no matter what it does. And the main tactic is the same I’m seeing others like Deacon Greydanus and especially Dawn Eden warm up to – attack any dissenters. Though he’s slick. When he speaks in public he’s not like this. Like a Jim Jones type, he knows how to behave in mixed company. That’s the problem with Mark. He’s far beyond ‘unhinged.’ .
Rudolph, the problem is that Mark isn’t unhinged.
Not buying.
Art, unhinged is someone like Fred Phelps. Put him in his church, with friends, or in front of the cameras, and he’s the same. Mark, on the other hand, isn’t that way. I’ve seen him in podcasts in various settings, and he comes off as quite balanced and amiable. He reserves his vitriol and calumny for places online where he can’t be reached. That’s someone who knows what he’s doing.
If not for grotesque misrepresentations, every logical fallacy known to man, and consistent outright lies, Marx Che would have absolutely nothing.
Why do you waste your eyesight?
That’s someone who knows what he’s doing.
Dave, in our house we’ve been sorting through the paperwork of a retired professional who kept working at his trade until a perturbed employee complained to the state licensing board, who did an undercover inspection of his offices and pulled his license. Documentary evidence he was failing was evident in the paperwork as early as 2008. His office was shut down in 2018.
Well T. Shaw he has written a recent book which has gotten press around various places…
https://cruxnow.com/interviews/2020/10/catholic-social-teaching-called-churchs-best-kept-secret-in-new-book
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-churchs-best-kept-secret-with-mark-p-shea/id1453105975?i=1000492176336
https://youtu.be/2YgPHQ3Ocic
Sorry, Catholic Social Teaching requires critical engagement using tools Shea does not have, never did.
Kinda frustrating how Donald clearly browses Twitter but doesn’t provide his readers with a means of submitting any Twitter content they’d like to see featured.
Art, not sure I follow you. My point is that he’s not some unhinged raving person, but is very calculating. His rage and calumny are very partisan driven, and selective based on time and place. .
My point is that he’s not some unhinged raving person, but is very calculating.
If he were calculating, he’d write better material. He writes crap because that’s all he can manage at the age of 64.
That would be a matter of talent, and diminished talent. Propaganda is often not the best quality because quality is not its aim. In Mark’s case, what he writes is for the defense of his politics. Attacking those who haven’t followed him, and doing what he can to avoid critiquing the side with which he now aligns.
I do see that he is able to control his public persona, but once he gets going it does look like he can’t stop himself.
In the debate with Dr. Feser that I quoted he repeatedly backpedaled. Oh no, I never meant to imply that you wanted to kill as many people as possible when I said that anyone who defends the death penalty is a crazed monster even though I said it in direct response to your defense of the death penalty. That sort of thing. But inevitably Shea would devolve into more fanciful accusations about Feser being a bloodthirsty fake Christian Trump supporter, only to backpedal again when called on it.
This tactic did not benefit Shea at all. He looked ridiculous to the honest observer. If he was just playing to the left it would have been better to stick to his accusations. For instance, when leftists engage with JK Rowling they don’t say “oh no I wasn’t talking about you when I demonized anyone who questioned the trans agenda.” They just say that she’s an evil spiteful woman. Similarly Shea giving any ground to Feser damaged his value in the eyes of the left.
The only explanation that makes sense to me is that Shea was at least trying to have an honest debate, but he just couldn’t help himself from going off on tangents. Similarly, I suspect that if you got him talking about Trump at one of his public events he would quickly devolve into the rhetoric he uses online.
Have you ever watched a tennis match when an certain Australian tennis player by the name of Nick Kyrgios is playing?
Well, Nick has a reputation for going off the rails at the slightest provocation or disagreement or annoyance. His ranting could be set off by his opponent, the chair Umpire, a member of his own supporter box (they haven’t clapped loud enough) or some random spectator which has unwittingly pushed Nicks buttons the wrong way by yelling out some abuse. It’s usually minor, buts It’s very amusing.
Once Nick has “clicked”, you watch his opponent nod to his own supporter box as if to say “we got this”. Nick is his own worst enemy.
Mark Shea is reminds me of Nick Kyrgios. If you know how to “set him off”, you’ve won.
I saw Nick K at the US Open. He smashed his racket after missing a shot. Kinda funny. I don’t think the Chair Ump gave his a penalty.
His rants are very funny too.
THIS is the Burn of the Day…and a whole lot more.
https://twitter.com/lockerroomlol/status/1577201868560039938?s=61&t=yhiL3bxuXLiPmZzxu6q1lw
Ouch