I’m sorry, but there is only so much on this nonsense a rational human being can take:
Thus the Presidential Pledge was born. Making a pledge forces you to be accountable not only to others but also to yourself. Establishing a pledge also offers an opportunity to create community and unity around the cause, thus accelerating one’s pursuit. Once you are on record, your community and your peers can and will hold you accountable for results. Therefore, we as individuals will be forced to deliver. This may be one of the only positive attributes of our egos. So let us put our egos to work.
We call it a Presidential Pledge. We have gathered a group of individuals who share the courage to pledge to our president, and the world at large, what it is that they are willing to do, give, or sacrifice, in an effort to help their fellow man. Our hope is that this effort will inspire others to do the same, with individuals posting their initiatives within their communities. This is not a selfless utopian action.
No, it isn’t. It is dystopian to its very core. In fact, it is statist and very clearly fascist. Ashton, please shut up. If you don’t think it is you are only proving you don’t know what the words mean.
We as a people do not pledge to any individual person, no matter what action the pledge is supposed to entail. We live in a liberal democracy which allows people to choose their own ends without getting the “ok” from the government or their neighbors. For example, in Kutcher’s world I would choose to pledge myself to undoing the utterly stupid actions undertaken by the Ashton Kutchers of the world in the mistaken belief that they are “helping their fellow man.” See, the thing is, people can differ about what counts as “helpful” conduct. The only way one could ensure that actions were not operating at cross purposes would be to “discourage” dissenting views either legally or socially. The truth is Nazi Germany operated as much through a perverted social order as through a perverted legal order.
This is why the notion of “pledging” to Obama is so odious. Hitler required that the Wehrmacht and all civil servants pledge themselves to the person of Hitler instead of to the constitutional order. We already pledge to the Republic and that is all we need.
Pingback: Public Secrets
‘Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Fuehrer’
Got a certain ring to it, ya know.
My old German uncles and grandpas, they knew how to cut a slogan and have a show. The Nuremberg rallies, what with the torches,the scarlet and black banners, the massed soldiers, much better than that show yesterday.
Kutcher, you are no Riefenstahl.
He’s a Hollywood foof – just like the others – full of himself (among other stuff). Those people really do need to get a life. I mean, really…Hollywood telling ANYONE how to live is just silliness. Telling people how to live their lives – even how many times to flush their toilet is just nonsense.
Besides, since WHEN did Hollywood get so self-righteous? Since when do they care how people live? Maybe I would take them seriously if they would all pledge to keep their clothes on for all future movies, pledge to not use swear words, pledge to not glamorize getting soused and promiscuous behavior. If they did that FIRST and THEN pledged to do all those other things, I might be convinced they are actually serious. I submit that this is just another phase and they’ll all get over it soon.
By the way, I saw an article where someone else said Presdent Bush never prevented them from doing all these things during his terms in office. So, why didn’t they do it? If they believe so much in making the world a better place…why didn’t they start before now. They’re just a bunch of self-important, press-hungry jackasses, that’s why!