William Buckley Interviews Norman Mailer on Firing Line (1968) Part 5

No description available.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• William
• Buckley
• Interviews
• Norman
• Mailer
• on
• Firing
• Line
• 1968
• Part
• 5

[Reggie1971]

Buckley was a polemical juggernaut.  The last two minutes of this interview are sublime.

[aes229]

Buckley was marvelous. The dedication with which he listened to his guests and the seriousness with which he took their arguments, regardless of how deluded or spurious these might have been, was an example to all who wish to lead a contemplative life.

Mailer was a wacko. This reminds me of that ancient Greek conflict, made relevant in our time by Leo Strauss, between philosophy and poetry. As i listen to this conversation i become more secure in my opinion that poets can only charm, not know

[EgoSumIndigentia]

William F. Buckley had such a mastery of the English language.

[xtrmsprts]

One has to realize the advantages of Buckley in this so-called debate. He is not only a contestant he is also the moderator, he has the power of an interviewer to put questions to his opponent. The right-wing cattle-brained bigoted that crowd in the firing line studio comprises his disciples,all hostile to Mailer.These are no small advantages. Bill's playing a rigged game and under the circumstances Mailer does surprisingly well. Those last 2 minutes were time-hogging and ad hominem attacks

[darkcowboyhero]

Buckley never failed to distort reality to the point of absurdity in his quest to excuse US crimes around the world.

[pumkinpi2]

Mailer suggests that Johnston is repellent for the unintended consequences of a war, where as Castro is admirable in spite of the intended consequences of his rule.

[Myndir]

@fidellse No, you have still not listened to him. When did he say that Batista was legitimate?

[fidellse]

@Myndir Yes, he did not explicitly say that. I extrapolated my statement from Buckley’s by putting it into a historical context. If poor Germans did not protest against Hitler, it did not mean that Hitler’s rule was legitimate. You are unnecessarily exhibiting your ignorance without understanding things in their proper context.

[Myndir]

@fidellse He said nothing of the sort and you're smart enough to know that. Listen again.

[Myndir]

4:10 Ridiculous. All wars are obviously bad and this is transparent to anyone who can avoid being seduced by the romanticism of poets and deception. No proposition is more obvious than that war is a horrible, ugly, sordid, smelly thing that represents the worst side of humanity.

To think that such an observation logically entails pacifism is also blind, as if the fact that something was necessary meant that it must be good. Like war, enemas are not good, but they are sometimes necessary.

[beradification]

John F Kennedy told Robert Kennedy to "bring the terrors of the earth to Cuba." before the US terror campaign.