I’ve heard the expression “It’s hard to drive straight down a crooked road.” I would add it’s hard to be intelligent in a stupid world. Bill Murray’s classic remark:
“It’s hard to win an argument with a smart person, but it’s damn near impossible to win an argument with a stupid person.”
Unfortunately, the propensity to argue is not correlated with intelligence.
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From this review of Woke Racism, a book by John McWhorter, who is black.
“The lens through which McWhorter views “wokeism” is as a religion: a real religion, not just a metaphor for religions that worship a God. Although I don’t think this trope is absolutely necessary for McWhorter to make his case, but it does add considerably to our understanding of the phenomenon. The “Elect” (his word for the “woke”) will brook no dissent, believe in an original sin (racism, of course), demonize those who are against them, cast them to a social-media hell (or worse: getting them fired or banned), have a common set of tenets that, as shown above, contradict each other (cf. Christianity: God is loving but if you don’t accept him you’ll burn forever), and have a set of inerrant prophets. [I have excluded the names of the people mentioned.] Their words are not to be questioned; the prophets are to be worshipped and evoked as often as possible.
The book is not intended for The Elect because, as McWhorter asserts, their minds aren’t open [emphasis mine]…his book was intended for either those on the fence, those with open minds or, in McWhorter’s case, for those who already dislike Wokeness but want a critical analysis of its flaws as well as some bucking up. Wokeism may, for instance, repel you for reasons you don’t understand, and McWhorter supplies those reasons.
…McWhorter’s suggestion includes not engaging the Elect (they won’t listen), do not apologize for your actions or views if you advance them in reason good faith, and, most important, stand up to the woke. Don’t buy their bullshit, don’t let them make you feel guilty, and, if you disagree, just say so and walk away.”
Woke is a cult.
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Prior to 2022, no single collector car auction had exceeded $180 million in sales. In just the month of January, 2022, two auctions exceeded $200 million: Mecum Kissimmee grossed $217 million while Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale grossed $203 million.
I won’t weigh in on which result was more impressive because I don’t think it matters. What those results confirm is that the collector car market has exploded and I don’t mean self-destructed.
Just like it’s not a good time to buy a house in many parts of the country, this might not be a good time to buy a collector car. I guess it’s a good thing I have no place to put another car and, for the most part, I don’t have “champagne and caviar” tastes in automobiles.
As I wrote in a comment to David Banner (not his real name), that I have constructed and published an “Ultimate Garage” focuses my attention on a small group of cars as possible acquisitions. The fact that I really only “lusted” after one car on the block among the hundreds I saw at the Barrett-Jackson auction has to be due, in no small way, to the existence of an Ultimate Garage. What car did I really want to buy?
This is, of course, the 2004 Maserati convertible about which I wrote here. As I wrote then, seeing this car up close took my breath away. Speaking of desirable convertibles sold at auction:
This Aston Martin convertible was sold at the recently concluded Mecum auction in Kissimmee, Florida and is shown here parked on the street where my wonderful wife’s father lives. The fact that it is parked next to a Tesla is quintessential Scottsdale, Arizona. By the way, I sent this photo and a very brief exposition via text to Scott Hoke and John Kraman. Both replied within minutes and Scott agreed with my assessment that the car was well bought even at $55,000 all in.
I don’t pretend to know when the collector car market boom will stop, only that it will, eventually. It seems as if no market is immune from booms and busts.
#TwoTwoTwoTwo
#WokeIsACult
#CollectorCarMarketExplosion
#somanycarsjustonelife
#disaffectedmusings
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