Eyolf Østrem

Inhibited hedonist, epistemological practitioner, cognoscent dillettante, narrativist, guitarist, dylanologist.

[Eyolf Østrem @eyolfos]

Dagens utvalg.
My 9 films #my9films https://t.co/mjSkCVke7h

[Ayaan Hirsi Ali @Ayaan]

“And there is one final asymmetry, the one that ought to settle the matter once and for all. There is no flight from Europe by anyone—no community, no religious minority, no ethnic group, no political tendency—as a consequence of European far-right violence. No Muslims, no Jews, no atheists, no ex-Muslims, no gay men and women are packing suitcases in Frankfurt or Manchester or Marseille and applying for asylum in Cairo or Islamabad or Algiers because European far-right militants have made their lives untenable at home. The traffic runs, on a massive scale, in the opposite direction, and it has run in the opposite direction for two generations. Muslims, Christians, Yezidis, Baha’is, Ahmadiyyas, ex-Muslims, secularists, feminists, gay men and women, and religious minorities of every description are leaving the Muslim-majority world in millions, and they are coming to Europe and the rest of the West. They come because Europe, whatever else it is, is not governed by the doctrinal architecture they are fleeing. The presence of a European far right that occasionally shouts at them, or, at the violent extreme, produces a Breivik or a Tarrant, has not slowed the movement at all. If the two extremisms were symmetrical, the flow would also be symmetrical. It is not even close. The direction of migration by itself—that is, the votes of feet cast in their tens of millions by the very people who know both worlds—is a stronger empirical statement about the relative danger of the two phenomena than any Home Office report, academic study, or half-baked media essay will ever be.”
https://t.co/fNowaoyupu

[Eyolf Østrem @eyolfos]

@Beverly_Akerman @benryanwriter @SwipeWright It has already, I'm afraid (hoping I'm wrong).

[Richard Dawkins @RichardDawkins]

I am bewildered, and not very impressed, by the visceral, naked, irrational hatred spat out by some defenders of Jason Arday. If a Cambridge professor is accused of being an unqualified charlatan, the accusation might be racially motivated. On the other hand it might not, depending on the evidence. The correct question to ask is not, ”What is the colour of his skin” but “Is it in fact true that he is an unqualified charlatan?” Please examine the evidence before leaping to the assumption of racism.
As for the idea that journalists “piled in on him” and “hounded him to his death”, most attacks were against Cambridge University. Jason himself was widely regarded as an unfortunate victim of foolish promotion way beyond his ability to cope. In appointing him to a professorship for which he was manifestly unqualified – in ludicrously describing him as “the best in the world” – certain senior members of the university showed a level of patronising condescension towards black people that could fairly be described as racism, while at the same time making him tragically vulnerable to such attacks as came his way.

[Eyolf Østrem @eyolfos]

@avidseries Idiocracy set to numbers. https://t.co/mO8tZeYVxl

[Eyolf Østrem @eyolfos]

@OleAsbjoernNess «Do you know why Bach had so many children?
He didn't have any stops on his organ.»

[Eyolf Østrem @eyolfos]

@avidseries 4'33''

[Eyolf Østrem @eyolfos]

@m_wacker @christopherrufo Garamond is the correct answer

[Eyolf Østrem @eyolfos]

@jk_rowling This showed up in my feed today. It still remains one of your best pieces of writing. Thanks.

[Eyolf Østrem @eyolfos]

My intellectual brother from another mother sets things straight.

[Konstantin Kisin @KonstantinKisin]

It's been an intense week and there is much anger, hatred and resentment. Some want to use this moment to make more money, blame the people they always wanted to blame and amplify hate, so it's important to say this.

To my enemies: I hate your ideas but I don't hate you. You are not, actually, my enemies. You are my fellow citizens, my brothers and my sisters.

The ideas you have been seduced by are dangerous and destructive. You have been tricked into believing that your country and your civilisation are bad. That words are violence. That words you disagree with must be suppressed and that the people who utter them deserve to be killed. That the best way to deal with anti-black racism is anti-white racism. That men can become women. That losing a war you started is genocide.

These ideas are wrong, bad and dangerous. I hate them. But I don't hate you. You have been tricked into believing them as many of us once were. Yes, it's true - some of you will continue to believe them to your dying day and, because of that, I will keep fighting you with argument, persuasion and debate to my dying day. But many of you will come to a moment of clarity as many of us have before you. It might be having a child, it might be seeing the hate you receive from your own side for daring to stray from the plantation, it might be something else that affects you personally.

And what I want you to know is that when that moment comes, you will be welcomed with open arms. Come on over.

[Eyolf Østrem @eyolfos]

And if you believe every Kirk meme you read and take it as proof of his evil, you're a thought sloth.

[J.K. Rowling @jk_rowling]

If you believe free speech is for you but not your political opponents, you're illiberal.

If no contrary evidence could change your beliefs, you're a fundamentalist.

If you believe the state should punish those with contrary views, you're a totalitarian.

If you believe political opponents should be punished with violence or death, you're a terrorist.

[Eyolf Østrem @eyolfos]

@PeterMAstrup Vel talt. Jeg vil blot tillægge, at det er meget mere nyttigt at høre hvad ens meningsmodstandere siger: Hvis præsumptivt kloge folk siger noget, man synes er dumt, er det da værd at undersøge hvordan de tænker, hellere end at lede efter bevis på deres dumhed.

[Eyolf Østrem @eyolfos]

Kloke ord om Kirk.
Jeg vil legge til at det er mye mer nyttig å høre hva ens meningsmotstandere sier: Hvis presumptivt kloke folk sier noe man synes er dumt, er det da verdt å undersøke hvordan de tenker, heller enn å lete etter bevis på deres dumhet.

[Peter Astrup @PeterMAstrup]

Mange har travlt med at sige, at Charlie Kirks holdninger skadede vores samfund. Men de tager fejl. De glemmer demokratiets paradoks. 

Demokratiets paradoks er, at dine politiske modstanderes “forkerte” holdninger ikke nedbryder fællesskabet. Tværtimod styrker de friheden og de borgerrettigheder, som vi elsker.

Dine egne fejlbehæftede holdninger ligeså. 

Friheden i et samfund trives ikke, fordi vi har de rigtige ideer om klima, fordelingspolitik, identitetspolitik med mere og implementeringen af disse. Og friheden sættes ikke tilbage, hvis vi indfører noget, som viser sig uhensigtsmæssigt. 

Friheden og trygheden vokser ud af samtale, åbenhed og forståelse for, at du kun får tryghed og frihed for dig selv og dine børn, hvis du også tillader, at andre skal have de samme rettigheder. 

Men friheden koster alle borgere i et samfund to ting. 

Det første er retten til at få din vilje i alting. Den ret tilbyder ingen samfund, i øvrigt. 

Det andet er retten til ikke at blive talt om, talt imod eller kritiseret. Til gengæld har du fuld ret til selv at tale. 

Jo mere du derfor hører dine politiske modstandere udtale sig i radioen, på fjernsynet eller i sociale medier, jo mere trygt og sikkert et samfund lever du i. 

Jo mere du forarges over dumheder, jo mere skal du glæde dig. Det er frihedens forargelse, som du mærker. Selve retten til livet.

Så det er ikke rigtigt, at Charlie Kirks holdninger skadede samfundet. Han nedbrød ikke vores demokrati ved at tale Trump op, ved at tale den frie abort ned eller de fordømte håndvåben op. 

Han talte bare. Og andre kunne tale ham imod. Friheden styrkes ved den symbiose. 

Charlie Kirk har talt for, at USA skal overtage Grønland. Han har forsvaret dem, som angreb Kongressen 6. januar 2020. Jeg finder begge dele dybt problematisk. Men jeg er ikke i tvivl om, at Kirk mente, at hans holdninger var gode. At netop de holdninger formede et bedre Amerika. 

Han døde i et telt på et universitet, mens han havde en mikrofon i hånden. Han havde inviteret alle de studerende til debat med og mod ham. Det er en lille heltegerning i sig selv. 

Æret være samtalen. Samtalen fordrer kærligheden mellem os alle i de stunder, hvor vi bare er mennesker, som holder af hinanden. Før vi er noget andet, så er vi det. 

Så tak dine politiske modstandere for deres synspunkter, som du måske ryster på hovedet af. De bærer samfundet sammen med dig. 

Og ret kampen mod dem, som stræber andre efter liv og førlighed.

[Eyolf Østrem @eyolfos]

@rayfp @t0mbstoneblues Definitely temporary! I've just been late with the bill...

[Konstantin Kisin @KonstantinKisin]

"When you tear out a man's tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you're only telling the world that you fear what he might say".

My thoughts are with Charlie Kirk's family.

[Eyolf Østrem @eyolfos]

@MilaLovesJoe Most of those are just republicans I didn't know were celebrities.

[Eyolf Østrem @eyolfos]

@KonstantinKisin Or as we say in the music world: Gsus risen!

[Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський @ZelenskyyUa]

I received a report from our delegation on their meeting with the American team in Saudi Arabia. The discussion lasted most of the day and was good and constructive—our teams were able to discuss many important details.

Our position remains absolutely clear: Ukraine has been seeking peace from the very first second of this war, and we want to do everything to achieve it as soon as possible and in a reliable way—so that war does not return.

At this meeting with the Americans, Ukraine proposed three key points:
silence in the skies—stopping missile strikes, bombs, and long-range drone attacks; silence at sea; real confidence-building measures in this whole situation, in which diplomacy is ongoing, which primarily means the release of prisoners of war and detainees—both military and civilian—and the return of Ukrainian children who were forcibly transferred to Russia.

The American side understands our arguments and considers our proposals. I am grateful to President Trump for the constructive conversation between our teams.

During today’s talks, the U.S. side proposed taking an even bigger first step—a 30-day full interim ceasefire, not only stopping missile, drone, and bomb attacks, not only in the Black Sea, but also along the entire front line.

Ukraine is ready to accept this proposal—we see it as a positive step and are ready to take it. Now, it is up to the United States to convince Russia to do the same. If Russia agrees, the ceasefire will take effect immediately.

[Eyolf Østrem @eyolfos]

@edelnougat @KonstantinKisin Moralism AND heroism, which (it should be unnecessary to point out) is not the same as heroicism.

[Eyolf Østrem @eyolfos]

Amen

[Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib @afalkhatib]

The humiliating failure & decline of "pro-Palestine" activism: For over a year, I warned time and again about the dangers of the neo “pro-Palestine” movement, which, in the aftermath of October 7, has devolved in alarmingly extreme and detrimental ways. I was hounded even by friends and allies, who kept asking why I “felt it was my job to demonize the pro-Palestine movement.” It was shocking how so many journalists, activists, academics, advocates, and observers didn’t see the obvious, the five-alarm fire that was threatening the very future of Palestinian advocacy in the diaspora. The rot and decay within this so-called movement was unlike anything I had ever seen before – and I used to be involved in it ten years ago.

After 10/7, the “movement” refused to acknowledge the criminality of hostage-taking & killing innocent Israeli civilians, condemn Hamas’s actions including against Gazans, call for the terror group to step down, or engage in pragmatic activism and targeted demands for specific outcomes that actually help Palestinians. Now, the “activists” are tone-deaf to the disaster that Gazans face after Hamas’s shameful and embarrassing display of barbarism with the Bibas & Lifshitz bodies’ return fiasco, doubling and tripling down on their fascism, evil rhetoric, lack of basic intelligence, and demonstratively ineffective speech and language that further demonize Palestinians.

I said that student activism was worthless and futile, calls for supporting the “resistance” amounted to endorsing terrorism, real antisemitism was actually growing out of control, and the interests of Palestinians were being harmed. I pleaded with the so-called “allies” of Palestine to correct the horrendous digressions of their partners but was regularly told, “Oh, we can’t tell Palestinians how to resist.” There was plenty of space for authentic pro-Palestine activism, but that required a focus on a radically different outcome that doesn’t entail Hamas, sloganeering, hatred, ignorance, stupidity, or letting ill-informed young people destroy an entire movement. Accepting Israel’s right to safety, embracing the concept of two nations, rejecting violence, and calling for Palestinian rights, while displaying a capacity for empathy, accountability, and agency would have won over vital new partners for peace and justice, especially in Israel.

Rashid Khalidi, Rashida Tlaib, CAIR, Mehdi Hasan, Marc Lamont Hill, and a whole host of intellectuals and journalists sat back and let the movement be taken over by fascists, imbeciles, far-left and far-right personalities, Islamists, and a cocktail of losers who have no business speaking about Palestine, especially the Intifadists and Hamasniks – and don’t you dare tell me these groups are just the minority in the Western diaspora-based movement, for they are an absolutely massive element of what remains of the “pro-Palestine movement.”

Well, congratulations, for Palestine is in ruins, Gaza’s destroyed, none of you have said a word about Hamas, and this movement will forever be looked at as the pinnacle of embarrassment, failure, and wasted opportunities – all while the people of Gaza suffer horrendously, especially for what’s coming next.

And for the record, and to be crystal clear, I want nothing more than to see a rejuvenated, successful, effective, prosperous pro-Palestine movement that can actually do something and leverage Western privilege to be a helping hand for the Palestinian people in the land. But for now, it’s time to get back to the drawing board and start from scratch.