# Henry Louis Mencken speaks from beyond the grave



## Dante (Aug 22, 2013)

It is almost supernatural. 

[youtube]g33HIfHi3yc&list=PLFc6KAf8szZQxFCzgRnhS1yPouMkNC7FD[/youtube]


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## Dante (Aug 26, 2013)

Your welcome.  

Those who know me since the early 2000s have known of Dante's interest in Henry


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## loa (Sep 21, 2013)

Sorry, but I think Mencken is a sorry example for anything - I never could get past his bigotry toward Jewish people. 

K.


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## Dante (Sep 21, 2013)

loa said:


> Sorry, but I think Mencken is a sorry example for anything - I never could get past his bigotry toward Jewish people.
> 
> K.



 get over yourself, most all of Menckens Jewish friends never saw anything of the kind. That said HLM was a product of his times and upbringing...I guess you could never get past the bigotry and support of holding humanbeings in slavery enshrined in the US Constitution.

Sad, it your intolerance keeps you from appreciating facets of larger pictures. 

Name one instance of anti semitic behaviour on HLMs part.   We'll wait...  

 [MENTION=45151]loa[/MENTION]


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## loa (Sep 21, 2013)

*Dante said:
get over yourself, most all of Menckens Jewish friends never saw anything of the kind. That said HLM was a product of his times and upbringing...I guess you could never get past the bigotry and support of holding humanbeings in slavery enshrined in the US Constitution.*

That's a stretch dude - how could you possibly know what I am a fan of, given I've posted maybe five times here?   I'll clue you in though - I'm not a fan of ANYTHING that says someone is inherently inferior based on their genetics or religion, etc.  

*Sad, it your intolerance keeps you from appreciating facets of larger pictures. *

You are writing about Mencken and calling ME intolerant?  LMAO, that's pretty funny. 

*Name one instance of anti semitic behaviour on HLMs part. We'll wait..*

Given we are talking about Mencken, you don't have to wait long.  You've read his personal diary he published, haven't you?  There is your example.  And by the way - you say he is a product of his times, yet that diary was written far past his other materials - so I guess we come back to the idea that at heart the guy was bigoted.  

I didn't intend to take away from your original point of posting - I just gave my reason why I wouldn't consider it worthwhile to see anything about Menckin.  

K.


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## Dante (Sep 21, 2013)

I've read about 4 bios of HLM, read many of his collected works, collecter American Mercury mags...read what youbtefer too,,,,like I said, product of times and upbringing. 

Try judging people more on how they act as oopposed to what they think or say. 

Mencken's criticisms are well worth reading and for entertainment value few beat them.  Like Henry, I take people warts and all and suffer fools not. 

Fuck off loser.


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## loa (Sep 21, 2013)

Dante said:


> I've read about 4 bios of HLM, read many of his collected works, collecter American Mercury mags...read what youbtefer too,,,,like I said, product of times and upbringing.
> 
> Try judging people more on how they act as oopposed to what they think or say.
> 
> ...



I've read a lot of his stuff too - but my question was whether you have read the diary he published.   

You say judge people on how they act, not what they think or say.  Hmmm.  Where do you think actions come from, if not from thoughts?

So I make a comment you disagree with and its fuck off?   Yet you are saying I am intolerant?
That's ironic.

I would like to find out something, though - given you say you have read a lot of Mencken, what is your opinion on the best thing he has written and what part of his style do you like the best?

K.


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## Dante (Sep 21, 2013)

loa said:


> Dante said:
> 
> 
> > I've read about 4 bios of HLM, read many of his collected works, collecter American Mercury mags...read what youbtefer too,,,,like I said, product of times and upbringing.
> ...



People think many things they do not act upon...it is what separates humans from the rest of the animal kingdom.  Murder?  People have confessed to thinking of killing others, yet no sane, rational judge would call them murderers. .I guess in your small mind thoughts equal actions.


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## Dante (Sep 21, 2013)

[MENTION=45151]loa[/MENTION] . @Ioa .  Lighten up francis

Now fuck off

Get IT?


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## Dante (Sep 21, 2013)

[MENTION=45151]loa[/MENTION] You write "I would like to find out something, though - given you say you have read a lot of Mencken, what is your opinion on the best thing he has written and what part of his style do you like the best?"

The best thing Mencken wrote?  Silly question. If I wanted to pretend intellectualism I'd say his Tomes on the English Language.  But one ofy favorite pieces is Sahara of the Bozarts. 

His style?  Clear, concise, flawless...I started collecting his works in early Eighties before it all got republished.  It's ability to seem to refer to mid-late 70s and early-mid 80s cultural and political struggles was eerily entertaining. 

Mencken is most unfortunately quoted by misanthropic  troglodytes and whacky libertarians and other misfits. What they all do is quote out of context. Mencken was full of life and unlikeAmbrose Bierce, he was charming and not mean as a person. He was friends with Christian ministers and others...he was tolerant of opposing views while beinf critical...if it seemed worth his time . In that respect I found a soul mate early on...we do not suffer fools gladly

I probably would not have liked meeting him in person unless it was through a strong mutualinterest other than himself


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## loa (Sep 21, 2013)

*Sahara of the Bozarts*....

Nice choice.


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## Dante (Sep 21, 2013)

loa said:


> *Sahara of the Bozarts*....
> 
> Nice choice.



It is said that little thing prodded Southerners into defending and nurturing a new emerging culture which sprang upon the scene in the early 20th century. Mencken and Nathan gave the culture life.


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## TNHarley (Sep 21, 2013)

he was a little extreme from some of the things he said.. but I agree with a lot of it..
a cynic for the most part
paraphrase"the biggest danger to a govt, is a person that can think for themselves"
love that one


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## Dante (Sep 21, 2013)

TNHarley said:


> he was a little extreme from some of the things he said.. but I agree with a lot of it..
> a cynic for the most part
> paraphrase"the biggest danger to a govt, is a person that can think for themselves"
> love that one



I would not use the term extreme.

Cynic yes, more of a skeptic as well as also a critical observer of people and their nature.

His distrust and dislike of government would only be surpassed today by contempt and horror of most who quote him...maybe even myself.  lol

In my not so humble opinion .. He would probably detest and crucify the small frauds and kooks who push small government today.


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## TNHarley (Sep 21, 2013)

Dante said:


> TNHarley said:
> 
> 
> > he was a little extreme from some of the things he said.. but I agree with a lot of it..
> ...



extreme is very subjective bro
frauds was the key word


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## Dante (Sep 21, 2013)

TNHarley said:


> Dante said:
> 
> 
> > TNHarley said:
> ...



Well some of Mencken's stuff were Extreme, like Sahara of the Bozart, that one and a few other pieces had Maryland Shore folks wanting to seriously lynch or tar and feather HLM. 

But Mencken himself was no extremist. He was very conservative in his famuly life and parts of his social life.  He was also very liberal in many things. 

He was a priduct of his time and upbringing, yet he transcended his time. His stuff is televant today.


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## TNHarley (Sep 21, 2013)

agreed
idk think he was an extremist, just said some extreme things
like you said earlier, people say things but act another way


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## Unkotare (Sep 21, 2013)

Why would this be in the Philosophy section?


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## Dante (Sep 21, 2013)

Unkotare said:


> Why would this be in the Philosophy section?



If you have to ask....please stfu?

Okay...see the OP


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## Unkotare (Sep 21, 2013)

He wasn't a philosopher.


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## Dante (Sep 21, 2013)

Unkotare said:


> He wasn't a philosopher.



Mencken had a philosophy of life and he was nore a philosopher than you are a contributer to the human race.  See?


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## Unkotare (Sep 22, 2013)

Dante said:


> Unkotare said:
> 
> 
> > He wasn't a philosopher.
> ...





Nope.


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## Dante (Sep 22, 2013)

Of course, [MENTION=31918]Unkotare[/MENTION] is busy shielding herself from microwave signals from the nsa


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## Unkotare (Sep 22, 2013)

I didn't expect you to have anything more than a non-sequitur to offer...


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## loa (Sep 22, 2013)

Unkotare has a point - HLM was a satirist and critic more than a philosopher.  

I agree everyone has a philosophy. It seems Mencken followed Nietzsche for his, but I think he turned it into an ideology more than a philosophy.  Mencken was a fairly rigid thinker. 

HLM quote on philosophers:  Philosophy consists very largely of one philosopher arguing that all others are jackasses. He usually proves it, and I should add that he also usually proves that he is one himself.

K


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## Dante (Sep 22, 2013)

Mencken and Nietzsche? I doubt very much Henry turned a love of all things Nietzsche into an ideology. 

What is rigid is Unk's view and your support


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## loa (Sep 22, 2013)

*I doubt very much Henry turned a love of all things Nietzsche into an ideology*

I've often thought his views on individualism were heavily influenced by Nietzsche, but I'm no expert on either of them.   

By the way, I wasn't using the term 'rigid' as a value term - more like descriptive, as I intended no negative by saying.


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## Unkotare (Sep 22, 2013)

Dante said:


> What is rigid is Unk's view and your support





You're a dead guy nuthugger.


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## Dante (Jan 17, 2014)

loa said:


> Unkotare has a point - HLM was a satirist and critic more than a philosopher.
> 
> I agree everyone has a philosophy. It seems Mencken followed Nietzsche for his, but I think he turned it into an ideology more than a philosophy.  Mencken was a fairly rigid thinker.
> 
> ...



Taking HLM out of context is no better than taking Thomas Jefferson out of context


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## Dante (Jan 17, 2014)

http://www.usmessageboard.com/politics/331882-libertarians-and-the-gop-17.html#post8474008

[youtube]QpGzpqU-b04[/youtube]

25:25 into it Mencken speaks of his support for the idea of unions for the working man, something most every single nitwit libertarian and whacko rightwinger here is clueless about


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