"Come on! That's 'belittlement through cuteness' and a very weird set of associations."

That point is marginal to the original argument, while it is central to the reply. That is the problem.

It may seem to be an aside from his calculations and charts, but it was used to set up a false dichotomy, by suggesting that 'The Others', this 'Fantasy Opposition' just want to live in a Sweet, Cheery Revival of 'Little House on the Prairie'. While various folks want certain aspects of life from earlier days that seemed to be workable and fun, this is all collated into some massive group of 'Reversalists'..

I listen to Bach, Ray Charles and Phish, I usually cut wood with a handsaw, and I'm designing a robot that can look for satellites (Home use only). If you want to stick a label on me, better make it a good one. No matter how good his sources were for other data, this use of describing people struck a blow to his essay's credibility. Maybe he just tossed those comments off casually.. but that's almost worse.

.. It's possible that I missed your point, however. What was the problem you were concerned about?

Bob

"The weighty issues must be handled with lightness, while the 'little things' must be regarded with a great seriousness."