thoughts on walt whitman

BS.

I never have supported that.

Minimalist government is shit whichever wing does it.

West Europe and Sweden are seeing the early atages of what will become the full penalty for undergoverning immigrants and Islam.

Its not different to saying parenting is done best by not parenting at all. Its a cringe saying the cring right wing libs primarily use and so do an-coms of the left.

Walt whitman archives

What kind of man who was a quaker, yet says "the best government is that which governs the least" (Gathering 1:60)

Walt Whitman was a poet who died back in the 1800s, and anybody who can get bunged up about his political views today, needs to get a life.

Yet also contridicted himself in some ways and never saw it as an evil.

Do I contradict myself?Very well then I contradict myself,(I am large, I contain multitudes.)

So you think it is evil when you contradict yourself?

What are your thoughts on such a man?

Discuss/debate

My thoughts are he's a great poet from another century, his political views don't matter, and it's almost creepy that you are looking for a line in one of his poems so you can declare him evil.

Get a grip.

Walt Whitman was a radical democrat who was deeply engaged with the politics of his time, though his views were often complex, inconsistent, and evolved throughout his life

. While his poetry celebrated democratic ideals and equality, his personal racial attitudes were often prejudiced, reflecting the views of many white Americans during the 19th century. 

Walt Whitman was a radical democrat who was deeply engaged with the politics of his time, though his views were often complex, inconsistent, and evolved throughout his life

. While his poetry celebrated democratic ideals and equality, his personal racial attitudes were often prejudiced, reflecting the views of many white Americans during the 19th century. 

Oh, well when you put it that way...so what?

Walt Whitman was considered a controversial author due to his overtly sensual and sexual content in Leaves of Grass, which shocked and offended many readers of his time. He was also viewed as controversial for his rejection of traditional poetry forms and for his private writings, which contained racist and elitist views, contradicting the egalitarian spirit of much of his published work. These aspects of his writing led to his work being banned from libraries and even cost him a government job. 

Walt Whitman was considered a controversial author due to his overtly sensual and sexual content in Leaves of Grass, which shocked and offended many readers of his time. He was also viewed as controversial for his rejection of traditional poetry forms and for his private writings, which contained racist and elitist views, contradicting the egalitarian spirit of much of his published work. These aspects of his writing led to his work being banned from libraries and even cost him a government job. 

170 years later, I'm over it.

Walt Whitman faced public "disgrace" in his time 

due to the controversial content of his poetry, particularly the explicit and homoerotic themes in Leaves of Grass. His unconventional style and subject matter scandalized Victorian-era readers and critics who considered his work immoral and obscene. 

Walt Whitman faced public "disgrace" in his time 

due to the controversial content of his poetry, particularly the explicit and homoerotic themes in Leaves of Grass. His unconventional style and subject matter scandalized Victorian-era readers and critics who considered his work immoral and obscene. 

It's been a century and a half, you really need to get past it.

When Walt Whitman upsets you, take deep breaths and count to ten, maybe close your eyes and think of a happy place.

The perception of Walt Whitman as a "dirty old man" 

stems from his explicitly sexual and homoerotic poetry, which scandalized 19th-century society and continues to draw debate today. While his contemporaries accused him of obscenity, modern interpretations grapple with his relationships, his frank treatment of sexuality, and whether his interest in young men crossed ethical lines. 

Breathe in, breathe out, one, breath in, breath out, two, breathe in, breathe out, three...

Reading Walt Withman’s books can often leave a man breathless, especially those who take him literally.

Some stuff I can agree on,

'The American Civil War, or World War 'One.

I sometimes wonder if naming some wars something else would be better.

I also wonder what the highest numbered war is.

"Whitman called it the "Secession War" or preferably the "Union War"—rarely the "Civil War"—confident at least in his public writing that the Union would ultimately survive."

https://whitmanarchive.org/item/encyclopedia_entry599

I think I disagree with him on conscription, though I am unsure about people paying to avoid it.

Some people are arguably 'worth more for their money, than their value as a soldier,

Course on another hand, one can make a vested interest or fairness argument.

If a rich influential individual has to serve or have a family member serve in war, and not be able to pay their way out. Might make them more cautious about supporting or forcing other people into war.

"He fervently supported the first national military conscription law passed by the 37th Congress in early 1863, even though he was disappointed that it was not a universal draft (men won exemption either by paying substitutes or by paying three hundred dollars outright)"

https://whitmanarchive.org/item/encyclopedia_entry599

"Song of Myself, 51 by Walt Whitman

The past and present wilt—I have fill’d them, emptied them.

And proceed to fill my next fold of the future.

Listener up there! what have you to confide to me?

Look in my face while I snuff the sidle of evening,

(Talk honestly, no one else hears you, and I stay only a minute longer.)

Do I contradict myself?

Very well then I contradict myself,

(I am large, I contain multitudes.)

I concentrate toward them that are nigh, I wait on the door-slab.

Who has done his day’s work? who will soonest be through with his supper?

Who wishes to walk with me?

Will you speak before I am gone? will you prove already too late?"

https://poets.org/poem/song-myself-51

I think I like the contradiction part in the poem, I think it's often true of people and life, that such often have various contradictions and contesting forces.

Walt Whitman's work, particularly his collection 

Leaves of Grass, generated controversy in the 19th century due to its frank and overt depictions of sexuality and sensuality, which were considered obscene and shocking at the time. 

The reasons people, both in his era and today, focus on this aspect of his work can be summarized as:

1. Explicit Content: Whitman wrote openly about the human body, physical desire, and sex in a way that broke Victorian-era social taboos. His poetry was described as "too sensual" and "pornographic" by some critics, leading to some libraries banning the book and attempts to suppress its publication.
2. Homoeroticism: The "Calamus" poems in Leaves of Grass, in particular, deal explicitly with love and affection between men. This open discussion of same-sex relationships was extremely daring for the time and has led many to believe Whitman was gay or bisexual. Modern readers, especially those in the LGBTQ+ community, appreciate his work as a pioneering expression of queer identity and an important part of early queer literature.
3. Celebration of the Body: Whitman's philosophy held that the human body and its appetites were sacred and divine, not something to be ashamed of. He used his poetry to challenge societal norms that viewed the body as vile. To him, every part of the body was "hearty and clean".
4. Challenging "Respectability": Whitman's writing and public persona were seen as an affront to middle-class respectability. His "rough-hewn" image and the natural, free-verse style of his poetry were a stark contrast to the formal, decorous literature of the day, which made his ideas seem even more radical and "lawless" to some.
5. "Perversion" as a Subjective Term: The term "pervert" reflects the rigid sexual morality of the 19th century. Whitman would likely argue that social restrictions, not the body itself, are what is "perverted". His work forced his contemporary audience to confront their own discomfort with the body and sexuality. 

Ultimately, what was considered "perverted" by some in the 19th century is now celebrated by many as courageous frankness, a celebration of the human form, and an early, important expression of gay love. 

Reading Walt Withman’s books can often leave a man breathless, especially those who take him literally.

I'm thinking that people who take poetry literally are just too stupid to remember to breathe.

People turn breathless because 

their bodies are not getting enough oxygen or cannot effectively remove carbon dioxide. This can stem from physical exertion, environmental factors, or underlying medical conditions affecting the heart, lungs, and blood. 

People don't actually "forget" to breathe in a way that leads to genuine, dangerous breathlessness under normal circumstances, because 

breathing is primarily an automatic, involuntary process controlled by the brainstem. The sensation of "forgetting" to breathe and subsequently feeling breathless is typically a conscious awareness of normal, automatic breathing interruptions or changes in breathing patterns caused by factors like intense focus, stress, or underlying health conditions. 

What do you know about it, Chatbots don't breathe.

If chatbots could breathe, 

it would fundamentally change their nature, shifting them from purely software entities to physical, biological, or hybrid entities with physical limitations and a path toward greater human-like perception and interaction. This hypothetical scenario has implications for their function, design, and our perception of them.

Well, this turned weird.

Meh.

What kind of man who was a quaker, yet says "the best government is that which governs the least" (Gathering 1:60)

The kind that writes poetry on vegetation. (idk I never read Leaves of Grass)

Why are Leaves of Grass controversial?

Walt Whitman – Leaves of Grass

Its sexual references and homoeroticism were the main cause for concern among its opponents. The book was labeled “obscene,” “too sensual” and “shocking.” The outrage that Whitman's work generated caused bookstores, libraries and schools to ban the collection of poems.