Is Michael Turton worth following? [Blog ENDED - September 2018]

I will say this – I found his last post to be rather pompous. Senators, presidents, prime ministers, senior bureaucrats etc. have written less self-aggrandizing farewells. :rofl:

And the list? Knee-jerk left with one or two notable exceptions.

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haven’t read it. Not that one, not the others. I guess I started a couple of his posts but I don’t have for it I guess.

In my experience, arrogance is manifest in an air of superiority, braggadociosness (Trumpism), patronizing words, a preachy attitude – in the sense that one knows best, interrupting others, even thinking others care enough to post a blog (haha). In terms of arrogant actions, words are the most common means of showing arrogance. Negative “emotives” are relevant here (see Reddy’s writings, although they address this kind of speech act in a tangential manner). P.S. the previous sentence was for both instructive and demonstrate purposes, as is this one :joy::joy::joy:.

I agree with the observations of the quotations below:

His blog is closing! Thank God!

The link below is the best thing Taipei Times has ever published. One of their scribes, in so few words, totally disarmed Turton:

I don’t have much to say about Turton, just, if he was worth following he wouldn’t live in Taizhung County.

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But wait a second… one thing is to stop writing and a totally different one is to take it down. What is he going to do? It would be weird and stupid to close it down.

I dislike his bashing of Reagan—the article states – “Since [Ronald] Reagan it’s been an obvious train wreck.

Whether you like or dislike Reagan, you can not discount his impact. His sunny, big-tent conservatism ensures his place in history.

Whether it was winning the Cold War through outspending the Soviets and hardline rhetoric, his openness to Cold War liberals-turned Neoconservatives, his regulatory deregulation (starting with Carter but accelerating under Reagan), and his contribution to democracy in Taiwan: Political violence in Taiwan - #3 by Comrade_Stalin, he deserves respect, not idiotic soundbites by political blowhards. Such one-liners, devoid of substance, made that blog often second rate.

Historical debate often needs balanced perspectives. While it improved, overall that blog was certainly not balanced. It was overrated by foreigners that shared his one-sided views.

As a human being very kind, knows Taiwan up and down and gave his life to what he thought was the best for Taiwan. His most enjoyable writing involved good tips for bike trips, cultural observations, photos of daily life. As a political writer, had valid insights into Taiwan politics and did a good job dissecting pro China bias in western media, but lost all credibility by hitching his political wagon to Trumps right wing advisors and yelling at everyone that didn’t agree with his myopic worldview as capitulationist.

He would write 10 pages of detailed vitriol against any politician not on his own team, but lacked the courage to criticize the neocon advisors he knew he needed to cuddle up to in order to further his push for independence. If questioned, would either resort to ad hominem attacks (so and so is a moron) or childish sarcastic barbs. Unable to entertain ideas he didn’t agree with or handle criticism without lashing out. Too bad, because his very poignant insights into Taiwanese life were drowned out by arrogant smearing of anyone that disagreed with him as an idiot or China capitulator. Very unbalanced coverage, at the end laughable.

Like most middle aged white guys slipping in relevance, a last ditch hail mary jump on the Trump train seemed like his ticket out of obscurity and blogging. It backfired on him, and he ended up alientating would be supporters with every jabbed barb or snarky comeback.

Ill miss his posts about non political things. As a writer, disappointing sell out and locked minded. Maybe he’ll learn from it.

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Wait, so you praise him for pointing out the pro china bias in western media but at the same time criticize him for supporting the republican china hawks?

Dude can’t win.

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I was taking your post seriously until you started in with the casual racism.

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I guess I am slipping in relevance too

I was never relevant in the first place.

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I think like a lot of people he would have learnt a lot about those around him for expressing support for Trump. I doubt I could say as much for those intolerant enough not to respect his opinion.

This is funny as hell!!! As someone who supports neoconservative ideas (Scoop Jackson, Wolfowitz, Feith, etc.), I laugh at you labelling Turton as such.

Turton is a Peace-Corp-liberal-turned-Asian-backwater-academic. His simple-minded DPP-good, KMT-bad belongs in straw-hat-taike activist manuals sold for 2NT at a betel nut stand and sold in foreign expat communities by pol-sci arts graduates teaching at Kid Castle but championing independence in their hobby hours. Now that being said, he may be friendly with one or two pro-Taiwan neocons but the Taiwan Lobby is an odd mix of right and left. But Turton as a RWBW hawk. Too funny!!!

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He’s pretty consistent in supporting politicians and academics who are pro-Taiwan, regardless of their position on the political spectrum, and in spite of his own far-left politics, which shows he has a modicum of integrity, unlike certain posters…

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I don`t agree here.

_Like many long-term expats he’s not necessarily kind about the land of his birth. Asked whether the US is going to be great again, or is great already, he says: “Since [Ronald] Reagan it’s been an obvious train wreck and it’s only got worse over the last 30 years … [Donald] Trump is a horror story, an extremely powerful buffoon. Hillary [Clinton] is a disaster too, she’s basically a Wall Street puppet.”http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2016/03/15/2003641603_

Let us never forget what Reagan did for Taiwan: Political violence in Taiwan - #3 by Comrade_Stalin

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I meant in regard to the cross-Strait issue. I find his views on U.S. politics mostly pretty unhinged.

He’s was in an unenviable position. He’s got leftist ideals but realizes the only politicians that might forward his cause are right wing conservatives. Go back and read his writing about neocons during the Iraq war. He labeled them imbeciles, morons, etc. Now read his recent writing about the same people. Somehow he found a way to overlook their flaws when during the W era he would tear them to shreds.

You can’t selectively leave out info based on your agenda. Can you ever think of a time when he called Trump, Navarro, et al out? Oh, Bolton is fine.

Once you cave in and compromise your ideals, you can’t be a credible journalist. That’s why he got tuned out. A real progressive would have said yes the cause of Democracy is great but we cannot support the current regime and they are not trustworthy. Instead he chose to call names, label everyone that didn’t defer to his inherent genius as idiots, and lost his readership.

You don’t praise yourself for futhering democracy and then write yellow biased pieces to suit an agenda at the same time. It’s why he cannot be taken seriously.

Anyone can be a leftist when they’re not invested in political outcomes.

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This is interesting and food for thought.

For now I would say that he was thinking and writing in context. That is what allows one to condemn a party for the Iraq war and later on praise them challenging china. These were points made in context.

I just see his ideology all over the place. He is anti-TPP and trade deals in general without realising the TPP can be seen as a great counterweight to China. Or that trade deals are great mechanisms for dispute resolution, environment, labour, etc. Likewise, his viewpoints on the Sunflower movement were super naive in the extreme and not grounded in reality.

Such articles in the Taipei Times make him sound like an old school leftist with an oversized ego. It is all about him.

I would respect him if he were a Taiwan-studies prof from Europe or the US (and less big mouthed on the issues). Or if he actually worked in government, think tank, military etc.

He is neither. He comes across as an amateur albeit a great travel bike-ride writer.