A comment from a reader
Something I've long thought intriguing about Leftists is that the more well-read ones tend to talk a great deal about alienation, lifting it straight out of Marx, and how evil capitalism is the source of all of our alienation.
What I find intriguing about this is it seems that the Leftists eagerly push for things that are bound to produce alienation. In the US, they really like to push a loathing of our history and in particular a loathing of the concept of patriotism. They talk endlessly about the values of "diversity", want as many immigrants as possible, and recoil violently against notions such as a national language. They despise churches. They despise large sporting events. They despise ideas about "core knowledge" as espoused by E.D. Hirsch.
All of these are things that connect people to their fellow citizens. Actually, in the US I am beginning to believe that church attendance remains strong simply because many people are looking for a way of connecting to their fellow citizens.
Even leftist spirituality, and by that I mean the concoction of new age doctrines that find some popularity amongst many leftists, is itself a very narcissistic and isolated approach to spirituality. God (or enlightenment) is to be found INSIDE. Turn IN.
Posted by John Ray. For a daily critique of Leftist activities, see DISSECTING LEFTISM. For a daily survey of Australian politics, see AUSTRALIAN POLITICS Also, don't forget your roundup of Obama news and commentary at OBAMA WATCH
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Back in the '70s, I worked for a major daily newspaper. Somehow, the women found out that the men were making $100 more a week in each pay category. When they pressed the company, the reason given was because men had families to support. The fact that employment figures for the company showed a 2 to 1 ratio of women and that more than 50% of those women were single moms trying to support one or more kids had not penetrated the 5th floor (top management/publisher's offices). We got active to change this pay disparity issue. At no time was I aware of the political leanings of any of those women. We were all on the same page called fairness and equity. And no one, absolutely no one, blamed the President or Congress. It was a local issue and it meant reeducating a publisher who was at that time in his 70s and still operating on pre-WWII ideas.
ReplyDeleteDuring this same time, on the national level, Watergate was happening and to hear people talk today, it was massively important. We noted it, maybe even talked about it, but not as Republicans and Democrats, but as Americans wondering what effect it would have on our individual lives. The answer was pretty much none and we went back to discussing our jobs, our families, what our kids were doing, etc. There was no talk of Nixon as evil. If anything, we were sad that it all happened to America.
During the Carter years, things were very very bad for all of us. Young families priced out of buying homes because of 18% interest rates. Long gas lines. No Christmas lights. And still, with all the grumbling, I never heard anyone call Carter evil. We thought he was a terrible president, but not evil. The main comment was, we'll have to weather this and pull together. We set about establishing carpool bulletin boards and other ways to help each other.
Today, with the Internet, we have become isolated as individuals while at the same time having this tremendous tool that gives us access to the entire world. The isolation, and I saw an article that said that upwards of 30% of Americans have no other interaction with people except thru the Net, has given us the feeling that EVERYONE thinks a certain way.
Those of us who are older remember that it isn't really that way, but the subsequent generations have no basis to remember it any different. Cable news aggravates this. Every little negative is magnified and within hours the question is asked, "what is the President going to do about this?" Every missing child is magnified to the point that we are sure our child is next. Every man is a pedophile or rapist, every woman is a slut or worse.
We're told we are bad parents if we don't do this or that, it is assumed that we all cheat and lie and probably steal to get what we want.
I have been one of the isolated ones in the past few years due to my back disability. I realized I was falling into this trap. In fact, so much so, that when I went to a big friends and family picnic, it amazed me how little all the people there knew or cared what was going on in Washington. What was wrong with these people, I asked myself. And then suddenly I realized the question should be, what is wrong with me that I would think less of my closest friends and family because they didn't know that Kerry said this, or Bush did that, or Obama was this or that, etc.
We forget, in our isolation, that there are huge segments of the population who are going to church on Sunday and socializing with each other. We forget that moms and dads are still sitting in the bleachers eating dust while cheering on their Little Leaguers. We forget that winning the big game on Friday night is still primary for the high schooler. We forget that our own kids screw up sometimes and we deal with it and move on, but that it doesn't mean they should be thrown into the adult system and treated like incorrigible criminals. And then we turn on the TV or go to the Net and find out that even pre-schoolers are not too young to be expelled for sexual harassment or drawing a picture of a cowboy with a six shooter or to be tasered for taking a child's temper tantrum, or be prosecuted for some infraction that in bygone years would have gotten us a good paddling and maybe bed without dinner.
We listen with rapt attention to those who live in cities like New York or Washington and their hardline against anyone who even acts human and not up to their preset ideal and forget that it might all sound good in the abstract, but is absolutely stupid in the real world implementation. We glorify violence in video games, movies and music to make money on the sale, and then turn around and treat a 5 year old or 10 year old, or teen as some kind of monster because he or she got carried away having fun.
We are seeing it this week big time. How many blogs have you read where commenters or the blogger is saying, "I will not support the Olympics because of China's tactics and politics?" They won't watch, they won't buy Olympic merchandise because it is China hosting the games. They actually think they are taking the noble position. There is nothing noble about ruining someone's dreams or discounting the years of hard work they've put into being the best of the best. And there is nothing noble in hurting the American Olympic program by refusing to buy merchandise where the sales help support the program because you somehow think it is going to hurt China. China doesn't care, but our young American Olympic hopefuls do because it is their dream.
Every time there is a triumph, we cannot enjoy it without hearing, "well, let's remember that it isn't like this outside the stadium, blah, blah, blah," as if the accomplishment has no meaning in and of itself. Every military success has to be tempered with, "well things may be better here, but what about over there?"
I'm sorry this is such a long rant, but it is a subject that drives me nuts, especially when it ensnares me in the game. I want to scream, "I'm a good person, I care about my family, my country, my friends, I am not an evil person just because I'm a Republican, because first of all I'm a child of God, a proud American, and a compassionate and friendly individual, yet I've been called the worst possible names because I'm a "rightie." Isolation in an open world of communication.
I should have saved all my rant and just posted this link:
ReplyDeleteA must listen!
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=34724897
Hmmm... Most of the places in the US that I've lived in have been de facto "diverse" in the sense of having large groups of several different ethnic groups. This was already a fact. They were "mutlicultural". So celebrating "multiculturalism" was like deciding to celebrate the force of gravity. And championing the idea of diversity would be more a way of reconciling with the existing society, going against alienation from that society. Similarly, in most places I've lived, the "English first" people tended to be alienated from the culture around them and pining for a theoretical culture that doesn't exist any more. In other words, there's a difference between stumping for alienation and just accepting reality.
ReplyDelete