Saturday, November 10, 2007

Another Whiny Liberal

RightWingNation is on a roll, getting two links from me in a row--this one from a whiny liberal appears to lack so much in the way of intellect or even common sense:

I’m a little bit tired. I’m a little bit tired of arguing about why equality is important. Why human rights matter. Why poverty is not ok.

I’m a little bit tired of spending so much of my time defending the most basic principles of what I stand for. It serves to distract. What I need is a safer space where I don’t lose so much energy justifying why social and environmental justice are worth spending a lot of society’s money on.

What I want is a space where these ideas are a given and the debate is about how best to actualize them. Where a frank discussion about the nature of power and who gains and who loses by not changing things is as necessary as air. I want to be challenged to be the most radical humanitarian in the room. Instead of rolling around in a fog that dangerously confuses the over-policing of some with ‘freedom’ and where indifference is rewarded. I want to be inspired by the good and the great to imagine what is possible – in that place where all life prospers.

Standard fare for the left is to build straw men and then tear them down. Look at the first paragraph--who, exactly, doesn't support equality? Actually, it's the American Left and their international brothers, which is why the left balkanizes society and openly attempts to make some groups more equal than others. What has the left done regarding human rights? And yes, that's a serious question. What has the left done to alleviate poverty? How's that Great Society War on Poverty, which is as old as I am, going lately?

Note the 2nd paragraph: he wants to spend society's money on his pet causes. If society were spending money, and not the government, I'd be ok with it. But no, I don't want my government taking my money to fund his socialism.

So yes, whiner, you do need to justify why it's important. If your arguments have merit, you'll persuade others; if they don't, which seems more likely if his post is indicative of his skills, we can understand clearly why he wishes his points were a given instead of having to justify them.

I wish everyone understood the value and necessity of personal freedom. Since plenty don't, though, I'm not going to whine about having to advocate for those values--because they're important enough to me to talk about.

1 comment:

Ellen K said...

To paraphrase a president, I guess it depends on what your definition of equality is. If you mean true equality, then Congresspersons and ex Vice Presidents ride on the same public transport as the rest of us and suffer the same lines and security. But if you mean "fair" equality as in the liberal determination of the word, you mean equality that is determined by the perceived righteousness of your cause. Therefore, according to these views, it is not "fair" equality to help Israel arm itself against attacks, but it is "fair" to look the other way when Hamas allows its radical arm to continue attacks on Israeli civilians.