Insight Into The Mind Of The Left
Nick Stuart ·
Mar 20, 2011 at 8:56pm
Lee Stranahan on the Huffington Post with an unremarkable blog about the mainstream media ignoring threats of violence and death against Wisconsin politicians (unremarkable except to the extent that it is on the Huffington Post).
Take a few minutes to sample the comments on this blog. They run a gamut from "they have it coming" to "so's Fox, nyaah, nyaah"
A disturbing view into the mind of the Left.
- Comment (30)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (2)
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
Comments :
Jun '10
Re: Insight Into The Mind Of The Left
Relativism is central to liberalism. Their causes are imbued with sanctity--thus, they can do anything or say anything they like to advance them and still, in their confused minds, maintain the moral highground.
Conservative causes are, by definition, cynical and evil--thus, conservatives who try to advance their causes are not simply wrong, they're evil. And you can do anything you like to stop evil people, including threatening violence.
The liberal mind a work is a wondrous (but not beautiful) thing to see.
May '10
Re: Insight Into The Mind Of The Left
The absence of reporting on the incivility of the Wisconsin protesters reinforces what was already obvious to some: the misbehavior of those pursuing collectivist aims is excusable or isn't worthy of concern or emphasis, given the morality of the aims in question. However, when the objectives are anti-collectivist ones, then they become devoid of moral content and the misbehavior of those pursuing those ends should be scrutinized and broadcasted.
Oct '10
Re: Insight Into The Mind Of The Left
To be honest. . .we do this too. I mean, even I occasionally spiral down to a paranoid groupthink state, despite being fairly moderate. Especially on important issues like Wisconsin. There's a tribal aspect to this, too. It's the nature of partisanship.
Jun '10
Re: Insight Into The Mind Of The Left
Joseph: I agree that both sides do it, but as I and Michael posted above, I believe there is a fundamental difference. LIberals, who subscribe to their ideology as though it's a religion, believe conservatives are evil. With obvious exceptions, I believe the conservative mindset is different. (In my case, my religion is my religion--conservatism is the way I look at the world). Thus, we may, for good reason, believe liberal positions are stupid, but most of us don't paint liberals as evil.
Obamacare is a good example. To liberals, conservatives want to kill people (e.g, Anthony Weiner and Alan Grayson). As a conservative, I believe liberals really believe they're accomplishing something good--I think that's stupid, innumerate, and irrational, but I don't think they're evil.
Edited on Mar 20, 2011 at 6:38pmJul '10
Re: Insight Into The Mind Of The Left
We should keep in mind that HuffPo commenters are a self selecting group of mainly far left wackjobs, who are as far away from, say, Mickey Kaus as you and I are from John Birch.
May '10
Re: Insight Into The Mind Of The Left
Mistaken Post, damn you IE9
Edited on Mar 20, 2011 at 10:32pmFeb '11
Re: Insight Into The Mind Of The Left
Uhm...you're surprised by this?
Eons ago I would comment on leftist oriented sites- and I still read one of them, just to see if anything has changed. Nope.
They're vile. My willingness to subject myself to that was limited and yet still I think I've suffered a permanent damage to my ability to engage in polite conversation with normal, rational people on the internet- such as most or all people here. I just spent too much time playing nasty.
Shrug. So I'll keep my nasty mouth shut here- mostly- and enjoy the great podcasts.
Nov '10
Re: Insight Into The Mind Of The Left
I disagree only in the assessment that the article (as opposed to its placement) is unremarkable. You're right that the story about dishonesty in leftwing media is unremarkable, but I think the story within the story -- Lee S's personal evolution -- is pretty remarkable. I believe he is undergoing a very common change these days as the scales fall from his eyes, but what is remarkable is his consciousness of the process (Many who make this transition are unaware until they look back on things years later) and that he is willing to open his thoughts like this to peers likely to stone him for apostacy. Surely he understands the gravity of his treason to the cause.
Edited on Mar 21, 2011 at 5:56amSep '10
Re: Insight Into The Mind Of The Left
This was a courageous post. Stranahan is a left-leaning liberal, not a leftist. Leftists are the ones who have long ago decided they are right and the ends justify the means. Shanahan is making the mistake ( for someone on that side) of being rational and objective. Breitbart has given him a glimpse of what it is like to be on our side.
The reaction on the left to apostasy is much more virulent than when one of ours goes squishy. This is because of the left's dependence on post-modernist philosophy and their own psychological needs to maintain their illusions.
In post modernism, there is no truth, there is only perception of truth, therefore how their side perceives truth is tantamount to truth itself and essential to advancing the overall agenda. When one of their own challenges the "truth", that person must be demonized - something is wrong with him or her, because if truth is perception you can't really argue the facts and maintain post-modernist ideas.
Ironic that the left is so invested in belief systems and cult-like behavior and is always claiming to be on the side of "reality" and science.
Edited on Mar 21, 2011 at 5:58amJun '10
Re: Insight Into The Mind Of The Left
When Barack Obama was elected in the ridiculous slobbering love affair of 2008, I realized just how much sheer power the left has in this country. It is able to drive every major story that they want or need to. It is a propaganda coup to be able to drive the Tucson shooting one way and the Wisconsin rent-a-thug story the other.
Such self confidence and insouciance is the mark of the truly powerful. I wonder if this era right now is their high-water mark -- I hope so. But, remember just how far back this goes: during the cold war the left spent enormous capital to keep Communism more respectable than Nazism. Really, that is an enormous feat. They developed huge muscles during that fight. That's why Bill Ayers and Angela Davis are where they are. That's why Joe McCarthy died in ignominy.
The story is not the story.
Jun '10
Re: Insight Into The Mind Of The Left
tabula rasa
I believe liberals really believe they're accomplishing something good--I think that's stupid, innumerate, and irrational, but I don't think they're evil.
I'm starting to.
Mar '11
Re: Insight Into The Mind Of The Left
To be fair, this kind of thing can be found on both sides. Its just harder to tell the crazy liberals from the more rational ones because they're all pretty wrong to a certain degree.
The Left's continuing dominance of the media is of little consequence. Web-based news sources are contiuing to out-compete the media, and websites like the Drudge Report clearly beat-out left-leaning websites.
Sep '10
Re: Insight Into The Mind Of The Left
Abdiel:
The Left's continuing dominance of the media is of little consequence. Web-based news sources are contiuing to out-compete the media, and websites like the Drudge Report clearly beat-out left-leaning websites. · Mar 21 at 8:15am
I disagree. For those who are informed and active this is true. But most Americans don't follow politics or stories closely yet they vote like anyone of us. They get their news from David Letterman, Joy Behar, Jon Stewart, Sean Penn and Katie Couric there are many more people like that than all the lefties and righties on the internet combined.
Nov '10
Re: Insight Into The Mind Of The Left
Who are you talking about?
Jan '11
Re: Insight Into The Mind Of The Left
To All Above
Fourteen comments and not a single mention in any of them of the word "Democrat."
Plenty of "Liberal," "Progressive," "Left," "Collectivist" and "Left-Liberal" but no "Democrat."
Who do you folks vote against every other November? What party do you think those posters on Huff-Po belong to - the Collectivist Party?
Go back and read the Huff-Po thread. See how many times the word "Republican" appears in comments. They may be moonbats, but they know who their enemy is and whom they should disparage. And they ain't shy about it.
We urge the Obama government to identify the Islamist terrorist threat that exists in the world, but we appear oddly diffident about identifying the source of our domestic problems, preferring instead to cite amorphous political philosophies and leanings.
As if Detroit, Newark and Camden are "man-caused disasters."
Elect no Democrat anywhere, ever.
Edited on Mar 21, 2011 at 10:22amNov '10
Re: Insight Into The Mind Of The Left
Long shoreman philosopher Eric Hoffer explained the mind of the left in his 1951 classic The True Believer — Thoughts On The Nature Of Mass Movements.
True believers are the engine of mass movements which appeal to a special type of mind. Hoffer says, "All movements however different in doctrine and aspiration draw their achievements from the same type of humanity; they all appeal to the same types of mind."
That type of mind is a selfish and frustrated one that will lash out ferociously at its perceived enemy. Anyone opposed to the movement is the enemy. True believers are incapable of debating the merits of their cause because they view all who disagree to be a vile enemy that must be defeated by any means necessary.
Hoffer says, “Mass movements can arise and spread without belief in a God, but never without belief in a devil."
Conservatives, members of the Tea Party, Republicans, etc. are not just political opponents to the left. They are the devil. Nothing is too bad for them.
Edited on Mar 21, 2011 at 10:13amNov '10
Re: Insight Into The Mind Of The Left
Freesmith: To All Above
Elect no Democrat anywhere, ever. · Mar 21 at 10:07am
Sir, you are right. Sadly, I say. There was a time when there were Democrats who debated, who believed in their country and wanted the best for it. I don’t know where they’ve gone, but gone they are. The posers who now live under that name are a lawless and dangerous bunch. Only if they are soundly defeated (at the ballot box) will we ever see a new Democrat arise. This is truly a party that must be destroyed in order to save it.
Edited on Mar 21, 2011 at 10:26amOct '10
Re: Insight Into The Mind Of The Left
tabula rasa
Joseph: I agree that both sides do it, but as I and Michael posted above, I believe there is a fundamental difference. LIberals, who subscribe to their ideology as though it's a religion, believe conservatives are evil. With obvious exceptions, I believe the conservative mindset is different. (In my case, my religion is my religion--conservatism is the way I look at the world). Thus, we may, for good reason, believe liberal positions are stupid, but most of us don't paint liberals as evil.
To be honest. . .intellectually, I know even far-left liberals aren't evil. On the other hand, I never got to attend public school; the charters that finally popped up were harassed by liberal California bureaucrats; and for half of my life, people thought homeschoolers were all religious fundamentalists.
So, I can understand thinking the other side is evil. It's hard to remember that the San Francisco culture hell doesn't represent all liberals. Intellectually, I also know that this sort of thing happens on all sides, given the sheer geographic diversity we have in politics. It only takes a handful of corrupt politicians, really.
Still, remembering that can be hard.
Nov '10
Re: Insight Into The Mind Of The Left
Joseph Eagar
Intellectually, I also know that this sort of thing happens on all sides,
· Mar 21 at 10:26am
At what point does this sort of vapid moral equivalence get tiresome? Quite a while ago would be my answer.
Jan '11
Re: Insight Into The Mind Of The Left
TeeJaw
Thank you. I appreciated your reference to Hoffer and "The True Believer." Perhaps you'll appreciate mine:
Blood-dimmed hate is always in the world. My concern is not that the worst are full of passionate intensity; it is that the best lack all conviction.
Why is the falconer so reticent?