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Rationalizations don’t have to make sense
President Obama often said that he was confident in the success of his leftist policies because modern progressives “…are on the right side of history”. I always thought that was just a clever way to acknowledge the obvious flaws in his thinking, while convincing people to do as he says anyway: “Yeah, I know this goes against your ethics, patriotism, experience, religion, and logic. But all those things are temporary. Once we change all those things to something else, then believe me, you’ll wish you had just agreed with us initially.”
I think that President Obama is remarkably ignorant of history, but he seems at least to have gained an understanding of history on the level of comedian Norm MacDonald, who observed, “It says here in this history book that luckily, the good guys have won every single time. What are the odds?” Obama knew that once the left controlled education and entertainment and the media, that they could make anything sound rational. Absolutely anything. Even sex change operations for confused children. Or whatever.
The left uses this technique a lot when trying to get people to agree to things that don’t make any sense.
– “We want you to drive electric cars. You don’t want them, but the weather will be better 500 years from now. Probably.”
– “Give us half your money. You could make better use of it yourself right now, of course. But someday there will be no racism. Maybe.”
– “You should stop eating chicken & beef, and start eating bugs. That might make you sick, but it might make the planet healthier someday. Perhaps.”
“Queers Against Israeli Apartheid” March (Wikimedia Commons)
As you may have noticed, the immediate harm is rationalized by possible benefits at some undefined point in the future. They just provide something for their believers to believe in. It doesn’t even have to make sense. In fact, it probably doesn’t make sense.
Which, I suppose, makes sense. We’re all prone to doing whatever we want, and then rationalizing it with theoretical justifications that are comforting to us, even if they don’t make any sense.
I don’t drink too much bourbon. I just treat my hypertension with over the counter drugs. Like, for example, bourbon. Which makes sense. Well, it makes enough sense to allow me to keep drinking, which is what I want to do anyway. So I cast no stones here. I’m just acknowledging the reality of our willingness to ignore reality. This is not a shocking revelation. This is just human nature.
When Republican leaders attempt to refute progressive insanity by pointing out its conflict with reality, I don’t think this really helps. I think it might help more if they instead pointed out that Democrats are simply trying to gain control by taking advantage of tendencies that we all have – the tendency to rationalize self-destructive behavior. Like opening our borders. Or abandoning fossil fuels. Or drinking too much bourbon.
I look at the violent, poverty-stricken, miserable societies in the Muslim world, and I think, “Those people are un-governable.” What a horrifying thought. What an awful, depressing, painful thought. So I have a drink of bourbon, to dull the pain. And I feel better.
And it occurs to me that perhaps the rest of us are un-governable as well.
Now that is a painful thought.
I need some bourbon. I’ll feel better. It’ll help. Really.
Published in General
I buy mine by the handle, Doc.
Nonsense. History is written by the victors, whichever side they’re on.
I was going to rant about the Dunning-Kruger effect, but Obama isn’t worth it.
Fun size!
I always think, “Wow, this will tide me by for a while.” But the next thing I know, gosh, here I am at Mike’s Liquors buying another. Hey, I get checked at least once a year…liver’s good, glucose good, cholesterol good…it’s all still good. Pass that handle over here please. Haha!
Conservatives appeal to history because we believe in learning from experience.
Liberals appeal to history because they like to imagine a future in which everyone agrees with them.
Communists are not responsible for millions dead and cultures wrecked. The social planners who turned inner cities into hellholes, the petty fascists who were completely wrong about how to deal with COVID or those who elected Biden feel no guilt for disastrous outcomes.
The righteous are better than you because of their intentions. If reality is disobedient that is just another reason to hate God. Obama personified the narcissistic, half-educated “visionary” recycling statist fantasies as if newly discovered. The enormous degree of self-satisfaction makes actual costs and obvious failures invisible. The only sin is the failure to applaud the vision.
A mumu and a wig makes a man a woman. Hamas is a harmless victim class. There is no need for a border. We don’t need fossil fuels or nuclear power to sustain our civilization. “Systemic racism” explains all…. The increasingly absurd war on reality comes with an equally absurd inflated sense of moral justification for waging it.
I once developed a nasty ear infection while on vacation. When we got home I went to the Dr. He scolded me … “This is really bad. Didn’t you do anything for it while you were away?”
I assured him that I had been self medicating with bourbon and cigars.
”Did that help?”
I had to admit … “No. But I didn’t mind so much being sick.”
And we are ungovernable. At least by the system left us by the Founders. That’s why they asserted that it was a Constitution for a moral and religious people. That it was whole unsuited for any other. If we can’t govern ourselves, eventually we’ll require a despot to do it for us.
Leftism is a religion, as such it requires no proof, only faith. Just as people find comfort in believing that God works in unfathomable ways, so Leftists believe in the Arc of History and its inevitable course. You can no more argue with a dedicated leftist than you can with a convinced Christian of any sect. At some point in your discussion you will come up to that chasm that separates those who believe from those who do not. At that point there is no point in further discussion.
Fortunately, for the preservation of our republic, many young leftists undergo a conversion when reality slaps them upside the head, and they discover that when you have a wife and children high taxes, absurdly lenient prosecutors, and lousy schools that treat your little darlings as potential or already dangerously racist foes don’t fit into your dreams of a perfect society. At that point Churchill’s prediction about youth with/without a heart, and adults with/without a brain sort of settles the score. For those who remain adamant in their leftism the halls of academia will ever remain a refuge.
Ok, now I have to go make a Manhattan before I can even read the comments.
I used Legend bourbon (wheated) and the current stock of fixings. (Carpano vermouth, Fee Bros, and an original Luxardo.) Not bad, maybe too smooth, which is probably why this bottle of Legend has made it so long. A friend gave it to me at work, he’s long gone, but salut!
Think who he is. He’s shallow, lazy, entitled, and resentful. By “right side,” he means he’s on the winning side of history.
Um, history is written by the history writers.
Who may not have actually been the victors.
This is the important part.
Lefties are just repeating talking points. And those talking points are written for maximum persuasive effect.
Talking points don’t have to be accurate. They don’t have to be correct. They don’t have to be consistent. Heck, they don’t even have to make sense. They’re just there for persuasion.
The error is in taking them seriously. It’ll drive ya to drink.
All in all, it was a pretty good Manhattan. The best I’ve ever done was with a variety of basil Hayden’s (corn and rye, I think) that essentially has port wine blended. Use half the usual vermouth with that one, but Legend held up to a full measure.
I wonder if Obama would consider “The Russian Reset”, removing of the missile defense shield from Poland/Czech Republic and “Tell Vlad I will have more flexibility” is the “right side of history”.
If we are talking Bourbon, Bulleit is my preference. I buy the big bottles are Costco. I prefer drinking my whiskey neat, and I find Bulleit to be quite pleasant in that context, drunk for flavor, not effect.
The left is at war with common sense . . .
(This is my “stating the obvious” comment for the day.)
Leftism (Marxism, that is) is a religion and it’s a gross 1A violation to establish it as the state religion at the federal, state, or local level by enforcing its tenets and punishing its heretics. It will probably have to reach the adults-in-the-room in SCOTUS to strike down such laws and they will also need to step in to reverse the rewriting by fiat of existing laws by reinterpretation, such as by replacing or scope-expanding the sexes with “gender identity.”
I like my Manhattans and Old Fashioneds made Martini style straight up, no ice. I can sip them slowly without fear of the drink getting watered down with melted ice.
I like an O/F over ice, and I’m not averse to replenishing it if necessary. But a Manhattan is the quintessential bourbon cocktail – no ice, please. Don’t even stir it.
I worked on my Manhattan all winter. Did you know there are nine cities named Manhattan in the U.S. ? I have a version of Old Fashioned with Southern Comfort and peach schnapps – I call it a Manhattan GA. So now there are ten Manhattans.
Everybody is governable – the question is “how.” Some regions are perhaps best left as a loose conglomeration of local tribes rather than a central authority. Some populations aren’t yet ready for self-rule and need colonial or local despotic rule, preferably a benevolent despot who protects property and other rights. Without a despot, they devolve into chaos and/or terror, and the Biblical (“Laws of Noah”) mandate for every society is to establish law and order.
Remember that 1970s _Happy Days_ episode when the Fonz was having difficulty babysitting unruly kids because his policy was never to hit kids and they knew it? He summoned his young teen cousin and introduced him along the lines of “The Fonz don’t hit kids. This is my cousin Chachi – he hits kids” and they quickly got in line. The Fonz could plead, but only Chachi could forcibly civilize the kids, not unlike postwar Germany and Japan.
That photo is proof that Obama can out-preen any President in American history.
On the world stage his only competition is Benito Mussolini.
You sure? I don’t think Obama with his shirt off inspires women like Putin does.
Barry’s oeuvre is garbage rhetoric. He’s good at it. He seems he’s smart enough to simultaneously let everyone know how smart he is, and how wrong they are if they disagree with him. In a sour, condescending tone.
He’s perfect for middle management.
His name should actually be Karen? Or is that reserved for lower management?
Maybe the male of the Karen species is a Barry?
The global warming – climate crisis – whatever its called this week. Is the perfect program for government.
It requires huge government “investments” (spending) with little to no accountability. No return on investment (hence its spending not investment) no schedule, and no way to measure results. It requires government control of every aspect of your life – particularly those that consume any form of energy…
Its perfect for the ultimate leftists freak. Unlimited spending, unlimited control with no measurable results.
“Officially” I believe it’s Darren.
Its a job too big for one man. Maybe Barry and his brothers Darryl and Darryl?
Obama said his “policies” were baked into the system and could not be undone by future administrations. His role model was Saul Alinsky. Note the O never left the DC burbs – he built a fancy walled in place and hunkered down……
That was one toxic cake……