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Clinging to Utopia
The hysteria of the political Left seems to be growing and intensifying. Does anyone else believe this is happening? In my lifetime (although I’ve only followed politics for the last 20 years), I’ve seen the ranting of the Left rise and fall, but these times feel different. I’ve been thinking about the possible explanation for this phenomenon, and I’d like to hear your perspective. I’m going to begin by contrasting the conflicting views of the Left and the Right.
From my own observations, certain characteristics seem to be true for most of the people on the Left. A big part of their suffering comes from their holding to conflicting ideas and not recognizing their inconsistencies. For example, they are idealists and believe that all of society should strive for a Utopian existence, which has led them to embrace Marxist ideas (whether they admit it or not). We should all be treated as equals (unless we disagree with them), celebrate all cultures (except our own), and share society’s wealth with each other. Unfortunately, the Left also believes in not only the perfectibility of the world, but the perfectibility of men; they refuse to recognize that we are not only guided by reason, but we are emotional and unpredictable creatures. When we fickle human beings don’t cooperate with and participate in their endeavors, they become insulted and incensed.
Even though people are capricious, the Left believes they can straighten us out.
Their arrogance dictates that they are the ones who will lead us to their promised Utopia, and they celebrate personkind. The problem is that they detest people; they believe people are ignorant, naïve, selfish, greedy and difficult (and sometimes we are). Then they wonder why we resent their demands to adopt their belief system, not thinking how our “ignorance” or rebelliousness might get in the way. Finally, their lives lack meaning outside of their Marxian, superior worldview; they have faith in nothing and no one (except for others who endorse their doctrine and efforts), and rather than accept that we may have different ideas, they choose to demonize and denigrate the beliefs of the Right. And we have refused to join their crusade for this life-changing ideology.
In sharp contrast, studies show that people on the Right are happier than people on the Left. The Right accepts that we live in a free society with the freedom of expression; they realize that none of us is perfect, and ideally we realize that within the fold of conservatism is a diversity and range of views. The Right also realizes that the source of its happiness does not come from outside itself; it’s nice to be materially comfortable, have a lovely family and friends and opportunities to grow. But the Right knows that the sources of happiness or better stated, satisfaction with life, is an “inside job.” Many people on the Right identify with a religion; those who do not practice religion usually have a sound value system that mirrors the Right’s beliefs in equality of opportunity, traditional values and a deep appreciation of the benefits that the U.S. affords all of us. In place of the arrogance and pessimism of the Left, the Right holds overall optimism about this country and a level of humility about our good fortune to be living here.
Then the November 2016 election took place. The Left’s hysteria was frighteningly apparent. Their hopes for continuing the march to Utopia met a serious setback, if not a devastating blow. Not only were their dreams violated, but their myth of striving for Utopia was collapsing.
The political and bureaucratic leaders of the Left, however, have abandoned their dreams for perfection; they probably embraced their desire for power long ago, and they think the only way they have a chance to regain power is not only to stir the pot, but to terrify their supporters—and raise the level of demonization of the “enemy” to a new level. They will continue their efforts to inflame the madness to keep their supporters in line.
How do we fight this relentless, despicable and hateful onslaught of the Left and their leaders?
We must be persistent in pushing through the flood of insults and lies.
We must continue to prove their leaders’ betrayals of this country
We must speak the truth through those few on the Right who have the courage to act.
We must remember that no matter how vile, destructive and enraged the Left has been, their dreams are being destroyed. They may actually realize how empty and unrealistic their lives have been. They may even decide to view the world through a more realistic lens.
Stranger things have happened.
Published in Politics
@iwalton, I wonder if it matters if we distinguish among the groups on the Left? Certainly the leaders (Soros, et.al) are only interested in power. And I agree with your image of academia. But what about the run-of-the-mill progressives, the bleeding hearts who think they can help/save the world, the ones who were sobbing when Hillary lost? They are the ones who are voting. But it sounds like you’re suggesting that they are just puppets for the leadership. You may be right.
High praise from you, @michaelhenry. Now if I could just have a smidgen of your wit!
Important correction: A Marxist idealist believes (for all practical purposes) the opposite of what you say he does. A member of a class should not treat members of other classes as his equals.
The oppressor and oppressed classes represent the lingering specimens of an earlier level of Progress (which means ‘pre-ordained, staged social evolution’ of competing classes). A revolutionary must recognize and treat members of each as his inferiors.
The oppressor classes–the capitalists and the bourgeoisie–are his moral inferiors, as measured by degree of Progress. The oppressed classes are his intellectual inferiors.
Likewise, a representative of the post-revolutionary State should not treat others as his equal, and they should not treat him as their equal. They should treat him as their superior and he should treat them as his inferiors.
SQ: I hereby bestow upon you half of my wit, which will reduce me from a half-wit to a nil-wit, thereby entitling me to become an Ivy League university professor. MH
The famous Peanuts Cartoon:
is the Leftist rationale for what they do.
They detest the people who stand in their way of creating this Heaven on Earth. They also blame these people for causing all the misery in the first place, blind to their own contribution to the chaos they cause.
Yes, the results of the 2016 election opened the eyes of the left. The results of Trump’s (and when they cooperate, the Republican Congress’) agenda have opened the eyes of many Democrat voters. I hope there are enough of them who still have critical thinking capability:
“I voted for Obama twice and for the Dems in every election, but nothing got better. However, Trump and the Republicans have actually gotten things done. Maybe I should give them a closer look in the next election.”
Call me a Pollyanna, but it could happen. Heck, maybe it did to a certain extent in 2016 . . .
I think it matters. Those for whom it is a lucrative profession have to lose their profession, i.e. limited government always, decentralize when possible, stripped naked in public; those who simply don’t understand the world can be taught if we go back to educating our youth, and the innocent utopians who people the Democratic party just have to be led with different stories. The latter are the folks Sowell characterized in “conflict of visions” as having an unconstrained view of the world. I don’t think they’re educable but they can be led.
Congratulations to both of us! ;-)
You could give her half of your remaining half. Then you’d be a quarter-wit.
Same as me.
They do take a “close look” of themselves. Since their leaders have framed the philosophy to which they are now enslaved as a philosophy of “love, light and humane behavior” they don’t see their dark side.
For instance, on the immigration issue: They see themselves as the ones wanting to allow those “143 Hondurans” who are beleagured women and children escaping their repressive lives. While according to them, we who’ re not Far Left now cruelly sit back and tighten the borders.
We are seen as meanies who could save humanity if we only understood that every employer needs to pay their employees $ 15 an hour at a minimum. The fact that many small business owners don’t pay themselves that amount escapes their thinking.
In the first or second Roseanne episode. Jackie says to Rosanne, “How could you vote for that man?”
Then Roseanne answers ” People who voted for Trump could do the math.”
This is it in a nut shell – on the Right, people do the math. If it was only 143 people from south of the border who wanted to come here, that would be fine with us on the Right. But it is millions – most of whom live in appalling circumstances. The leaders of the masses of people on the Far Left have carefully and continually conveyed the New Age thought that good intentions themselves are enough to bring about miracles. (The older proverb about the “road to hell” is not part of the conversation.)
So there is no need to do math or to know math, say those leaders. If everyone who desires to cross our borders is guaranteed a $ 15 an hour minimum wage job, problem solved. (Why can’t the people on the Right realize it – problems are easy to solve!)
And the followers are happy. They virtuously marched around a couple weekends each year. If the events they wish to have occur do happen, they don’t foresee a decline in services and a huge increase in taxes. They think their marching around virtue-signalled to some left wing God that surely a few marches will give the world peace, freedom, equality and food stamps for every human. I am almost expecting their next movement to be one that insists that everyone gets to win the next $ 458 mil dollar Powerball lottery. That would solve problems too!
Oh and I learned an important thing about posting essays here on Ricochet – never ever use the term Marxian or Marxist, unless you want the conversation to be hijacked for quite a while!
Do you really think it was hijacked, @caroljoy? I didn’t feel that way–there were just a couple of comments and then some further discussion of Marxist theory and I learned some new things, too! It’s okay. I generally am happy to go with the flow as long as people are civil. Thanks for your concern, though.
No problem and no apology needed!! At least we’re on the same page. It’s even more pathetic when we see what’s actually happening. Thanks, Mark.
Well I can’t speak for the Jewish faith, heck I’m not sure I can speak for the Christian faith either. My point is that the utopian drive for human self improvement both of the personal self and society at large is a strong theme in Christendom. This is why Christian evangelize, it is also why we burned heretics (so I’m not going to call it an unalloyed good, all human actions are susceptible to sin and corruption). The point is that we should not overlook the strong Christian roots that drive liberals, especially American liberals. I think their loss of religiosity has served to unbalance them more, but were they to pick it up again I think they would find plenty to motivate them to do what they have been doing policy wise any way.
Amen! Do I hear a witless?
As a little token to commemorate the event, I’ve presenting each of you with a nit. People have been complaining about my nitpicking on Richochet, and I was almost bursting trying to keep the reason secret. Welcome to the club, nitwits!
What an honor! Thank you . . . I think. . .
Unfortunately, those on the Left who’ve abandoned Christianity have replaced it with the Calvinism of the New Age movement. Secure in the homes that they own, which in Calif are left taxed at low rates as taxation is based on the year of the home’s purchase, secure in their pensions, they can easily see no reason to oppose rampant immigration. After all, as immigration & white flight occurs, their homes will go up in value, while their housekeepers & landscapers will be cheaper. If they own a business such as a dry cleaners or a restaurant, their workers can be paid very little under the table.
Meanwhile younger people, trying to raise their kids and have decent schools for the offspring, find that with rampant immigration comes the least common denominator criteria in terms of hiring teachers for schools, health professionals for hospitals and if Tucker Carlson’s recent guest can be believed, even the FAA approved air traffic controllers. So people born in this country, who got good grades & speak English fluently are the last hired. Meanwhile with immigration, rents go soaring.
This means that younger and poorer people resent immigrants, as why wouldn’t they? But those who are unaffected Americans can now endlessly virtue signal their love of humanity and declare their fellow citizens as so much ignorant intolerant scum.
How about we lower immigration for awhile until we all get along with each other. That being said, I’d let non-Muslim highly educated Asian immigrants in to add to the tax base.
Compared to most of Africa and much of Asia. Poor Latin Americans don’t live in appalling circumstances.
I think it depends on the part of Latin America you’re speaking about.