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Quote of the Day: The Benefits of Being Soulless
“If you are offended yet, I would just like to remind everyone that I don’t care and I have no soul.” — Brandon “AK Guy” Herrera
Brandon Herrera, firearms manufacturer and devotee of the Kalashnikov family of firearms, said the above quote in his intensely amusing video (CoC Warning) on the Kyle Rittenhouse incident. While I support Kyle 100%, that’s not what this post is about.
Ever notice that there are benefits to being known as a jerk? Being seen as a soulless, heartless person actually makes a lot of attacks against you useless. The classic “Think of the Children!” does nothing to you. The whining of offended weenies becomes just so much noise. You can enjoy the suffering of people who would be happy to see you dead without a pang of guilt. It’s like armor for your mind. Keep the side of you that feels sympathy safe under lock and key.
In short, when you are interacting with people who don’t value compassion and decency, they become weaknesses. If you have a bleeding heart, you should probably see a doctor about that.
This came to mind when a liberal friend of mine, who likes dark humor and having a caustic personality, send me this. (CoC Warning) Much like me writing from academia, it is the perspective of someone surrounded by people of vastly different politics. I recommend reading it, but I will try to summarize. The argument is that the main reason for Trump support is hatred of liberals, and liberals are defined as weakness, as well as kindness, honesty, and compromise. It is an argument that Trump supporters are fundamentally irrational and driven by hatred – something I’ve heard from the Never Trump pundits as well.
I can’t say that matches my experience of Trump voters, even when I hated Trump enough to leave Ricochet. Go to the myriad of Trump stores that you will see out in rural areas and western states, and you will see extremely patriotic attire alongside the MAGA signs. Trump supporters tend to be most passionate about their patriotic love of America, not even the Donald himself. I would bet money that the same people he describes would give a respectful nod to someone helping an old person cross the street or handle packages, and would buy a Black or Hispanic veteran a beer. Talking about Trump voters without considering patriotism is like talking about Biden voters without considering anti-Trump rage.
However, I think the liberal behind that screed was not completely wrong. A good amount of why Trump is beloved by Trump supporters is his brutal rejection of bleeding-heart arguments. He offends people on a regular basis and does not care. That kind of uncaring, unapologetic personality is armor against standard liberal attacks. Being ruthless toward the offended weenies is probably what looks like hatred of weakness to that guy. After all, it must be frustrating when your most powerful attacks and emotional manipulation do nothing. Add in the metrosexual passive-aggressive style of the stereotypical woke leftist, and you can see how the disgust with liberals would be associated with disgust with weakness. When Kurt Schlichter likes to write about conservatives getting “woke,” I think this is part of what he means. #caring
So when encountering liberals trying to exploit your compassionate side, it might be worth putting your soul in safe-keeping while you refuse to kneel to their emotional blackmail and demands for apologies.
Published in Culture
My daughter likes to say that I drink the tears of children for pleasure. Here’s a recent drawing she made of me:
I think the word “soulless” was poorly chosen by Herrera. One can be fully human, soulful, and resist the appetite for approval, superficial emotional connections, or group identity. The weird political blackmail of being “offended” is still absurdly successful.
You must be a great mom!
thank you, thank you…
But will I have to dye my hair red?
This is the Quote of the Day. If you have a quotation you would like to share, our sign-up sheet awaits.
Also, if you happen to be inclined, there is also the Group Writing Project. This month, the theme is a very powerful one: If I was a —, I would —.
If you haven’t written much on Ricochet, perhaps it’s time? Usually both projects get us away from politics (Okay, maybe not today’s), and many of these wind up on the Main Feed.
This puzzles me. I don’t define liberals as any of those, especially not kindness and honesty. If I were going to use a one word description of liberals, it would be stupid.
Edit: That’s not quite right; maybe undiscerning.
“The problem with our liberal friends is not that they’re ignorant; it’s that they know so much that isn’t so.” — Ronald Reagan
I am seriously envious of this drawing. I wish my daughters had regarded me similarly… it would have made for a much more orderly household. My son, on the other hand, seemed to think I was THE WORST PERSON EVER!
Until he joined the army and met his drill instructors… and after he left the army he WAS the drill instructor for his two daughters. Funny how life goes.
Exactly. He counterbalances the malignant agreeableness of today’s Democratic Party.
The ideal, of course, is someone who manages to be both polite and unyielding, but that doesn’t seem to be an option these days.
We had wanted somebody for many years who would “fight back”. Well we got somebody, and it ain’t pretty. What Ulysses “He fights” Grant did was brutal and ugly but was necessary if the war was to be won. Fighting is only pretty in the movies.
I would add jealous/envious.
I’m trying to think (and read the minds of) all the liberal Democrats I’ve known and liked, and I think its true, generous but true, that they are ignorant. But I think they are willfully ignorant. Well educated but ignorant. They are nice, agreeable, and want the best for everyone. But they are ungenerous, moderately thankful, moderately greedy, and never think determinedly of the consequences of their actions, as if all that is wrong with the world is someone else’s fault. And, yes, they seem to be blindly covetous.
This
This. And the only “defense”, if defense it be, is: It is war. For years they made war on us and we thought it was only a disagreement. Then it became obvious for what it is. I make no apologies for fighting a war. I treat POW with dignity and hope that they will be turned.
This is a very good post, but I don’t plan to follow the link. I’m not sure why we care so much what leftwingers think about us. I’m more interested in what we think about them.