Ideological Idiocy
"Diversity" means whatever the left says it means, and minorities are only celebrated so long as they stay on the reservation
The whole Juan Williams controversy, and the illogical and hate-filled response from the left shows them to be in complete intellectual collapse. There is no reasoning left on the left, just rage, outrage and raw emotion. A dogmatic MSNBC mindset that anathematizes the impure who stray from the liberal orthodoxy.
It's an "us versus them" mentality. Juan's cardinal sin was to treat conservatives as worthy of debate instead of just smearing them from a safe distance. And he had the temerity to do it on the hated "Faux Nooz!" For this same reason, liberal atheist Christopher Hitchens has more fans on the right than on the left, all because he cogently critiques militant Islam.
A Diversity of Thought
We enjoy a diversity of thought on the right; the left chokes with rage on it. We may not agree with Juan Williams, Bob Beckel, Kirsten Powers or the other liberals who routinely appear on FOX news, but we enjoy the debate. They add clarity to our thought, as fire hardens steel. And we even learn something every now and then. For this we will only grow stronger as our friends on the left suffer a rigor mortis of rationality.
We on the right are now much more about thought, debate and exploring new ideas. We've dropped our knee-jerk support for big business and big wars. We don't foam at the mouth in rabid anger like the left does, but we now criticize crony capitalism and Wall Street gamblers flush with our tax dollars. We're also tiring of military adventures and we have awoken to the the dangers of our burgeoning domestic security apparatus.
Ideology Kills
Blind allegiance to ideology kills rational thought, and that is what we're seeing on the left. Daniel J. Flynn, in his most excellent book Intellectual Morons , explains:
The whole Juan Williams controversy, and the illogical and hate-filled response from the left shows them to be in complete intellectual collapse. There is no reasoning left on the left, just rage, outrage and raw emotion. A dogmatic MSNBC mindset that anathematizes the impure who stray from the liberal orthodoxy.
It's an "us versus them" mentality. Juan's cardinal sin was to treat conservatives as worthy of debate instead of just smearing them from a safe distance. And he had the temerity to do it on the hated "Faux Nooz!" For this same reason, liberal atheist Christopher Hitchens has more fans on the right than on the left, all because he cogently critiques militant Islam.
A Diversity of Thought
We enjoy a diversity of thought on the right; the left chokes with rage on it. We may not agree with Juan Williams, Bob Beckel, Kirsten Powers or the other liberals who routinely appear on FOX news, but we enjoy the debate. They add clarity to our thought, as fire hardens steel. And we even learn something every now and then. For this we will only grow stronger as our friends on the left suffer a rigor mortis of rationality.
We on the right are now much more about thought, debate and exploring new ideas. We've dropped our knee-jerk support for big business and big wars. We don't foam at the mouth in rabid anger like the left does, but we now criticize crony capitalism and Wall Street gamblers flush with our tax dollars. We're also tiring of military adventures and we have awoken to the the dangers of our burgeoning domestic security apparatus.
Ideology Kills
Blind allegiance to ideology kills rational thought, and that is what we're seeing on the left. Daniel J. Flynn, in his most excellent book Intellectual Morons , explains:
"ideology acts as a mental straitjacket. It blinds adherents to reality, breeds fanaticism, and rationalizes dishonesty. It makes smart people stupid."Ideology can be a mental framework to make sense of what's going on around you, but Flynn sees it more as a crutch for those too lazy to think for themselves. Reading the opening chapter slowly and thoughtfully can provide a good intellectual self-examination.
The main idea behind Intellectual Morons is that ideology acts as a mental straitjacket. It blinds adherents to reality, breeds fanaticism, and rationalizes dishonesty. It makes smart people stupid."Intellectual Morons" is a storehouse of of ammo for those who enjoy arguing with liberals. More importantly, it is a useful springboard to an intellectual self-examination. It also explains why modern-day American liberalism is a rotting carcass. They cling to their dogma and purge their ranks; we on the right invite thinking liberals to the debate.
It doesn’t matter how intelligent you are if you don’t use your brain. Intelligent people aren’t necessarily rigorous thinkers. In fact, many of them are mentally lazy. Ideology provides a way for lazy people to respond to issues, ideas, people, and events without thinking.
For the ideologue, ideology is the Rosetta Stone of everything. Why think when the system provides all the answers? Ideology is attractive to smart people because it flatters them by suggesting that a single idea from the mind of an intellectual has the power of explaining all of history or ordering the affairs of whole nations. No person is that smart; no idea that good. (Front Page - Interview)
Silverfiddle,
ReplyDeleteExcellent points!
It is a rational truth that if you leave yourself available to allow others of dissenting opinions to comment freely, you will always come out on top. While I have no love for FOX News to speak of, I find it refreshing that they do entertain other notions by inviting liberals to their studios.
Juan Williams was definitely not a "token liberal". He is a dyed-in-the-wool liberal and not akin at all to the "token conservatives" that are invited, say, to MSNBC. I enjoyed seeing him on Bill O'Reilly and Brett Baier. While I found his rhetoric to be ridiculous, he gave me the opportunity to hear it first-hand, from him, and not after it had been through the liberal spin-cycle, and magnified a thousand times to be the "be all, end all" of liberal thought.
Liberalism is extremely hateful of the conservative ideal. Simply going to YouTube and searching out how liberals demonstrate and how Conservatives demonstrate will show you all you need to know. When you have an ideology steeped in feminine thought and emotionally-driven instability, you can only come across like some whiny, angry, stop-your-foot on the ground petulant child, screaming about diversity, equality, and all that, while seeking to force it down the throats of those who would stop to listen.
Conservatism, and the Conservatives I personally know, have no fear of being "seduced" or "drawn-away" from Conservatism if they engage in discussions with liberals. It simply doesn't happen. Liberals, however, guard their liberalism with blinders on, and refuse to acknowledge the asininity that they spout. It is their way or the highway. Not that this matters. The proof is in the pudding, and their liberal leadership, long seeking to make America into some sort of progressive-collectivist-Socialist nation, are now facing the backlash of their arrogance and condescension. The Democrat-controlled COngress still will not admit to not asking America what she really wanted in regards to the failed stimulus package that has yoked my (as of yet unborn) grandchildren with such a huge debt.
Loved this article. It was precise, focused, and well-written. I can see why Les brought you on-board! Awesome!
Donald in Bethel, CT
Anyone who can't listen to the other fellow is generally very insecure in their own beliefs.
ReplyDeleteThanks Donald!
ReplyDeleteI really don't watch much TV at all, but I am convinced a diversity of thought and opinion and robust debate is what drives FOX's success.
On a semi-related note:
ReplyDeleteRand Pal makes a campaign stop. The rest is on video. Nothing good can come from this. Obviously, Rand will be pigeonholed for it and blah blah blah, but the reality is that the jackass who stepped on this woman needs to have his ass beat. Severely. And then forced to publicly apologize for being such a moron.
I hate liberalism, to be sure. But when the day comes that I would step on someone's head or actually hit them with a closed fist...well, if that day ever would come, you all need to deal with me accordingly and whip my ass, as well. Simple as that.
I was not there. I do not know the full story. I simply know what I am seeing. It is not as if this woman had a gun.
Here's link to footage:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20101026/el_yblog_upshot/rand-paul-supporter-scuffles-with-moveon-org-volunteer-outside-kentucky-senate-debate
Like I said, nothing good can come from this for Rand.
Donald in Bethel, CT
Les,
ReplyDeleteI apologize for the cussing. But I am a bit wired-up about violence like this, especially against women.
I understand if you delete my comment above due to my infraction of your rules. No worries.
As a Conservative, I believe in accountability.
Donald in Bethel, CT
http://www.moonbattery.com/archives/2010/10/babykiller-wome.html
ReplyDeleteONLY a liberal would say such drivel and actually believe it.
And we would want to vote these people into office, why exactly? Pro-choice? Really? If this is "pro-choice", then I think they're in a lot of trouble.