Confessions of a Former Liberal
This blogger used to be a liberal. She writes under an assumed name since she still lives in
Berkley:
Conservatives can mistakenly assume that liberals think like they do, in a learned and
rational way. This is an exercise in futility since liberalism is not based on logic.
To become a conservative, I've had to learn a whole new language, one based on reason. If
conservatives want to understand the liberal mind, they should consider becoming bilingual
too.
Liberals live in a stratosphere centered on emotions and magical thinking. If you've tried to
reason with your daughter and she looks at you blankly; if your neighbor changes the subject
during your compelling arguments; if your cousin says this about Obama, "I don't know why.
I just like the guy." . . . that's why.
After I ‘fessed up last week to once being besotted with socialism, a reader had an
epiphany. He wrote that maybe liberals are just plain stupid.
I'm not going to disagree with this. There are innumerable examples from both the famous and
the anonymous:
-- The most illustrious of all leftists, Noam Chomsky, still maintains that the Khmer Rouge did
not slaughter millions of Cambodians.
-- Liberal luminaries, Annette Bening and Naomi Wolf, defend Radical Islam, including the
dreaded burqua.
-- After journeying to Cuba, members of the Congressional Black Caucus bragged about the
stellar conditions there.
-- Michael Moore thinks that the Cuban health system is to die for.
-- Anita Dunn, a former special assistant to Obama, stated that Mao was one of the people she
admired the most.
If these are the more informed liberals, what about Jane and Joe in the street?
-- During the primary, I asked my friend Gail why she was voting for Obama. Did she know
anything about his voting record or background? She responded, "No, I don't." When I asked
her why she was voting for him, she said, "I just am."
-- Last week, I chatted with Shelley, a liberal pal who voted for Obama. I asked her what she
thought of him now. She said that she thought he was doing fine, but she confessed that she
wasn't following the news.
-- During the election, I told a friend, George, that I thought Obama was a socialist. George
responded, "Well capitalism doesn't work. Why not try socialism?" Dr. George has a Ph.D.
Are these folks "stupid"? I looked up the word, and my dictionary reads, "lacking intelligence
or common sense." Going by that definition, it would be hard to argue no.
Liberals are certainly capable of intelligence. They may be adept at their careers and hobbies.
But the problem is that their naive and a delusional way of looking at the world impedes
common sense and street smarts.
Further, when liberals take the time to tune in, they get their "information" from progressive
propaganda. And they don't question the Left's authority.
That's the biggest problem -- not questioning the party line even though there are obvious gaps
and gaffes. A big reason for this is fear.
I had a telling email exchange with a liberal friend. When I wrote that I thought Obama was a
Marxist, she responded, "Don't say that! You're scaring me!"
Aside from intellectual laziness, the Fear Factor makes otherwise intelligent liberals stupidly
fall into line. Liberals can scare easily.
Unarmed with both weapons and the basic facts, they have no way to defend themselves.
Imagine a liberal and a conservative being dropped off in separate wilderness areas. How
many days before the liberal would be no more? Meanwhile, weeks later, the conservative
would still be going strong
Many liberals know how inadequate they are, whether at hunting their own meat or throwing
a baseball. It's generally the conservative they'll call on to build a fence, or rewire their house,
or protect their families. Without conservatives, they are rendered absolutely helpless.
This may be a hidden reason for their contempt for conservatives: they know that you can do
stuff they can't; that you can survive when they'd croak; and that you don't need the
government and they do.
This blogger used to be a liberal. She writes under an assumed name since she still lives in
Berkley:
Conservatives can mistakenly assume that liberals think like they do, in a learned and
rational way. This is an exercise in futility since liberalism is not based on logic.
To become a conservative, I've had to learn a whole new language, one based on reason. If
conservatives want to understand the liberal mind, they should consider becoming bilingual
too.
Liberals live in a stratosphere centered on emotions and magical thinking. If you've tried to
reason with your daughter and she looks at you blankly; if your neighbor changes the subject
during your compelling arguments; if your cousin says this about Obama, "I don't know why.
I just like the guy." . . . that's why.
After I ‘fessed up last week to once being besotted with socialism, a reader had an
epiphany. He wrote that maybe liberals are just plain stupid.
I'm not going to disagree with this. There are innumerable examples from both the famous and
the anonymous:
-- The most illustrious of all leftists, Noam Chomsky, still maintains that the Khmer Rouge did
not slaughter millions of Cambodians.
-- Liberal luminaries, Annette Bening and Naomi Wolf, defend Radical Islam, including the
dreaded burqua.
-- After journeying to Cuba, members of the Congressional Black Caucus bragged about the
stellar conditions there.
-- Michael Moore thinks that the Cuban health system is to die for.
-- Anita Dunn, a former special assistant to Obama, stated that Mao was one of the people she
admired the most.
If these are the more informed liberals, what about Jane and Joe in the street?
-- During the primary, I asked my friend Gail why she was voting for Obama. Did she know
anything about his voting record or background? She responded, "No, I don't." When I asked
her why she was voting for him, she said, "I just am."
-- Last week, I chatted with Shelley, a liberal pal who voted for Obama. I asked her what she
thought of him now. She said that she thought he was doing fine, but she confessed that she
wasn't following the news.
-- During the election, I told a friend, George, that I thought Obama was a socialist. George
responded, "Well capitalism doesn't work. Why not try socialism?" Dr. George has a Ph.D.
Are these folks "stupid"? I looked up the word, and my dictionary reads, "lacking intelligence
or common sense." Going by that definition, it would be hard to argue no.
Liberals are certainly capable of intelligence. They may be adept at their careers and hobbies.
But the problem is that their naive and a delusional way of looking at the world impedes
common sense and street smarts.
Further, when liberals take the time to tune in, they get their "information" from progressive
propaganda. And they don't question the Left's authority.
That's the biggest problem -- not questioning the party line even though there are obvious gaps
and gaffes. A big reason for this is fear.
I had a telling email exchange with a liberal friend. When I wrote that I thought Obama was a
Marxist, she responded, "Don't say that! You're scaring me!"
Aside from intellectual laziness, the Fear Factor makes otherwise intelligent liberals stupidly
fall into line. Liberals can scare easily.
Unarmed with both weapons and the basic facts, they have no way to defend themselves.
Imagine a liberal and a conservative being dropped off in separate wilderness areas. How
many days before the liberal would be no more? Meanwhile, weeks later, the conservative
would still be going strong
Many liberals know how inadequate they are, whether at hunting their own meat or throwing
a baseball. It's generally the conservative they'll call on to build a fence, or rewire their house,
or protect their families. Without conservatives, they are rendered absolutely helpless.
This may be a hidden reason for their contempt for conservatives: they know that you can do
stuff they can't; that you can survive when they'd croak; and that you don't need the
government and they do.
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