Comments
A VIEW FROM HERE - One frequent method is to tell why others are wrong. It works like a charm because people love to be corrected. This technique is best employed when the other person has not solicited any advice. Finally, when all else fails, be sure to ridicule them for being stupid. This general approach worked so very well for Barack Obama who told Black males why they wrong not to vote for Kamala Harris.
Admittedly, it can be aggravating to hear people spout nonsense such as male grade schoolers are returning home in the afternoon as females since their teachers had performed sex change surgery during lunch hour. As Kenny Rogers advised, “You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, ... Know when to walk away.” As Jesus said, “Don’t cast pearls before swine.” (Matt 7:6) Ironically, Jesus said this during his Sermon on the Mount after he had said, “do not judge lest you be judged.” He sounds a little judgie to me. In other words, some people are beyond hope, so move on. For example, the Woke 1619 Project asserted that the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were written in order to preserve slavery. Sure, “all men have the inalienable right of Liberty” means “Let’s enslave Black people.” The foolishness which aggravates us the most is found among True Believer extremists. It can, however, be great fun to lampoon them since they seldom have a sense of humor.
How to Reduce the Foolishness Which Polarization Breeds
In order for society to be run by rational people whose goal is to mutually cooperate to solve problems and enhance the general welfare, we should not allow absurd memes hold sway over millions of people. There are a few things each of us can do to help reduce the narishkeit, tonteria, foolishness which plagues us.
Reject The Us vs Them Mentality Leads to Polarization
When one believes that reason life is hard is due to evil people who have rigged the system, one is easily mislead to dislike, hate and fear “The Evil Other.”
They forget that Declaration was followed by the Revolutionary War and the nation fought a civil war to make certain that inalienable rights applied to each person. “In the fell clutch of circumstance, Under the bludgeonings of chance, My head is bloody, but unbowed.” Invictus, by Henley 1849 The Civil Rights Movement summed up this truism in “We shall overcome.”
When one is mired in the blame game, however, one can fail to recognize that humanity of others who are suffering. Richard Cory, who “was rich—yes, richer than a king— one calm summer night, ¶ Went home and put a bullet through his head.” Richard Cory by Robinson 1897
As Lincoln warned, “A house divided cannot long stand.” MAGA and Wokeism divide the nation into The Good and the Evil.
The Declaration Provides a Common Path for Everyone
The Declaration denied the existence of ascriptive group rights, e.g., religion, color, ethnicity, etc. by asserting that each individual has inalienable rights including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. A legitimate government has the consent of the governed. People mistakenly believe that consent is majority rule, but that is not what the Declaration says. Jefferson left it to others to figure out how to determine the “consent of the governed.” It seems a might unfair for Jefferson to set the goal and then say, “You all figure out how to get there.”
One route to actualize the consent of the governed was to construct a government where power factions would be balanced against each other so that no single faction would have enough power to thwart others’ inalienable right, but – and this is most vital – each individual had a constitutional duty to work for the General Welfare (US Const. Preamble). Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations written in 1776 and the book was widely known when the Constitution was drafted. More relevant is Adam Smith’s “self-interest rightly understood,” as explained in his earlier work, Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759). Because all learned men in the late 1700's were familiar with self-interest rightly understood, they recognized that it was implicit in both the Declaration and the Constitution. They similarly understood that “all men are created equal” did not mean equality of outcome. “Equal” merely meant no class of people could claim more or greater inalienable rights, as the British nobility would surely do. (“All” included all human beings.) The road to a more perfect Union with malice towards none would leave many bloodied but with their heads unbowed.
Self-interest rightly excludes selfishness and includes concern for the general welfare. The right-wing GOP only acknowledge their right to do whatever they want and myopically rely on some invisible hand to play alchemist to turn the dross of their selfishness into a virtue. That is the main impetus for a small government – so small that it cannot interfere with their abuse of others.
To be more blunt, Adam Smith and the Founding Fathers knew that one’s rights may not run roughshod over other people. There can be no rules of the road, when powerful were free to drive however they pleased, whenever they pleased, and everyone else better get out of their way. Governments secure individual rights with a framework of mutually beneficial limitations. The nation cannot allow anyone who wants to practice medicine do so without training. Society has a duty to protect others from harm.
Why this Constitutional Stuff is Relevant
In America, our core values and hence any centrist government has to focus on individual inalienable rights and the Republic which was created to protect them. Many politicos set forth harmful memes, conflating their power lust with self-interest rightly understood. These politicos are usually extremists as they put their avarice ahead of the general welfare. Thus, Centrist voters who wish to change the minds of policy makers have a two-step process.
The first is de-register from one’s political party. Both the GOP and the DEM have some atrociously destructive policies, but as long as voters stay with their current registration, the party policy makers assume that voters agree with everything the party spews forth. When politicos see de-registrations, their power lust eats into the pit of their stomachs. Centrists who re-register with the other party are shortsighted as they have traded one extremist party for the other.
The second tactic is to vote for those candidates who are reasonable Centrists in either party. If there are no Centrists, do not vote for that office. Not voting sends a message of displeasure to both parties. De-registering should be done ASAP so that it can influence whom the party selects to run office.
The More Independents We Have, the Weaker The Extremists
America has reached the situation where playing only to the extreme base is a losing political strategy. As the public saw but most Woke Dems won’t admit, the Dem’s catering to Woke base gave the GOP control of the House, the Senate, and Presidency as well as the Supreme Court. Yet, Nancy Pelosi, Biden, and the Obama’s believe their error was too little Wokeism.
(Richard Lee Abrams has been an attorney, a Realtor and community relations consultant as well as a CityWatch contributor. You may email him at [email protected])
