PrintAugust 24, 2007
Libs Say the Darndest Things
Here's a fun exercise for conservatives: Spend some time just listening to your liberal friends. Don't bother to say anything at all. You'll be amazed. I've certainly been wowed every time I've tried it.
Libs believe the darndest things. They're not as cute as the things kids come out with, but having millions of adults who are stuck in false beliefs puts our society at a lot greater risk.
Among the pearls of political wisdom I picked up from ordinary, friendly, prosperous and apparently intelligent lib friends were the following:
1. Christians. Believing Christians are scary folks, sort of proto-fascists, who would kill or convert us all to their strange and scary beliefs if they had the chance.
I find this staggeringly ignorant. It implies, among other things, that nothing worthwhile was accomplished in Western Civilization before, let's say, the Sixties. (Well, whatever, dude... )
2. Jews. Peaceful Orthodox Jews are just as bad as head-chopping Islamic fascists. Because they're all fundamentalists! (No kidding.)
3. Capitalism. Corporations are evil. Capitalism murders just as many people as Stalin and Pol Pot did. Every political system kills millions of people. (The mind reels.)
4. Tolerance. You can't trust other ethnic groups, and even your own. One liberal friend can't stand Russians, Turks, and Poles. Another is deeply suspicious of Southerners and Midwesterners, considering them guilty until proven innocent. Another is suspicious of Blacks; however, a Black liberal I know thinks that Whites are "ice people." A very radical friend thinks that hippies are fascists. (Honest). This is just a sampling of liberal tolerance and openmindedness.
5. America. Americans are contemptible. Europeans are wonderful. (Facts are irrelevant).
6. Genocide. The US murdered just as many Native Americans as the Nazis killed Jews. Oh, and the Spanish Inquisition killed 9 million women. (Both bizarre, historically; no respectable historian agrees, but it's in the minds of your neighbors. They are still allowed to vote.)
7. Mind-reading. Liberals can read the minds of conservatives, without, of course, bothering to read anything conservatives have written, or even talking to them. Many libs are firmly convinced (without a shred of evidence, of course), that conservatives hate Blacks, Jews, Gays, and Women.
It does not seem to occur to my friends that it's difficult to read other people's minds; or that conservatives might actually be far more tolerant than liberal race demagogues, judging by their own words.
8. Israel. Israel is a pretty bad and nasty place. This is from a very liberal friend with many Jewish friends.
9. Militarism. Israelis are "militaristic," according to a very liberal Jewish professor. This is the first time I realized that defending your country against murderous assaults on innocent civilians is "militaristic." I thought militarism was the Prussians in World War One shouting "Hoch! Hoch!" while the Kaiser's troops went goose-stepping by with pointy-headed helmets and fixed bayonets. No such thing. Militarism = self-defense. Amazing.
10. Population. The world has far too many people, and (hint, hint) it would be a lot better if a lot of them died or were never born.
11. News vs. propaganda. Any news source other than the mainstream media is right-wing propaganda. Indeed, anything suggesting that liberals are less than 100 percent right is right-wing propaganda. This comes from a friend who engages in constant self-censorship, who becomes visibly agitated when his beliefs are gently questioned.
12. Dictators. Stalin was not so bad. Yes, he killed millions in the Gulag, but so did the United States. As for Castro, he is a great and wonderful hero. So is Hugo Chavez. However, Augusto Pinochet was a bad, bad guy. (Bizarre beyond belief.)
13. Republicans. Assassinating Republicans is a pretty good idea, as long as somebody else does it. (From a prominent liberal community leader.)
14. The Supremes. Justice Clarence Thomas is a dunce.
15. War. War would go away if just Republicans stopped stirring it up.
16. Criticism. Thinking negative thoughts about people is the source of violence in the world.
17. Relativism. Reality is only a social agreement. There's no such thing.
18. GlobWarm. Human-caused global warming is probably a lie, but it's a useful lie. (I swear).
Had enough? This is just a start. I don't want to spoil it for you. Every conservative might consider just quietly listening to our liberal pals, without trying to change their minds. You'll be amazed and enlightened. But be ready to bite your tongue.
We have a lot of truth-telling to do, to put straight what is snarled and upside-down in the minds of 'way too many Americans. But don't argue with liberals, at least not the ones I know; it never works. Their minds are made up and locked tight.
Discussion only works with open minds.
James Lewis blogs at http://www.dangeroustimes.wordpress.com/
