Alan: Psychologist friend Chuck says people's political positions are almost always driven by emotion, not reason.
Even when reason can demonstrate that a given policy will create havoc, most people still feel compelled to harmonize their behavior with their feelings.
For example...
If reason is the measure, Americans would assume that global warming is caused by human agency and very active measures would be taken mitigate predicted devastation.
"Every Branch Of Military Is Really Worried About Anthropogenic Global Warming"
Although I agree with Chuck, I also observe that Democracy requires compromise and that American conservatives are much less willing to compromise.
In consequence, "conservatives" contribute disproportionately to the destruction of Democracy.
"Politics And Economics: The 101 Courses You Wish You Had"
"Politics And Economics: The 101 Courses You Wish You Had"
"Plutocracy Triumphant"
Cartoon Compendium
"Taibbi: The $9 Billion Whistle Blower At JPMorgan-Chase. Financial Thuggery At The Top"
"Pope Francis Links"
"Pope Francis Links"
They justify their damaging behavior by arguing that their uncompromising principles are dedicated to the restoration of democracy which in their view has already been so degraded that it is not worthy of incremental efforts to "bring it back from the brink."
In the conservative view, it would be better to destroy the democracy we now have in order to devolve America to the 19th century when men were men, women were women, rugged individualism saved the day and gunslinger justice was preferable to the effete practices of federal courts.
"Republicans For Revolution," A Study In Anarchic Apocalypticism
If the nation is lucky, Uncle Sam might re-institute some form of racial segregation.
"The terrible thing about our time is precisely the ease with which theories can be put into practice. The more perfect, the more idealistic the theories, the more dreadful is their realization. We are at last beginning to rediscover what perhaps men knew better in very ancient times, in primitive times before utopias were thought of: that liberty is bound up with imperfection, and that limitations, imperfections, errors are not only unavoidable but also salutary. The best is not the ideal. Where what is theoretically best is imposed on everyone as the norm, then there is no longer any room even to be good. The best, imposed as a norm, becomes evil.”
"The terrible thing about our time is precisely the ease with which theories can be put into practice. The more perfect, the more idealistic the theories, the more dreadful is their realization. We are at last beginning to rediscover what perhaps men knew better in very ancient times, in primitive times before utopias were thought of: that liberty is bound up with imperfection, and that limitations, imperfections, errors are not only unavoidable but also salutary. The best is not the ideal. Where what is theoretically best is imposed on everyone as the norm, then there is no longer any room even to be good. The best, imposed as a norm, becomes evil.”
"Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander,” by Trappist monk, Father Thomas Merton
"American Conservatives And Oppositional-Defiant Disorder"
"Conservatives Scare More Easily Than Liberals"
"Conservatives Scare More Easily Than Liberals"
"Are Republicans Insane?"
http://paxonbothhouses.
"The Republican Party Is A Satanic Cult"
"Are Republicans Insane?"
http://paxonbothhouses.
"The Republican Party Is A Satanic Cult"
"The Republican Party Is A Satanic Cult"
Jindal Criticizes The Stupid Party: "Simply protects the rich so they get to keep their toys"
Jindal Criticizes The Stupid Party: "Simply protects the rich so they get to keep their toys"
"Bank On It: The South Is Always Wrong"
"Red State Moocher Links"
"Why The Bible Belt Is Its Own Worst Enemy"
"The Reign of Morons Is Here," Charles P. Pierce, The Atlantic
"The Reign of Morons Is Here," Charles P. Pierce, The Atlantic
"A Southerner Explains Tea Party Radicalism: The Civil War Is Not Over"
"People Who Watch Only Fox News
Know Less Than People Who Watch No News"
"A Southerner Explains Tea Party Radicalism: The Civil War Is Not Over"
"People Who Watch Only Fox News
Know Less Than People Who Watch No News"
Bill Maher: The Zombie Life Cycle Of Republican Lies. They Never - Ever - Die
George McGovern: "The Case For Liberalism, A Defense Of The Future Against The Past"
George McGovern: "The Case For Liberalism, A Defense Of The Future Against The Past"
No comments:
Post a Comment