The short version? Absolutely!
The slightly longer version? Well, yes, but it's not their fault. Really!
I've made it abundantly clear elsewhere in these pages just what I think of your average Liberal. Please bear in mind, however, that this was a vast oversimplification to allow me to make a point. There are really several different kinds of Liberals, just as there are various kinds of Conservatives. In no case would I attempt to imply that there is a broad enough paintbrush in all of Creation to cover all of these myriad degrees of silliness with "the same paintbrush" (meaning I may disdain all Liberals, but for completely different reasons). Confused? Follow.
Why Don't I Like Liberals? Which Kind?
To understand my disdain, you must understand Liberalism as I do. I basically divide your average mainstream Liberals (excluding pure Marxists, Communists, and bomb-tossing anarchists, who are deluded in their own special way; more on that later) into three groups: the Oligarchs, the Controllers, and the Unwashed.
The Oligarchs are those who have gotten their Liberalism along with their silver spoon, children of privilege who have never had to work a day in their lives, and don't understand the economics of desperation because they've never been hungry. They are (so their belief goes) far better educated than you, and therefore are smarter than you, and therefore should be telling you what to think, what to read, what to eat, when to go to bed, whom to marry -- in short, controlling every portion of your life. They're wrong, of course, but delusions based on belief/attitude/value structures learned in childhood are often the most powerful and difficult to break.
Okay, you say, so we have people who believe they have been appointed by God to run our lives because of their vast superiority. How do they get into positions where they can exert control over our lives? Usually, through an unholy alliance with a second group of Liberals, whom we will call the Controllers. These are people who covet power over their brethren, and will go to just about any length to get it, but lack the economic or social wherewithal to swing it on their own. These are most often religious or political leaders of a sizeable minority (odd how religion and politics often draw the same kinds of people, almost as if they were somehow related) that can be delivered as a "voting bloc." The Oligarchs arrange to trade those votes for power over the third group, the Unwashed. The Oligarchs are elected, and pass their pronouncements down to the Controllers, who present it as Gospel from on high.
Unfortunately, our third group, the Unwashed, will believe just about anything they're told. They are either so young and idealistic, or are so, shall we say, misinformed that they don't question what their so-called leaders tell them. Have to raise gasoline taxes because we used the highway funds for a prime piece of pork-barrel politics somewhere else? No problem. Need to raise sales tax to pay for the social engineering of public transit because the roads have been neglected for too long? Sure thing. Need to raise unemployment taxes because the social engineering killed the economy and cost hundreds of thousands their jobs? Um, okay. And since the Controllers are lying to them to get them to vote for the Oligarchs, they really don't know any better.
How rude is it to refer to this third group as I have? Quite rude, actually, but you'll find I'm hardly the first to note their existence. In "1984," they were Proles. In "Brave New World," they were Betas. They are the masses, purposely miseducated and held in economic slavery by the very people they trust to lead them and look out for their best interests. Their so-called leaders hold them down, and essentially trade their votes to the Oligarchs in return for the power they use to keep them in line. It's one of the biggest lies in the world, and it's nothing less than a crying shame. I wish there was something more I could do to break this hold, to free these people, to right this wrong, but I'm not sure I can do any more that write about it and hope.
Okay, So Where Do Conservatives Come From?
From Heaven? Sorry. Couldn't resist. Actually, your average Conservative is either a middle-class highly educated person of wisdom, or a former member of the Unwashed that took a look around, said, "Hey things aren't right!", and decided they wouldn't believe the lies any longer. For this, they are usually denigrated and attacked by the Controllers as having betrayed whatever group the Controllers are attempting to exploit. As I've pointed out, this early canalization can be difficult to overcome, and some have trouble getting away from old thought patterns, even though they've discovered the truth. Thus, many new Conservatives retain some of their old habits, even though they have finally broken free of what can only be called mind control.
Clear enough? That's why most Republicans are actually just constipated Democrats. They've grown up, they've grown wiser, but old habits are hard to break. When some lying politician says something aimed at getting themselves elected rather than fixing the problems other lying politicians have caused (you can always tell when a politician is lying: their lips are moving), their first thought is, "Hmm, I don't know, maybe that's true," when their first thought should be, "What a load of crap!" They're a bit clogged up. Unfortunately, mental constipation is sometimes harder to cure than the physical variety. But hey, I'm working on it!
The slightly longer version? Well, yes, but it's not their fault. Really!
I've made it abundantly clear elsewhere in these pages just what I think of your average Liberal. Please bear in mind, however, that this was a vast oversimplification to allow me to make a point. There are really several different kinds of Liberals, just as there are various kinds of Conservatives. In no case would I attempt to imply that there is a broad enough paintbrush in all of Creation to cover all of these myriad degrees of silliness with "the same paintbrush" (meaning I may disdain all Liberals, but for completely different reasons). Confused? Follow.
Why Don't I Like Liberals? Which Kind?
To understand my disdain, you must understand Liberalism as I do. I basically divide your average mainstream Liberals (excluding pure Marxists, Communists, and bomb-tossing anarchists, who are deluded in their own special way; more on that later) into three groups: the Oligarchs, the Controllers, and the Unwashed.
The Oligarchs are those who have gotten their Liberalism along with their silver spoon, children of privilege who have never had to work a day in their lives, and don't understand the economics of desperation because they've never been hungry. They are (so their belief goes) far better educated than you, and therefore are smarter than you, and therefore should be telling you what to think, what to read, what to eat, when to go to bed, whom to marry -- in short, controlling every portion of your life. They're wrong, of course, but delusions based on belief/attitude/value structures learned in childhood are often the most powerful and difficult to break.
Okay, you say, so we have people who believe they have been appointed by God to run our lives because of their vast superiority. How do they get into positions where they can exert control over our lives? Usually, through an unholy alliance with a second group of Liberals, whom we will call the Controllers. These are people who covet power over their brethren, and will go to just about any length to get it, but lack the economic or social wherewithal to swing it on their own. These are most often religious or political leaders of a sizeable minority (odd how religion and politics often draw the same kinds of people, almost as if they were somehow related) that can be delivered as a "voting bloc." The Oligarchs arrange to trade those votes for power over the third group, the Unwashed. The Oligarchs are elected, and pass their pronouncements down to the Controllers, who present it as Gospel from on high.
Unfortunately, our third group, the Unwashed, will believe just about anything they're told. They are either so young and idealistic, or are so, shall we say, misinformed that they don't question what their so-called leaders tell them. Have to raise gasoline taxes because we used the highway funds for a prime piece of pork-barrel politics somewhere else? No problem. Need to raise sales tax to pay for the social engineering of public transit because the roads have been neglected for too long? Sure thing. Need to raise unemployment taxes because the social engineering killed the economy and cost hundreds of thousands their jobs? Um, okay. And since the Controllers are lying to them to get them to vote for the Oligarchs, they really don't know any better.
How rude is it to refer to this third group as I have? Quite rude, actually, but you'll find I'm hardly the first to note their existence. In "1984," they were Proles. In "Brave New World," they were Betas. They are the masses, purposely miseducated and held in economic slavery by the very people they trust to lead them and look out for their best interests. Their so-called leaders hold them down, and essentially trade their votes to the Oligarchs in return for the power they use to keep them in line. It's one of the biggest lies in the world, and it's nothing less than a crying shame. I wish there was something more I could do to break this hold, to free these people, to right this wrong, but I'm not sure I can do any more that write about it and hope.
Okay, So Where Do Conservatives Come From?
From Heaven? Sorry. Couldn't resist. Actually, your average Conservative is either a middle-class highly educated person of wisdom, or a former member of the Unwashed that took a look around, said, "Hey things aren't right!", and decided they wouldn't believe the lies any longer. For this, they are usually denigrated and attacked by the Controllers as having betrayed whatever group the Controllers are attempting to exploit. As I've pointed out, this early canalization can be difficult to overcome, and some have trouble getting away from old thought patterns, even though they've discovered the truth. Thus, many new Conservatives retain some of their old habits, even though they have finally broken free of what can only be called mind control.
Clear enough? That's why most Republicans are actually just constipated Democrats. They've grown up, they've grown wiser, but old habits are hard to break. When some lying politician says something aimed at getting themselves elected rather than fixing the problems other lying politicians have caused (you can always tell when a politician is lying: their lips are moving), their first thought is, "Hmm, I don't know, maybe that's true," when their first thought should be, "What a load of crap!" They're a bit clogged up. Unfortunately, mental constipation is sometimes harder to cure than the physical variety. But hey, I'm working on it!