Carelessly jumping to a conclusion is a typical consequence of failing to properly analyze new information. I propose that this explains why leftists support so many ridiculous notions. This was exposed to me when I was having a non-political conversation with the shrill progressive who lives down the street from me. We were talking about our mothers, and I mentioned that my mother had died fifteen years ago. “Oh, she was young” was her immediate reply. I had to pop her bubble by telling her that my Mom was one day short of 100 years old when she perished. She had no idea of how old my mother was… she just jumped.
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The actual basis of all authoritarian leftist conclusions is the unfounded belief that people, in general, are really just helpless children who need a paternalistic government to lead us through life. The prevalence of this dogma was confirmed to me when I bumped into a door-knocking politician while I was taking a walk. She was running for county superintendent of schools. I had the chutzpah to reveal to her my preference for school choice — which would allow competition among schools for both students and faculty — in order to correct many of the deficiencies currently bedeviling the monopoly of taxpayer-funded education. Without hesitation, she jumped to “That doesn’t work because most parents aren’t competent enough to choose the right school for their children.” I thought of telling her, “You mean compared to nameless, faceless bureaucrats who have zero skin in the game?” But I held my tongue. Oh, and she still won the election.
Continuing to avoid careful thought has led today’s leftists to adopt a whole bag of obnoxious advocacies. Perhaps the leading edge is the gender fluidity and child mutilation fad. Following up would be open border advocacy. These are both at best 80:20 issues. The second has seduced its adherents on the dubious pretext of racism… assuming that border jumpers are in legal jeopardy not because of their foreign nationality, but because of their “alien” ethnicity.
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A particular dogmatic conclusion is the knee-jerk progressive aversion to capitalism. For example: “Public” broadcasters express great pride in being “commercial free.” And yet, if they had as strong a bond with their audiences as they claim, they could easily sell advertising and avoid those nauseating pledge breaks. But this would sound too much like grubbing for (ewwww!) profit. However, the MAGA agenda’s pulling of the plug on federal taxpayer support for Public Broadcasting may have introduced a real-world positive consequence. One of my local public radio stations is now “proudly” emphasizing that it is “entirely” community supported. They also have a “donor” who gets a full-throated announcement, not only for their “generosity,” but also for their full range of services available to the interested public. Sounds like a commercial to me. What a country!
Contrary to paternalistic authority is the American ideal of personal freedom. Fatuous reverence for diversity is really just a ploy for the promotion of sameness. True freedom allows people to make their own rules… as long as they don’t interfere with the personal freedom of others. Freedom allows us to innovate well beyond the confines of authoritarian conformity while also being exposed to the consequences of our mistakes.
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Image: Pexels/Jose Lorenzo Muñoz