Many on the left have visceral hostility toward those with different opinions
One of the things that attracted me to the political left as a young
man was a belief that leftists were for "the people." Fortunately, I was
also very interested in the history of ideas — and years of research in
that field repeatedly brought out the inescapable fact that many
leading thinkers on the left had only contempt for "the people."
That
has been true from the 18th century to the present moment. Even more
surprising, I discovered over the years that leading thinkers on the
opposite side of the ideological spectrum had more respect for ordinary
people than people on the left who spoke in their name.
Leftists
like Rousseau, Condorcet or William Godwin in the 18th century, Karl
Marx in the 19th century or Fabian socialists like George Bernard Shaw
in England and American Progressives in the 20th century saw the people
in a role much like that of sheep, and saw themselves as their
shepherds.
Another disturbing pattern turned up that is also with
us to the present moment. From the 18th century to today, many leading
thinkers on the left have regarded those who disagree with them as being
not merely factually wrong but morally repugnant. Again, this pattern
is far less often found among those on the opposite side of the
ideological spectrum.
The visceral hostility toward Sarah Palin by
present-day liberals, and the gutter level to which some descend in
expressing it, is just one sign of a mindset on the left that goes back
more than two centuries.
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- Judy Chaffee
- This site is the inspiration of a former reporter/photographer for one of New England's largest daily newspapers and for various magazines. The intent is to direct readers to interesting political articles, and we urge you to visit the source sites. Any comments may be noted on site or directed to KarisChaf at gmail.
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
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