"People can learn to be kind"
One of my favorite blogs hereabouts on the far left* is Trenches, not least because they've chosen the occasion of the Oscars to post about the dramatic increase of homelessness in Hollywood (and elsewhere). I'm not sure whether attitudes towards homelessness can have a "liberal" or "conservative" bent, though conservatives definitely seem to think the homeless acquired their problem from the innate worthlessness/laziness/drunkenness inside their bleak souls, while liberals look to external sources such as lack of affordable housing and job insecurity as key reasons. Mick Arran crystallizes the difference neatly:
On the one hand, the generosity of a community that understands what the words ‘generosity’ and ‘community’ mean; on the other, the selfishness and hatred that follows the destruction of the social contract by denying that any such contract exists or ought to. On one side, those who understand that there’s a real problem in their city with affordable housing and that many of the people now in the camps were forced there by circumstances over which they had no control and wouldn’t be there if they had any other options available to them; on the other, people who don’t give a damn how they got there as long as they go away. Soon.
One side demonstrates convincingly and with heart that there’s no problem that can’t be solved if the community works on it together. The other side demonstrates just as clearly that no problem can be solved if the community ignores it. That’s the class war in a nutshell. Generosity and community destroy class lines; ignorance and selfishness enforce them. What we need to decide as a nation—and fast—is which side we’re on.
[*By "hereabouts on the far left" I meant only myself, since I know not all us New Patriots are Far Lefties]
posted by Mark D. @ 5:12 PM |
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3 Comments:
Two things -
First, just give up on the class war thing. History has shown us that communism failed. (Cuba, China, USSR, etc.)
Second, and this is more a less a repeat post.
The key difference between left and right today is that the right assumes the left has good intent, but differs on solutions. (And sometimes the question of if the problem exists at all.) While the left assumes that right is only motivated by selfish gain.
Hence these attacks. While they whip up the hardcore lefties, they don't resonate with the middle. They know people, co-workers, parents, friends that are conservative and they aren't bad people. They aren't sitting in a bathtub full of chilled Roosevelt dimes, rubbing their hands and contemplating how best to evict orphans and widows.
This sort of rant isn't helpful and to large extent its what's wrong with Democrats and the left today.
You have to learn to assume good intent, be willing to explore all the alternatives and accept that its not a win/lose game, but rather a continuious one, where progressive compromise can create a momentum of positive change. One that encourages the middle to be a part of making things better rather than continuing to alienate them by insulting the people they know to be rational and caring.
I didn't say it but I could have. But while we're at it, we could also say the the right is equally as guilty of the same that the right assumes the left has good intent, but differs on solutions. (And sometimes the question of if the problem exists at all.) While the left assumes that right is only motivated by selfish gain.ya know but strike that reverse it.
What resonates with the middle has always seemed a bit elusive because in the middle we each have our own agenda and we aren't foisting it on anyone, just hoping for a little happiness. Bah to hyperbole and generalization.
There is so much passion on both sides of the issue, so hard to communicate without getting angry and Feeling Something, so what do we do? How do we get it together? It is not logic alone that will solve the ills of the world.
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