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“The simplest explanation is most likely the correct one.” – Occam’s Razor
It’s fair to say that progressives (liberals in the modern sense) believe what they believe as strongly as any of us. They don’t spend their time and energy, fighting so hard to bring about political, social and cultural change, just for laughs or for the entertainment value. So how is it that their assessments of situations differ so vastly from the way things are in the real world? How is it they always seem to reject the most likely answers to questions, or solutions to problems, in favor of those which are completely off-the-wall?
Let’s start with an idea that might seem quite odd. It’s a notion I’ve been entertaining for some time now – a theory I’ve been testing that, remarkably, seems to bear itself out consistently. My theory is this:
Progressives are hard-wired opposite from the rest of us, in sort of a reverse polarity, which causes them to view the world backwards.
Now, don’t tune me out here. I understand that this idea is a bit abstract and will likely prove unprovable. But my intention isn’t to claim a scientific certainty as much as it is to propose an idea that may help to explain why many of us look at the political actions of liberals and ask ourselves, “What in the world could they possibly be thinking?”
My basic premise takes shape around a strange but simple idea: Progressives look at everything through the looking glass — the environment, people, politics, situations, institutions and ideas – and therefore deal with things in the exact opposite way that logic, common sense, human instinct and the laws of nature would dictate.
What do I mean by that? Consider: If a crime is committed, liberals will take the side of the criminal, not the victim. If political corruption is uncovered, liberals will give the benefit of the doubt to the corruptocrat* (provided he’s on their team.) If a poll says 67% of Americans oppose government run health care, liberals will claim the 33% in favor represents a mandate to continue. If drilling in our own vast reserves of crude oil right under our own feet is suggested, progressives slam the door on it with pretentious cries of environmental terrorism and Big-Oil avarice. If a natural event takes place one time, progressives will ignore the other 10,000 times it happened differently and declare the occurrence a new scientific norm. If a bone or fossil is found which has just one feature different than any before, progressives will immediately declare it definitive proof of the evolution of man from simpler life-forms. If 300 million people believe something, progressives will declare the remaining 2 dozen people who hold the opposing view the majority.
And so on. Liberals invariably reject the most likely explanation in favor of the implausible, the improbable or the downright silly.
Now apply my theory to some common political situations, and let’s see if it holds true — at least in practice, if not in principle.
Liberals want you to believe:
- The way to stop out-of-control spending is to spend more.
- The way to stimulate the private sector (products and services) is to create more government administrative jobs.
- The way to encourage economic growth is to sabotage economic growth — by penalizing those who are financially successful.
- The way to teach our children to reach for excellence is by telling them their failing test scores are as praiseworthy as the scores of the children who passed.
- The way to promote job growth is to discourage businesses from hiring – by taking away things like tax breaks that promote growth and expansion.
- The way to set ourselves apart as an exceptional nation is by denouncing American exceptionalism.
- The way to foster self-esteem and nurture the human spirit is to destroy self-esteem and crush the human spirit — by keeping people out of the workforce and sending them welfare checks once a month.
- The way to establish national pride and respect from other nations is to earn their derision and contempt — by apologizing and bowing to foreign leaders. (Progressives are incapable of comprehending what’s wrong with this.)
- The way to strengthen American sovereignty is by turning our sovereignty over to global interests.
If these solutions don’t make any sense to you, you’re not alone — most of us readily see the absurdities. That’s because your brain, like most people’s, is wired in such a way as to respect and accept the natural laws of logic, common sense, and the perception and instinctive understanding of human nature and the world we live in. Progressives don’t recognize the obvious, nor do they give due consideration to concrete facts. They’re simply wired backwards (again, my opinion). That’s why they can be so wrong and still believe so strongly that they’re right.
Now let’s step on some toes.
- We all instinctively understand that the idea of mankind being able to substantially raise the temperature of the earth’s atmosphere to a dangerous, life-threatening level is patently ridiculous. Progressives demand that we ignore the obvious and believe the illogical, the fantastic, the unbelievable.
- We all instinctively know that terrorists lay no claim whatsoever to the rights granted by the Constitution to United States citizens, especially within our court system. Progressives insist on extending those rights and protections to foreign terrorists. God only knows why — and yes, I mean that literally.
- We all instinctively understand that there are nations in the world led by leaders, governments or ideologies that are flat-out evil, and cannot be reasoned with. We see their activities, hear their threats and recognize them easily. Progressives try to convince us it is we who are evil, and that our enemies are, in fact, just misunderstood and deep down are really sweet people. All they need is to be cajoled, caressed — maybe just hugged.
- We all instinctively know that to terminate a pregnancy is to do away with a human life. We also understand that there are some limited circumstances which could justify an abortion, but that convenience and inconvenience are not among them. Progressives reject those simple, instinctive truths and go to extreme lengths to convince us that the matter consists entirely of the right of a woman to choose whether or not to terminate the life within her womb — sometimes for no more reason than that it’s just so stressful to have to raise a child.
I believe that all human beings, in the deepest recesses of the heart, instinctively know and understand these truths, and a great many more. Progressives, in contrast, start with outright denial of what we all understand to be established principles. This is the foundational premise which governs every political, social and cultural change they attempt to make. Progressives cannot support established principles. Their brains are hard-wired to be anti-establishment.
The essence of progressivism, then, is to deny the very basics of humanity — the inherent moral and ethical traits of human nature, the laws of the natural world in which we live, the lessons we have learned from course of human history, and the built-in guidance systems of conscience and human instinct.
Just in passing I’ll add that they cover this up by arguing that these very things are their intellectual property, and they simply know more about them than you ever will. But progressives on an aggressive mission (read: the Obama Administration and the far-left) cannot help but reveal themselves. All we have to do is learn how to recognize them.
I expect to explore this subject further. In the meantime, keep your eyes open and see if the actions you observe by progressive politicians fits my theory. Or if you prefer, start predicting the way progressives will respond as political events unfold. You may be surprised at how much you suddenly understand about progressives if you just ask yourself a simple question: What would I do in this situation if I were wired backwards?
I’d be interested in your thoughts.
–RB Stratford
UPDATE: An excellent related link to a Heritage Foundation video presentation by Evan Sayet on “How Modern Liberals Think.” (h/t Smitty at The Other McCain)
(* – a handy Malkinism)
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