[lit-ideas] Re: The Left Only Exists In Lawrence's Head
- From: "Mike Geary" <atlas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2006 11:00:42 -0600
A leftist is a politically active liberal -- that's my distinction. A leftist
is one who tries to effect liberal values within a political system so that the
system fosters those values. Among those I would commonly describe as
'leftist' are labor leaders, environmentalists, civil rights activists, those
active in organizations like ACLU, Common Cause, Amnesty International, People
for the American Way, NARAL, NOW, Planned Parenthood, Gay and Lesbian Alliance,
Feminist Majority, so on and so forth. Leftists are liberals trying to effect
liberalism where it is weak or non-existent. A leftist can become fascistic in
his zeal to effect those values, just as a conservatives can become fascistic
in their zeal -- but the fascism in such cases has nothing to do with
liberalism or with conservatism, but only with the personality of a particular
person. I have described myself as a leftist and as a liberal. I'm not so
active now, so I think of myself more as a liberal -- a used-up leftist. I
think this distinction between Liberal and Leftist holds true for Conservative
and Right Winger (Rightist -- just doesn't have the right ring to it).
Well, now, that didn't get us very far, did it? So maybe what you're really
asking is: What's the essential difference (no, I'm not an essentialist, except
verbally) between a Liberal and a Conservative? Funny you should ask, I've
been dying to tell you. First though, let's agree that both Liberals and
Conservatives seek self-flourishing. Liberals see community as the way wherein
they can best flourish (that old need for one another type thingie) and so
naturally support programs which further the well-being of community.
Conservatives see community as detrimental to their flourishing (draining their
personal resources and cramping their style) and so naturally oppose any
programs that expand community. Conservatives chant: "I've got mine,
everything's fine." Kinksy Liberals chant:
"Father Christmas, give us some money
Don't mess around with those silly toys.
We'll beat you up if you don't hand it over
We want your bread so don't make us annoyed
Give all the toys to the little rich boys."
Yes, Virginia, there is good in big government. Conservatives believe in big
government, too, but only to keep Kinksy liberals from beating them up. I've
never met a Conservative who believed you could spend too much on armaments.
Then, of course, there's all the other stuff that follows from believing in the
fellowship of community -- like caring for one another etc. Bleeding-heart
stuff that conservatives hate so much, and the desire for peace that drives
conservatives up the wall. Liberals just can't handle Hobbesian truth, we have
to hug one another like school girls. You get the picture, I'm sure.
Hope this is of some help,
Mike Geary
Memphis
----- Original Message -----
From: Brian
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Friday, December 15, 2006 9:47 AM
Subject: [lit-ideas] The Left Only Exists In Lawrence's Head
I've been noticing the persistence of the list in using quotes about "the
Left" and "Leftists" when Lawrence uses it and have seen it used to try and
sidestep or ignore his points. I see people saying that he has it all wrong
but they don't provide much corrective and obviously take its pejorative as an
affront. But aren't there proud Leftists on the list? Who here uses the word
Leftist to describe themselves?
Is liberal preferable and what would delineate the liberals from the
Leftists? I think that liberals and the Left have become indistinguishable and
that forty years ago a liberal like JFK were for lowering taxes, using the
military of the U.S. to fight evil, and believed the U.S. was the greatest
nation in the world. How many Leftists does that describe? In Bernard
Goldberg's Arrogance he talks about how liberals (in this case Manhattan media
elites) don't even think of themselves as liberals but as realists (sound
familiar?) and so don't use that word to label themselves. They and all their
friends and colleagues think much the same about abortion, guns, taxes, foreign
policy, and the like and anyone who doesn't gets labeled as neoconservative,
religious extremist, ultra-right winger, selfish, fundamentalist.
~Brian
Birmingham, AL
On Dec 12, 2006, at 8:53 AM, Irene Cassidy wrote:
Leftists the way you use it is tantamount to bogieman
On Dec 14, 2006, at 11:54 AM, Mike Geary wrote:
The most aggravating thing about Lawrence's accusation that the "Left" is
anti-American is that he's right -- the "Left" is anti the America that the
Right wants us to be
On Dec 13, 2006, at 8:35 AM, Omar Kusturica wrote:
It was the conservatives
not "the Left"
On Dec 13, 2006, at 11:53 PM, Andreas Ramos wrote:
The "Leftists" didn't stop Bush
Other related posts:
