Why Knee-Jerk Progressives are st00pid

[primroseburrows]

Someone on WBAI's Counterspin was interviewing someone from some magazine whose name I forget. The interviewer asked the magazine guy what he thought about "the Bush Administration's Demonisation of Saddam Hussein", to which the magazine guy goes on and on railing against this so-called demonisation.

I must have missed something here. How can something be labeled "demonisation" if the person in question is already demonic? Geez.

I consider myself a Progressive. I'm against the war in Iraq, I don't think we should have attacked; I don't think we should be occupying. I don't think Saddam has any connection to Sept. 11. I think Bush is scary and needs to go.

But. Saddam is an Evil Bad Guy, and boy am I glad he's been captured. He's done Really Bad Things; I don't agree with the war, but at least this one good end has come from it. I wonder if the magazine guy would have attacked the "Demonisation of Hitler" in the same way. Saddam's not Hitler, but he's in the neighbourhood o' badness.

Some liberals (not all, just a vocal bunch) are so knee-jerk that they'll say anything as long as it's Against the Establishment. And y'know what? This makes 'em as bad as the Religious Right, because they're doing the exact same thing. As much as I like WBAI (and FAIR, the people who make Counterspin) for its alternative opinions and the courage they show in speaking them, I think they're often as guilty of extreme reflexive progressivism as Falwell's followers are of extreme reflexive conservatism. Maybe that's why WBAI is having so much trouble getting people to give them money.

Everyone has a brain. We need to think about what we think about, and not just react. [/end rant]

Okay, off to finish Christmas shopping.

Comments

[peacey.livejournal.com]

*loves*

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*loves*

<Some liberals (not all, just a vocal bunch) are so knee-jerk that they'll say anything as long as it's Against the Establishment. And y'know what? This makes 'em as bad as the Religious Right, because they're doing the exact same thing.>

*loveloves*

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

*loves back*

I got your presents! Have already fallen in love with Warren's last, best album. Will read books as soon as I get time to really pay attention.

[peacey.livejournal.com]

Yay! Glad to hear they made their way to you in time. There was some question about that. Hope you enjoy them - which you should considering you picked 'em out (God bless the Amazon wishlist!). Merry Christmas, dahlink.

Speaking of the phrase, "Merry Christmas," it is a PC world gone wild when a company tells you not to wish your customers "Merry Christmas" for fear of offending someone. Maybe I'm just getting old and curmudgeonly, but even if you're Jewish or Muslim or whatever, what in THE hell could possibly *offend* in that phrase? People are too damned thin-skinned these days. If you aren't Christian, just smile or whatever and ignore it (one guy told me "And Happy Hanukkah to you." Did I get offended? No.).

*stickstoungeout* I do it anyway....shhhhhh.

[ringomc.livejournal.com]

Word.

[primroseburrows.livejournal.com]

it is a PC world gone wild when a company tells you not to wish your customers "Merry Christmas" for fear of offending someone.

I say Merry Christmas (although I like the British "Happy Christmas" better). I also say "Happy Holidays." I had no idea that this was a PC issue. *headdesk*

Happy Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy Kwanzaa...heck, happy Saturnalia! *g*