I've had some fun discussions with leftists lately. In particular, it's fascinating to watch the mental gymnastics they go through to avoid recognizing their failures. I've spoken about this years ago, but it never really stops. Observe.
The first conversation was with a very nice older couple who also happen to be far, far left. We had kind of a truce to have the dinner, but as you know, liberals cannot help themselves. They really think that their political beliefs are just commonly accepted thoughts and they share them... well, liberally. In fact, I used to point to a sportswriter named Peter King who was a prime example of this. He would say things like how it was time we banned guns, how we need reparations for blacks and how Al Gore's film was vital viewing for everyone, yet would claim with a straight face that he never expressed "political opinions"... everything he said "was just common sense, not political." Delusional.
Anyways, the truce held despite repeated liberalisms slipping out. Then the topic of Portland came up and they lamented the terrible state of Portland. Portland, as you all know, has turned to sh*t because of progressive policies -- legalize all drugs, let criminals go, defund the cops and scream fascism when people complain about the murderous homeless camps. Crime rate shoots up. Murder rate shoots up. Overdoses at record highs (no pun intended). Businesses fleeing (including progressive businesses). How would they lament poor Portland without admitting this you ask? I assumed they would say Covid, but that's nonsense since everywhere else had Covid but didn't become like Portland. The answer? The opioid epidemic. In other words, it's the fault of one evil family (the Sackler family) and greedy doctors. Nevermind that opioids are not the issue in Portland -- it's meth, or that people are misusing opioids to get high, not using them.
Many of the more fringe left, by the way, claim Portland is a myth "of the right-wing media"... that nothing has changed. Riiight.
Then I had a mind-boggling conversation with a leftist anti-vaxxer who called right-wing anti-vaxxers "antiscience." When I said, you have the same belief, her answer was, "I know it's dangerous. They just hate science." Boom.
Then came my favorite. Keith Olberman, who is on the fringe left, commented on Bud Light. Guess what side he's on? I pointed out to a leftist that his opinion is to be expected because he's "far left." This brought the following: "Far left? Are you crazy? He doesn't believe in labor rights or communal ownership which makes him right wing." Sigh. I responded, "Labor rights? You gave that one up, kiddo. You backed Evil Corporate Disney because it tweaked DeSantis. Biden crushed the railworkers union to protection his re-election. Your biggest tech supporters send their work to slave factories. Don't tell me you support labor rights. All you have left is race baiting, trans tyranny and unfettered crime." He responded, "He's right wing, not left wing." Double sigh. And here comes the point... I've found this to be common with leftists throughout my life: they disown all the messes they make:
The National Socialists start a war, kill six million Jews and fifty million people... but they weren't leftists! They were right wing, like racist libertarians! The Soviet Union starves ten million Ukrainians to death, enslaves whole countries and sends tens of millions to labor camps while destroying their economy... they weren't really communists. Communist China kills 60 million locals. Not communist. Communists kill millions in Cambodia. Not communists. Vietnam fails and turns capitalist. Not real communists. Socialists nearly bankrupt Britain until Thatcher comes along. Wasn't us, it was the Arabs (oil). They cause crime to spike in the US in the 1960s. Wasn't us, it was having too many babies. They destroy Portland. It was opioids! Leftists turn San Francisco into a drugged out, crime infested wasteland. It wasn't us... everywhere else is just as bad. Look at Detroit, Portland, DC, Philly as examples. You mean the other cities with leftist crime enforcement? School are racist and fail kids! Schools... which are dominated by leftist teachers? Uh, no it's the parents' faults! College is unaffordable. College run by leftists and funded by a government program? It wasn't our fault, it was the loan administrators! Affirmative action and welfare will save black families! And after those policies destroyed black families? It's Ronald Reagan's fault. It goes on and on and on.
Every leftist policy has crashed and burned often hurting those it intended to help the most. Yet, liberals have never once accepted responsibility regardless of how obvious it is. They always find excuses and scapegoats. And when there can be no excuses because the actors claimed to be leftists and leftists cheered them on? They disown them after their collapse... they were never really leftists.
Delusional.
The first conversation was with a very nice older couple who also happen to be far, far left. We had kind of a truce to have the dinner, but as you know, liberals cannot help themselves. They really think that their political beliefs are just commonly accepted thoughts and they share them... well, liberally. In fact, I used to point to a sportswriter named Peter King who was a prime example of this. He would say things like how it was time we banned guns, how we need reparations for blacks and how Al Gore's film was vital viewing for everyone, yet would claim with a straight face that he never expressed "political opinions"... everything he said "was just common sense, not political." Delusional.
Anyways, the truce held despite repeated liberalisms slipping out. Then the topic of Portland came up and they lamented the terrible state of Portland. Portland, as you all know, has turned to sh*t because of progressive policies -- legalize all drugs, let criminals go, defund the cops and scream fascism when people complain about the murderous homeless camps. Crime rate shoots up. Murder rate shoots up. Overdoses at record highs (no pun intended). Businesses fleeing (including progressive businesses). How would they lament poor Portland without admitting this you ask? I assumed they would say Covid, but that's nonsense since everywhere else had Covid but didn't become like Portland. The answer? The opioid epidemic. In other words, it's the fault of one evil family (the Sackler family) and greedy doctors. Nevermind that opioids are not the issue in Portland -- it's meth, or that people are misusing opioids to get high, not using them.
Many of the more fringe left, by the way, claim Portland is a myth "of the right-wing media"... that nothing has changed. Riiight.
Then I had a mind-boggling conversation with a leftist anti-vaxxer who called right-wing anti-vaxxers "antiscience." When I said, you have the same belief, her answer was, "I know it's dangerous. They just hate science." Boom.
Then came my favorite. Keith Olberman, who is on the fringe left, commented on Bud Light. Guess what side he's on? I pointed out to a leftist that his opinion is to be expected because he's "far left." This brought the following: "Far left? Are you crazy? He doesn't believe in labor rights or communal ownership which makes him right wing." Sigh. I responded, "Labor rights? You gave that one up, kiddo. You backed Evil Corporate Disney because it tweaked DeSantis. Biden crushed the railworkers union to protection his re-election. Your biggest tech supporters send their work to slave factories. Don't tell me you support labor rights. All you have left is race baiting, trans tyranny and unfettered crime." He responded, "He's right wing, not left wing." Double sigh. And here comes the point... I've found this to be common with leftists throughout my life: they disown all the messes they make:
The National Socialists start a war, kill six million Jews and fifty million people... but they weren't leftists! They were right wing, like racist libertarians! The Soviet Union starves ten million Ukrainians to death, enslaves whole countries and sends tens of millions to labor camps while destroying their economy... they weren't really communists. Communist China kills 60 million locals. Not communist. Communists kill millions in Cambodia. Not communists. Vietnam fails and turns capitalist. Not real communists. Socialists nearly bankrupt Britain until Thatcher comes along. Wasn't us, it was the Arabs (oil). They cause crime to spike in the US in the 1960s. Wasn't us, it was having too many babies. They destroy Portland. It was opioids! Leftists turn San Francisco into a drugged out, crime infested wasteland. It wasn't us... everywhere else is just as bad. Look at Detroit, Portland, DC, Philly as examples. You mean the other cities with leftist crime enforcement? School are racist and fail kids! Schools... which are dominated by leftist teachers? Uh, no it's the parents' faults! College is unaffordable. College run by leftists and funded by a government program? It wasn't our fault, it was the loan administrators! Affirmative action and welfare will save black families! And after those policies destroyed black families? It's Ronald Reagan's fault. It goes on and on and on.
Every leftist policy has crashed and burned often hurting those it intended to help the most. Yet, liberals have never once accepted responsibility regardless of how obvious it is. They always find excuses and scapegoats. And when there can be no excuses because the actors claimed to be leftists and leftists cheered them on? They disown them after their collapse... they were never really leftists.
Delusional.
Sounds like we ought to retire the “no true Scotsman” fallacy in favor of the “no true communist” fallacy.
ReplyDelete“leftists throughout my life: they disown all the messes they make”
ReplyDeleteAndrew, this has been my experience with American leftists as well. This is why the leftoids here in the states never course correct. They never learn from their failures; and our corporate masters allow these people to fail upwards in the name of fake progress. The Left have clearly caused a definite decline across the country and you can visually see it… it cant be denied.
The same goes for politicians; they have run entire cities into the ground, hell they now run entire states into the ground. And the people who did all this damage? Where are they now?
Out of power and in disgrace?
Or at the center of all political and media power centers in Washington?
Rhetorical questions of course, you know these people have failed upwards by design. They are all a bunch of big government/big corporate cronies that line their own pockets while running the rest of us into the ground. The fact that Leftist U.S. citizens (aka fellow dissidents) are boot-licking for these petty tyrants in charge is absolutely baffling to me.
Half of my family immigrated to the states in the 1970’s from the U.K./Spain. My point being I have family & fellows abroad; the Union-Left in Europe has at least attempted to course correct at times. Meanwhile, In the U.S. the Left just ignores their failures; and instead imagine fake oppressors to blame their own faults on whatever/whoever they can deflect onto.
Oh and Olberman has got to be one of the most leftoid psychos I've ever had the misfortune of reading on Twitter… the person who called him “Right Wing” is in peak delusion! He is THE definition of a typical Media Leftoid blabbermouth who has the sole goal of dividing people for money and clout via divisive hyperbolic hot takes.
-Kyle
Jed here - I have found most liberal arguments to be theoretical. They are made to sound great in theory, but in practice they always fail. Seems like I see two types. The Woostock folks who see something work in a setting and thinks it can work universally. The other type is the brainwashed msnbc watchers. But most people don’t let debate or facts dissuade their beliefs however unrealistic
ReplyDeleteJed, I've come to see the modern American left as a religion. They accept dogma, whether it makes sense or not, regardless of the facts proving it wrong, and despite the fact it all conflicts. What's more, they've added a sense of right and wrong to the belief and a sense of absolutism. This result in the idea that "every normal person thinks this." And if you don't, then you fall into some evil category -- racist, bought off, moron.
ReplyDeleteAndrew
tryanmax, It's true. My whole life I've seen this. The left says do X, it explodes, they find reasons why it wasn't X or that X wasn't done right. Or the biggie... when there is simply no other way to explain away the failure: "Nobody could have seen this coming." Yeah, except the millions of people who told you it was idiotic.
ReplyDeleteBut yes, leftism has never failed because it's never been tried.
Andrew
Kyle, "Peak delusion." I love that! LOL!
ReplyDeleteI agree. The European left is a different animal. They have an actual ideology with economic theories and the such -- not just a list of grievances -- and they have course corrected many times throughout my life. The American left lacks a true ideology and just fills in with anger and grievance... identity politics, and keep right on pushing the same poison.
One of the things I see as the greatest danger to this country right now is exactly what you put your finger on. We have allowed a class of people to be created who hold all the power and no matter how badly they screw things up, they stay in power and get more and more chances. Screw up a corporation, just move to another CEO position. Get put on a board to protect you. Go into politics. The Treasury is a revolving door for bank elites. Hollywood, tech companies, media, etc., they all play this game. If you are elite, they will all prop you up, nepo your kids straight to the top, and crush the public to make sure they stay in power. This is the real problem in America right now.
Andrew