The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Self-Righteousness, Guilt and Liberalism

Posted on | January 24, 2010 | 9 Comments

One of the books I most often recommend is Thomas Sowell’s The Vision of the Anointed: Self-Congratulation as a Basis for Social Policy, which I consider the best analysis of the psychology of liberalism. What Sowell explains is that liberals make policy on the basis of how it makes them feel, regardless of whether the policies achieve their objectives (and never mind the unintended consequences).

Here’s a classic example: Disney has a program called Give a Day, Get a Day in which kids can earn a free trip to DisneyLand by doing charitable volunteer work in their community.

Who could be against that? Liberals, that’s who.

AlphaBear’s kid participated in the program, volunteering at an East L.A. middle school, and he explains:

What I found interesting about the experience though, was the conversation I had with a woman who got out of a car loaded down with bumper stickers. You know the kinds I mean — they say things like “Coexist” and “War is unkind to children and other living things” and “Like your rights? Thank a liberal.” She carried her self-righteousness with her like a cloak and it trailed behind her when she walked. Her first words to me while we were waiting on the line for our assignments were “Oh, you must be here to get the free day in Disneyland.”
Not that it was any of her business, but I decided to be nice and admit that yes, that’s why we were there. Her response: “Typical. All these people couldn’t be bothered to come out to help others without some giant corporation figuring out a way to make money off of it.” . . .
I realized that that this is the kind of galactically stupid misunderstanding of human nature that leads hard-core leftists to misunderstand the nature of capitalism and embrace idiotic ideas like socialism. . . .

Read the whole thing.

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Category: Liberals

Comments

  • http://threebeerslater.blogspot.com Richard McEnroe

    You know what I’d say if some corporation offered me a prize for doing good. “Gee, thanks.”

    You know that all you would get from Ms. Bumpersticker would have been “Well, so what? The Delta Smelt are still endangered! What have you done for the Delta Smelt? Huh?”

    This is why neither Barrack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid nor any other progressive will ever be able to fix an economy.

    They see business, all business, big and small, as something to be punished, as evidence of bad character, of avarice and disregard for their fellow man, er, person. Business must be forced to do right, not encouraged, and they must be made to pay for the privilege.

    This is also why campaign contributions to progressives (read Democrats) are waste of time, Mr. Business Owner. You think you’re establishing a relationship of mutual obligations. He, she or it thinks you are paying reparations for your past crimes and it buys you nothing.

  • http://threebeerslater.blogspot.com Richard McEnroe

    You know what I’d say if some corporation offered me a prize for doing good. “Gee, thanks.”

    You know that all you would get from Ms. Bumpersticker would have been “Well, so what? The Delta Smelt are still endangered! What have you done for the Delta Smelt? Huh?”

    This is why neither Barrack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid nor any other progressive will ever be able to fix an economy.

    They see business, all business, big and small, as something to be punished, as evidence of bad character, of avarice and disregard for their fellow man, er, person. Business must be forced to do right, not encouraged, and they must be made to pay for the privilege.

    This is also why campaign contributions to progressives (read Democrats) are waste of time, Mr. Business Owner. You think you’re establishing a relationship of mutual obligations. He, she or it thinks you are paying reparations for your past crimes and it buys you nothing.

  • MFS

    “She carried her self-righteousness with her like a cloak and it trailed behind her when she walked.”

    That’s just rhetorical gold and I’m totally stealing it!

    Best wishes,
    -MFS

  • MFS

    “She carried her self-righteousness with her like a cloak and it trailed behind her when she walked.”

    That’s just rhetorical gold and I’m totally stealing it!

    Best wishes,
    -MFS

  • http://www.tomllewis.com/ tomllewis

    Visions of the Anointed was one of the very best books I ever read. Thomas Sowell’s newest book: “Intellectuals and Society” is THE BEST he’s ever done. It incorporates many of the other excellent books he’s written over the years. Here’s a short interview – http://bit.ly/69ZrLp

  • http://www.tomllewis.com/ tomllewis

    Visions of the Anointed was one of the very best books I ever read. Thomas Sowell’s newest book: “Intellectuals and Society” is THE BEST he’s ever done. It incorporates many of the other excellent books he’s written over the years. Here’s a short interview – http://bit.ly/69ZrLp

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  • http://www.medary.com filbert

    I’m trying to get through “The Vision of the Annointed” . . . but it’s so damn depressing, because it’s so damn true . . .

    Time to re-watch the “Smug” episode of South Park, I think . . .

  • http://www.medary.com filbert

    I’m trying to get through “The Vision of the Annointed” . . . but it’s so damn depressing, because it’s so damn true . . .

    Time to re-watch the “Smug” episode of South Park, I think . . .

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