[antimedia] antimedia: It's a question of humility....

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Posted by antimedia:
It's a question of humility....
http://www.antimedia.us/posts/1180909834.shtml


   ....I was reading through my rss feed yesterday when I came to [1]this
   post at Andi's world. It seems some supposed retired Col. didn't like
   the blogger Milo Freeman's liberal attitude, and so he threatened to
   have his blog shut down. Rather silly, if you ask me, but the
   "Colonel" also said that he wished Milo would die. That's not silly.
   That's despicable. I don't care what your views are, wishing someone
   dead because you disagree with their ideas is as childish as it gets.
   Out of curiousity, I dropped by Milo's blog and read a little. Of
   course, recent posts revolve around the controversy, but [2]this post
   caught my eye.
   Milo writes about a Sergeant with whom he has a tense relationship,
   partly because they are polls apart in their political views. He
   closes his post with these thoughts.

     Needless to say, I'm used to all sorts of pseudo-political bluster
     from the good Sergeant.
     That being said, though, I can't help but take some offense at his
     last comment. Being labeled "gifted" from an early age, I tend to
     be defensive, rather than proud, about my education and intellect,
     and so I get a bit angry when people try to hold those attributes
     against me as a character flaw. Ever since September 11th--and
     especially since arriving at this unit--I've had to deal with a
     steady flow of anti-intellectual sentiment, and frankly it's a
     large part of why I have difficulty fitting in among the other
     soldiers.

   I haven't read enough of Milo's blog to know what sort of
   "anti-intellectual sentiment" he's had to deal with, but the next two
   paragraphs might tip one off to what's going on.

     I don't have time to follow up on his statements. Morales shows up,
     back from breakfast, and grabs the keys to the Humvee. I follow him
     with my gear out the door. The morning is mild, and the sun is
     out--the first wave of blistering heat isn't due for a couple of
     hours yet--but still I something about Sgt. Schultheiss' attitude
     worrisome. It takes me a while to identify it. Questions blur
     through my head.
     Why is it always the intelligentsia who take the blame? Why is it
     the educated who are viewed as dishonest? Why is it that, in times
     of social crisis, the cooler heads and voices of reason are always
     the ones put against the wall--viewed as "threats to the state" or
     to "family values (as if they can be neither patriots nor a loving
     spouses and parents)?" Why is it that the way I speak has to make
     people so uncomfortable, so quick to point out my other numerous
     failings? Why can't I open my mouth sometimes without feeling like
     my personal safety is threatened?

   Milo, I thank you for your service, and I hold you in the highest
   regard because, despite your political views, you serve in combat with
   honor and distinction. You are what America is all about.
   However, what you have just engaged in is called question-begging. If
   the "intelligentisia" and the "educated" are "the cooler heads and
   voices of reason" in times of crisis, then it stands to reason that
   the "non-intelligentsia" and the "un-educated" must be the
   unreasonable hotheads who make bad decisions based purely upon
   emotion. That kind of arrogance generally tends to be off-putting to
   the hoi polloi.
   The antidote to such highfalutin' rhetoric is a healthy dose of
   humility. You see, there are good, intelligent people on both sides of
   the political aisle. Many of them have ideas that directly oppose
   yours. It's not the lack of intelligence that generates those ideas
   but the existence of it.
   Furthermore, the "average" fellow isn't nearly as ignorant or
   un-educated as you seem to think. Many are smart enough to know when
   they're being condescended to and perceptive enough to understand that
   socialism is a system that steals their liberties and enslaves them to
   the state.
   Has it occurred to you that, while they might not express their ideas
   in mellifluous prose or demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of
   history and literature, average people understand life well enough to
   know when an idea will impact them negatively? (The recent brouhaha
   over the immigration bill reveals that quite well, notwithstanding the
   elites' sniffing about "racism".)
   Milo closes with this plaintive cry.

     And why should I have to put up with it?

   Because we're all citizens of this planet, my friend, and your ideas,
   no matter how spectacular, might never prevail in this wonderful thing
   we call democracy.
   Frankly, I find it irritating to have to put up with the intrusiveness
   of elites who think that the state should take care of my and my
   family's needs rather than letting us make those decisions for
   ourselves. I also find it irritating that elites mollycoddle criminals
   in the name of "peace" and are perfectly willing to sit by while
   millions of my fellow man are crushed under the heel of brutal
   dictatorships, because it's against their principles to "interfere" in
   the affairs of others.
   What irritates me the most, however, is the condescending attitude
   that elites adopt, as if only they have cornered the truth and only
   they can know what's best for me and for others. So, if you wonder why
   you have to "put up with it", the answer is, because you refuse to
   listen. You refuse to think about how your ideas impact others in the
   real world. You think your ideals can be imposed upon all of mankind,
   when some men fight furiously every day just to stay alive.
   If your world existed, your ideas would make sense. It doesn't and
   they don't. If that offends you, then welcome to our world. Liberals
   and elites offend us every day.
   Tags: [3]politics [4]liberals [5]socialism [6]elites

References

   1. http://andisworld.typepad.com/welcome_to_andis_world/2007/06/a_retired_colon.html
   2. http://calmbeforethesand.blogspot.com/2007/05/alienation.html
   3. http://technorati.com/tag/politics
   4. http://technorati.com/tag/liberals
   5. http://technorati.com/tag/socialism
   6. http://technorati.com/tag/elites