Liberals are pessimistic optimists. Yeah, I know, I know, a contradiction in terms extraordinaire! But I am going to try to honestly define them without defaming them, and in so doing sometimes the truth is indeed a contradiction in terms. Now, as the late great Jackie Gleason used to say “and away we go!
In the main Liberals are truly well meaning. That is not to say that at times they are not mean because we know they can be. Some of the most hateful words are employed by them to describe non-liberals, but their frustrated protestations aside, the concept of Liberalism is a well meaning, albeit screwy as Hell ideology of making the world a better place.
Where they fail in their implementation of their ideology is the pessimistic view many portray. I have become convinced this pessimism is both a generic position of Liberalism as well as a tactic employed by them to paint a picture of failure, doom & gloom in order to make their optimistic politically hopeful desires seem more rational, thus more palpable to the mainstream.
To bring about their desires the liberal cadre present reality in the most pessimistic of lights, yet offer the most optimistic of dreams in their fix for their imagined pessimism. Confused yet? This is not a new tactic. Exaggeration is a time honored tool to portray a scene as what one desires in order to bring about the desired outcome being argued for.
For example, when GDP is high one cannot employ “look at the horrible economy” and have that tactic carry any convincing weight. Instead they will point to some ephemeral inequity somewhere as proof that the economy is not all that good. And thereby they are demonstrating the textbook definition of pessimism – to weed through all the light to find the glimmer of doom.
When Liberals argue for their future optimism they use an imagined present pessimism. Their efforts lend credence to my accusations that they are the “all doom & gloom channel all the time.” And as always I ask myself “Can they really be so optimistic in their desires if they are so pessimistic in their realities?”
Liberalism, regardless of the definitions, classical or modern, is an effort to apply an absolute impossibility to the Human experience. Society cannot be engineered. Every example of such an effort has failed. We are creatures subject to our world. We know avarice, greed, hate and self-interest.
We can look back over all the compiled history of our species and any honest recitation of such will see hate, greed, inequity, unfairness and all the rest. Until a Liberal can accept the facts of Humanity, they will continue to see the world in the most negative vision, yet hold out a hope for the most optimistic of futures. Their optimistic future is no more a real possibility than are their pessimistic present realities.
Yes, even in the best of times there is greed, hunger, disease, inequality and death. In the worst of times there are lights of hope and optimism. Examples of Human resilience abound when adversity presents itself. We are a flawed species and it is disingenuous in the extreme to use that fact when it suits one’s argument, yet deny same when the optimistic argument is put forth.
Liberalism speaks to lofty and highly admirable goals, yet never have those goals been met. The promises of future benefit have only ever been promises. In all but the most rare circumstance Liberal idealism is just that – a dream of an ideal. It is a fool’s errand to repeat again & again the same futile efforts and expect that this time, if it’s done correctly, it will work. It will not. It can’t, and not because I don’t want it to, but because Humanity is not capable of this near perfection.
If their goal is to really improve the Human condition, and I have no reason to believe otherwise, then they need to adjust their attitudes to accept reality. They should by all means see the negative and work for a positive outcome, but exaggeration of the miseries is not the tool to use if they honestly wish for change, or an improvement in any real and quantifiable manner.
I cannot state in strong enough terms that to present exaggeration in the liberal lament of ills will not at all endear them to our sensibilities. The constant listing of perceived inequalities will not cause us to suddenly sit up and pay attention, and in fact has the exact opposite result. We tire of the tactic, and as such, we tune them out.
Or to put it in terms more “suitable” to my Neandertal persona, rushing up to me and slapping me across the face will get my attention every time, but it will also evoke a response that will not suit you. If gaining my attention is your goal, walk up to me and extend your hand. I will grasp it, and you, in the light you present to me. If you open your mouth and you offend me, I will get all jihad on you and damned fast too! I cannot be bullied into submission and in fact the harder I’m pushed the more intransigent I become.
Lastly, I know I poke a lot of fun at Liberals, but not this time. I wish they could separate their wishes from the realities. If they could they would very likely see some benefit and fruition of their efforts. But one must keep an eye firmly on the doable, and not only the desirable. Too often Liberal desire gets bullocksed up somewhere between reality and hope. A fervent wish will not make it so. Nor will an incessant lament of imagined ills, and in fact has the exact opposite effect.
The “pessimistic optimist” is not the persona that will win this fight. A firm grounding in reality and history coupled with an unshakable holding dear of truth & fact, all its warts and flowers presented equally and fairly, will be the vehicle to see SOME of the Liberal desires and wishes met. Until the Liberal intransigence upon the doom & gloom train is lessened, preferably done away with, Liberalism will continue to lose to Conservatism because Conservatism is all about reality and fact.
When the Liberal adherent presents real arguments for change based on real facts and truthful interpretation of them, I will listen intently. As it is the Liberal that is calling for a change, it is incumbent upon them to present a rational and doable solution. Change for changes sake is not an option.
Conversely, if I am assaulted as if all I hold dear is wrong, evil, selfish and is presented as an unholy reality, I will fight them to the death to prevent their pessimistic optimism from turning my reality into their imagination.
