Wednesday, September 8, 2010

The Deer in Winter



















Just as there is a vital connection between body and mind, light and dark, thought and action, there is also a connection between the “law and order controllers,” who focus on reining in man’s baser impulses through the expansion of criminal statutes and “crime prevention,” and “social controllers” who seek to “improve the lot of other men,” by having government control what people ingest (restricting alcohol, nicotine (smoking) and trans fats consumption, the over-consumption of sweets, etc.), the redistribution of incomes, mandating personal safety precautions (seatbelt and bicycle helmet laws, etc.) groups that each revile the other as “fascists,” are in fact, BOTH brother fascists.

At first, this false dichotomy is hard for most Libertarians to understand. True Libertarians, who believe in social AND economic freedom/Liberty clearly see the fascistic tendencies of both controllers, BUT neither one of the controllers sees their own as, in any way, wrong, let alone fascistic.

To the Libertarian the “law and order controller” who’d criminalize what you ingest (ie. marijuana and other “illicit” drugs) is no better, nor worse than the “social controller,” who would have the state ban smoking, trans-fats, etc.

I am largely, or primarily Libertarian, although I have very strong “law and order” tendencies, despite the fact that I support first trimester abortion, the decriminalization of some now illicit drugs and prison being restricted to ONLY violent felons, with alternatives for crimes against property, etc.

In contemporary society, most Conservatives tend to be “law and order controllers,” while most liberals tend to be “social controllers.”

Ironically enough, there seems no way forward from the current political hyper-polarization than for these two types of controllers to recognize that they are NOT adversaries or oppositional viewpoints, but merely “flip sides of the same fascistic coin.”

And I use the term fascistic in the positive here. The urge to manage or control others is universal and is only looked down on by those naïve enough to lack any self-reflection at all.

The problem that confronts us, at this point is that each of us sees his/her favored form of control “benevolent” and even “necessary,” and the “other” as arbitrary, often mean-spirited and unnecessary.

ALL such human control is arbitrary, capricious and unnecessary. ALL of it done to make the controller feel important, to feel better about him/herself.

In fact, Bismark’s Germany proved that a modern welfare state must also be a “police state.” Which is merely to state the obvious that if we are to have a viable welfare state that is not going to abused to the point of unsustainability, that also requires a veritable police state where suspected abusers (and ALL who get, are ultimately suspect) must be constantly monitored, their movements scrutinized and limited and their lives as regimented by the state as is humanly possible.

That conclusion is so obvious as to be undeniable. Human nature is such that many viable people will feign dysfunction and non-viability when the option for non-productive (work-free, stress-free) living is made available. That is to say, that as we “reward” (take care of without a quid pro quo) something, we get more of it and that’s true whether we’re rewarding indolence and sloth, stupidity, poverty or disability. Whe the option for “work-free”/effort-free living is made available, many, MANY people will “follow the path of least resistance.”

Likewise, as criminal statutes are expanded, more and more of what were once considered “free (free-choice) activities” are restricted and that restriction of freedom makes more and more people less productive, or at least less prone to be productive, creating the corresponding need for a widespread and systemic welfare state.

So once it’s accepted that the goals of the “social controllers” can’t be met without the goals of the law and order controllers” being implemented and vice versa, both groups of controllers/fascists should be able to happily wake up and realize the obvious...that ultimately they are on the SAME side!

There really is no natural fight between today’s Liberals and Conservatives, they are indeed flip sides of the very same coin, but they BOTH do have a very natural opponent or adversary in Libertarians who believe no such massive human control is necessary.

5 comments:

Skunkfeathers said...

An interesting analysis; and in the light of realization, a hard one to argue with. Especially the part about how the 'welfare state' requires the 'police state' to keep it from imploding.

You have me wondering, how much of my own personal belief system has strayed from conservative and into libertarian.

WomanHonorThyself said...

no sweat Hussein will have us all commies soon! Blessed weekend my friend!!:)

Paul Champagne said...

I don't even know what classification I fall under ... Conservative on defense and fiscal issues, yet when it comes to social issues ... I really couldn't care less.

Does that make me a bad person?

JMK said...

That doesn't make you "a bad person" at all, at least in my book, Paul....although most people have "some social concerns", even if it's universally "minimal government involvement".

And a lot of "social issues" have some large-scale economic implications, like ILLEGAL immigration....it has both a national security component that porous borders provide AND it's an economic bomb in that it lowers to wage-floor, taking whole portions of the labor market and re-assigning them under "jobs Americans can no longer afford to do".

If Americans can get more from welfare programs than what agricultural and other menial jobs pay, those jobs become "Jobs Americans can no longer afford to do"...and ONLY because big corporations are allowed to bring in cheaper foreign labor.

On most purely social issues (homosexuality, for instance) I support minimal government involvement....I don't think homosexuality should enjoy any "special rights" OR "protected privileges" that some "protected groups" get, then again, I oppose the very idea of "protected groups", but I don't think homosexuals should be able to be denied housing, employment etc., merely for their being homosexual.

JMK said...

I used to be a "Giuliani" or "Big-Government Conservative" (supporting greater police and military powers) especially in the wake of both the Bratton successes with NYC crime AND of course, 9/11/01 SF, but I'm looking at both sides of big government as innately bad these days because (1) they are ultimately unsustainable and (2) eventually erode our individual Liberties.

The problem we face on both counts is that we do want to have useful social programs that5 help people get back to work and on their own and we NEED strong domestic defense (police, the courts, etc., etc.) AND a national defense (the Military and the Intelligence organizations), but we do need to have all those things constantly scrutinized and ran as lean as humanly possible.

We have to take on the issues without demonizing the people supporting the things we don't want.

Probably 40% of the American electorate is comprised of "Survivor" and "Jersey Shore" viewers.....people who don't watch much "news TV" but revel in "the (so-called) entertainment side of things.

Most of these are those so-called "Moderates"....it's not that they "don't care", it's that they don't really have many opinions, because they aren't all that well-informed!

When Conservatives start railing against Obama as "a Kenyan" and engaging in the hatred the left did over G W....we do a lot to alienate that "disconnected 40%"...and they CAN and DO swing elections.

How come liberals BDS didn't hurt them?

Because the media, BOTH the news AND the entertainment media were squarely AGAINST Bush and are still squarely WITH Obama.

We're still swimming uphill, despite our victories over the past couple years (Brown in MA, Christie in NJ, the Virginia sweep, the recent Tea Party upsets, etc.)

We HAVE to be better people than they are.....which SHOULD BE pretty easy.
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"no sweat Hussein will have us all commies soon!" (Angel)


It doesn't appear so Angel, but they're trying and will continue to try hard to move this country Left.

That's why we HAVE TO BE smarter and better people than they are!

They can afford to hate....we really can't.

We have to take on their ideas....they (for better or worse) get to mock, revile and slime.

When we offer hate for hate....WE wind up looking like the bullies....happens every time.

I wish it weren't so....but it is.

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