Yet again I find an internet meme that reveals faulty logic and a mistaken view of what’s really going on. This time it’s from a left-leaning pundit. If you ever wonder how the progressives can be a cause of our problems, read on. And it isn’t only the Americans who have these problems. Canada’s Conservative Party, which is having its annual convention right now, shows evidence of the same rift.
As you can see from the image above, right wingers aren’t the only ones open to a charge of arrogance. Which is mostly caused by ignorance as well. Hence this post.
Divide and Rule
If the writer of this self-righteous spew really thought about the nature of the Right Wing in all our democracies, a certain truth would become obvious. There is no single Right Wing. There are two completely separate groups of people who vote that way, but their ideals and intentions are very different. If the left wing could successfully separate the victims of this party from the victimizers, they could be rather successful in creating a much better democracy.
Who are these two groups?
Social Conservatives
These are the real conservatives, grouping in rural areas. They are mostly poorly educated, lower class, religious and completely discombobulated by the modern world. If they weren’t already frightened enough by the fragility of their economic existence, the rapid changes to our society lately are scaring them out of their wits. (Truth be known, they probably had the same reaction when the printing press was invented. They’re just that sort of people.)
But they are not hypocritical. They believe what they believe, and they have the same rights as the rest of us to believe it. Many of their beliefs are very out of tune with the modern world (racism, for example) but they’re afraid of anything new, so trying to force them to change is a waste of time.
The Solution
Given the firmness of their beliefs and the tenuous nature of their existence, the only way to deal with them is gently and with compassion. If it will make you feel any better, think of them as disadvantaged people who need help. I’m not a big fan of the “turn the other cheek” philosophy, but pleasant persuasion will have a great deal more effect than the screaming attacks we often see, such as the one above.
The Real Problem
The other half of this political movement is the “business-friendly” wing of the party: the rich, the powerful, and the selfish. Their only objective is money, and more of it. Their connection to conservativism is to keep things the same. These holdovers from feudal days have been running the world for centuries, they are very good at it and they want to keep it that way.
But, of course, they would be completely overwhelmed in a real democracy. So they look around for allies. And there they are: a bunch of easy marks who will believe everything they’re told, and do whatever they are told to do, as long as there’s the remotest possibility that they might share in the wealth. Which the vast majority of them never will.
So the best leaders of right-wing parties are the ones that are the best liars, fooling their supporters that they have any interest in anybody except their own welfare and that of their business supporters. I find it hard to take Erin O’Toole seriously when he tells Canadian Conservatives that they have to change. He doesn’t mean a word of it.
Bottom Line
Basic greed is the real problem in the world and it’s going to take a very long time to weed these types out of the human race. Until we do, a few people will continue to take the best from society and destroy the rest. If you look at the meme that started all this, you’ll see that most of the problem can be laid at the feet of the economic end of the party, but the writer has attacked the part of the coalition that can do the least about the problem. Those of us who consider ourselves positive examples need to stop indulging ourselves in self-righteous attacks on those who need the most help and concentrate on the real culprits who need to be controlled.
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