[ClearCase_guy]

Semantics, perhaps. I think I'm basically saying what you're saying. The Leftists I know are full of pride. They think they are better than everyone else -- much better than anyone who may have lived long ago. They don't even need God -- they have themselves, and that is good enough.

Overweening pride, is what this is.

However, they like to present this as:

"My culture? America? Phffrfth! What makes my culture so great??"
"White people? HA! Black people are better. I'm whitebread-- I ain't got Soul. At least I know it."
"Christian? Sure, I was raised Christian -- but aren't Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists just as good? Maybe better??"

They adopt false humility as a badge of honor. They take pride in their humility.

[Sherman Logan]

Their “self-hatred” is only a pose.

They very neatly get around it by separating themselves from the group they’re denigrating by the very fact of that denigration.

If I, as a white guy, run down white people, my doing so separates me from and raises me above “white people” as a group. So my white friends and I can continue to despise white people while thinking very highly indeed of ourselves.

And you’re quite right, our “disagreement” appears to be just semantics.