Thomas Sowell: "Us" or "Them"

Creator's Syndicate ^ | October 25, 2005 | Dr. Thomas Sowell

[Bahbah]

The man writes with a scalpel.

[dirtboy]

Boy, if this doesn't explain modern liberals, I don't know what does.

They deal in what they perceive to be moral absolutes - except that their absolutes are devoid of both morality and reality.

They support CAFE standards (which kill thousands) while bemoaning the loss of American lives in Iraq.

They are opposed to war unless their pet cause is involved (which typically has nothing to do with American national security).

And they preach about First Amendment rights while supporting McCain-Feingold.

They walk about in deliberate ignorance - the uncurable kind - while proclaiming us conservatives to be uninformed rubes. They'd be comical if their views weren't so friggin' dangerous.

[dirtboy]

The man writes with a scalpel.

That cuts like a chainsaw.

[Paul C. Jesup]

The man writes with a scalpel.

And he has razorsharp wits.

[counterpunch]

Many crusades of the political left have been misunderstood by people who do not understand that these crusades are about establishing the identity and the superiority of the crusaders.

Truer words have rarely been spoken.

Back during the 1930s, in the years leading up to World War II, one of the fashionable self-indulgences of the left in Britain was to argue that the British should disarm "as an example to others" in order to serve the interests of peace.

One needn't go back to the 1930s to find this. One can look to the "nuclear freeze" movement of the 1980s. Or the violent pacifists of today.

 

[backhoe]

...In other words, it was not really about which policy would produce what results. It was about personal identification with lofty goals and kindred souls.

Dr. Sowell cuts to the quick with very few words.

[KMAJ2]

I find this article by Sowell to be spot on, and if you step back, his analysis also applies the the current rift among conservatives.

[AmericanArchConservative]

The eminent Dr. Thomas Sowell, articulating what many of us see in the blank stares of liberal idealogues.

A.A.C.

[Pharmboy]

"Half the harm that is done in this world is due to people who want to feel important. They don't mean to do harm -- but the harm does not interest them. Or they do not see it, or they justify it because they are absorbed in the endless struggle to think well of themselves."

Sowell even quotes people better than anyone else.

[Neanderthal]

"trying to convince a Moslem to eat pork . . ."

LOL. When was the last time you saw "Moslem" instead of "Muslim?" For some reason "Muslim" is the PC version. I have no idea why that is but I'll bet Sowell does, so he writes "Moslem."

[decimon]

And with piercing insight.

[aculeus]

BTTT

[listenhillary]

Bookmark

[The_Media_never_lie]

Great post!

[backhoe]

And with piercing insight.

He's one of the clearest thinkers ( and writers ) I've every run across- I just wish the larger public were more exposed to his work. He has a way of clearing the decks and framing whatever issue he's discussing in simple, stark terms.

[Pusterfuss]

I rank Dr. Sowell right up there with Mark Steyn.

[Junior]

Well, this explains a lot...

[airborne502]

___ [insert favored crusade] ___ true believers don't think in terms of trade-offs and cost-benefit analysis.
There are things that are sacred to them. Trying to get them to compromise on those things would be like trying to convince a Moslem to eat pork, if it was only twice a week.

Compromise and tolerance are not the hallmarks of true believers.
What they believe in goes to the heart of what they are. As far as true believers are concerned, you are either one of Us or one of Them.

Many crusades of the political fringes have been misunderstood by people who do not understand that these crusades are about establishing the identity and the superiority of the crusaders.

They do not want to hear that our Constitution has set limits for political change. IE -- Our rights to life, liberty, or property shall not be infringed upon by true believers on 'crusades'..

[johnny7]

I think the best description of Sowell's work is 'sobering'.