[NativeNewYorker]

John Stuart Mill, letter to the Conservative MP, Sir John Pakington (March, 1866)

I never meant to say that the Conservatives are generally stupid. I meant to say that stupid people are generally Conservative. I believe that is so obviously and universally admitted a principle that I hardly think any gentleman will deny it.

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[AmericanVictory]

Anyone who has read Mill, of course, realizes that to him, and in 19th century England generally, "liberal" meant being free market oriented as opposed to those of inherited wealth in the British aristocracy, who believed in status. The terms have almost, but not quite, been completely reversed today in America. A "liberal" in 19th century England today in America would be considered libertarian conservative. It is somewhat dishonest for a professor of philosophy at a leading university to use Mill's version of liberalism as if it were equivalent to the Statists who call themselves liberal in America today. Mill had no confidence in the mechamisms of the State nor in the kind of speech fascism that is attendant upon modern American "liberalism." The trashing at Duke today of what today are labeled "conservative" thinkers and speakers and students would be appalling to John Stuart Mill.

[puroresu]

If stupid people are conservative, then why do "liberals" do the following:

A) Insist that literacy tests be abolished as a prerequisite for voting. (Wouldn't such tests keep conservatives from voting, and thus elect more "liberals"?)

B) Throw temper tantrums over the use of IQ tests for employment, college admissions, etc.. (Wouldn't such tests weed out the conservative riff-raff?)

C) Constantly promote egalitarianism. (Wouldn't that raise conservatives up at the expense of "liberals"?)

D) Insist that the very idea of IQ is a myth. (Wouldn't that threaten the superior position of the smarter "liberals"?)

E) Insist that intelligence, if it exists at all, is due to environment and not heredity. (Wouldn't that justify affirmative action for conservatives? If we're less intelligent, it must be because we were disadvantaged by a bad environment)

F) Dumb down the schools. (Wouldn't that make the kids more conservative?)

G) Fill the TV screen up with moronic crap like MTV, "reality" dating shows, and Jerry Springer. (Again, wouldn't that move the population to the right?)

H) Open the borders to the most uneducated and low IQ immigrants. (Wouldn't that flood California and other states with ultra-conservatives?)

I) Howl with outrage over special honors classes and other programs to encourage the brightest students to excel. (Wouldn't such programs give the most "liberal" students an early start on their future careers as left-wing activists and politicians?)

J) Prefer public schools to private ones or home schooling, even though the latter two produce the brightest and best educated kids. (Wouldn't smarter kids be to the advantage of "liberalism"?)



I could list other things, but you get the idea. Most "liberals" are nitwits who sit around telling each other how smart they are.

[Darnright]

"I meant to say that stupid people are generally Conservative. I believe that is so obviously and universally admitted a principle that I hardly think any gentleman will deny it."

Mr Mill has obviously never read Democratic Underground.