Posted by
voice_of_reason on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 12:16:23 PM
Sorry about the provocative title -- but, now that I have your attention, please consider the following questions:
* Why is it that we Americans are conditioned to look down on the
source of our affluence and fall for the double-fraud of socialism? Note: it is a
double-fraud because we have to pretend that
(a) it is the ideal condition of man to live for others
(b) we consistently (and willingly) practice the above 'ideal'
* Why is Bill Gates hated for his well-earned wealth, but praised for his philanthropy? The reality is that he has 'given' so much more to the world while 'selfishly' pursuing his self-interest!
* Why do we conservatives have difficulty in expressing our principles in terms of self-interest?
* Why do the synonyms for self-interest almost always have negative connotations in our culture?
Most conservatives would agree that when the 'germ' of altruism crosses over from the
voluntary / personal space to the
coercive / public space, it metastasizes into Socialism.
In fact, that is what I mean by the
Trojan Horse in a previous
article. Many of our 'good' values derive from religion, and can cross the private/public boundary without a problem. For example, religious exhortations against murder, rape and arson can cross over into our politics without any problem
But altruism cannot be extrapolated across that boundary without becoming malignant!
If we identify this phenomena unequivocally, there is hope that conservatives will regain the ideological higher ground, adding strength to the pragmatic defense of our positions against Socialism.