Stalin is in every man’s heart. We all tend to secretly think that we know best, and if we could just tell everyone else what to do, life on Earth would be Paradise.
The difference with the modern liberal is that he is drunk with the power of his intellect. He’s like the teenager who’s just learned to drive, who is absolutely certain that he can respond quickly and rationally behind the wheel, even after five beers. Sure, other people might become careless or stupid — but not he.
Similarly, the modern liberal thinks that, unlike the actual Stalin, he can wield absolute power safely, precisely, so that only the good he imagines gets done, and all the evil avoided.
Arguably this is why liberalism peaks in your teenage years, and steadily declines with adult experience, and why that decline is slower among people whose lives encompass less “real world” experience, e.g. the children of the wealthy, folks who got rich young, movie stars, academics.
Carl,
you make good points about teenaged liberalism. But there seem to be quite a few misled, or non-thinking middle-class goofs out there too. I’ve never understood their thinking, but I meet them regularly. Likewise I have known some who never grew out of that teen thinking, while working their butts off to make ends meet.
Go figure.
I don’t feel the need to tell people what to do. I used to. Then I grew up. I figure they can do whatever the heck they want, as long as it doesn’t interfere with me.
And no, I’m not their keeper. And no, they can’t have my stuff. 😀
We all tend to secretly think that we know best, and if we could just tell everyone else what to do, life on Earth would be Paradise.
We can tell them — the trick is getting them to obey.
Carl, all that might be true – but having read your various long comments – it does sound as much a comment about your own excessive belief to think that you know best – just as Rand always thinks he knows best. Moreover, many of the comments by you and others here are just as elitist in tone as those you so readily dump on. But you have obviously had tickets on yourself since junior high.
“Stalin is in every man’s heart. We all tend to secretly think that we know best, and if we could just tell everyone else what to do, life on Earth would be Paradise.”
I would not, could not, tell them what to do, but I could tell them how to set up a system using maximum observability and oppositional, competitive dynamics so as to optimize indicators of overall well being. Or, rather, I could direct them to the appropriate references to consult, such as this and this.
Stalin is in every man’s heart. We all tend to secretly think that we know best, and if we could just tell everyone else what to do, life on Earth would be Paradise.
The difference with the modern liberal is that he is drunk with the power of his intellect. He’s like the teenager who’s just learned to drive, who is absolutely certain that he can respond quickly and rationally behind the wheel, even after five beers. Sure, other people might become careless or stupid — but not he.
Similarly, the modern liberal thinks that, unlike the actual Stalin, he can wield absolute power safely, precisely, so that only the good he imagines gets done, and all the evil avoided.
Arguably this is why liberalism peaks in your teenage years, and steadily declines with adult experience, and why that decline is slower among people whose lives encompass less “real world” experience, e.g. the children of the wealthy, folks who got rich young, movie stars, academics.
Carl,
you make good points about teenaged liberalism. But there seem to be quite a few misled, or non-thinking middle-class goofs out there too. I’ve never understood their thinking, but I meet them regularly. Likewise I have known some who never grew out of that teen thinking, while working their butts off to make ends meet.
Go figure.
I don’t feel the need to tell people what to do. I used to. Then I grew up. I figure they can do whatever the heck they want, as long as it doesn’t interfere with me.
And no, I’m not their keeper. And no, they can’t have my stuff. 😀
We can tell them — the trick is getting them to obey.
Carl, all that might be true – but having read your various long comments – it does sound as much a comment about your own excessive belief to think that you know best – just as Rand always thinks he knows best. Moreover, many of the comments by you and others here are just as elitist in tone as those you so readily dump on. But you have obviously had tickets on yourself since junior high.
“Stalin is in every man’s heart. We all tend to secretly think that we know best, and if we could just tell everyone else what to do, life on Earth would be Paradise.”
I would not, could not, tell them what to do, but I could tell them how to set up a system using maximum observability and oppositional, competitive dynamics so as to optimize indicators of overall well being. Or, rather, I could direct them to the appropriate references to consult, such as this and this.