There you are, rioting, opening up a trans bathroom, tearing down a statue of George Washington and screaming out for America to repent of its systemic evil. It makes you feel good, you're living the revolutionary dream without actually helping anyone at all.
C.S. Lewis spoke to this at the beginning of World War II, when privileged undergraduates were calling on the Sceptred Isle to "repent" of the war. Via First Things:
Men fail so often to repent their real sins that the occasional repentance of an imaginary sin might appear almost desirable. But what actually happens (I have watched it happening) to the youthful national penitent is a little more complicated than that. England is not a natural agent, but a civil society. When we speak of England’s actions we mean the actions of the British government. The young man who is called upon to repent of England’s foreign policy is really being called upon to repent the acts of his neighbor; for a foreign secretary or a cabinet minister is certainly a neighbor. And repentance presupposes condemnation. The first and fatal charm of national repentance is, therefore, the encouragement it gives us to turn from the bitter task of repenting our own sins to the congenial one of bewailing—but, first, of denouncing—the conduct of others. If it were clear to the young that this is what he is doing, no doubt he would remember the law of charity.
Unfortunately the very terms in which national repentance is recommended to him conceal its true nature. By a dangerous figure of speech, he calls the government not “they” but “we.” And since, as penitents, we are not encouraged to be charitable to our own sins, nor to give ourselves the benefit of any doubt, a government which is called “we” is ipso facto placed beyond the sphere of charity or even of justice. You can say anything you please about it. You can indulge in the popular vice of detraction without restraint, and yet feel all the time that you are practicing contrition. A group of such young penitents will say, “Let us repent our national sins”; what they mean is, “Let us attribute to our neighbor (even our Christian neighbor) in the cabinet, whenever we disagree with him, every abominable motive that Satan can suggest to our fancy.”
"Contrition" as a virtue-signaling cover for personal failing and hatred. As it was in 1939/40 so today, but arguably amplified. And while we're at it, how much of their not inconsiderable, corporate given fortune have BLM poured into ghetto communities? How much of their billion dollar hoard have the black Marxists used to help poor black people? A lot, some, nothing at all?
Good question and while reflecting on the answer, I'd say Lewis is right on the money.
Your Pal,
LSP
On the money... And he got popped because he was too stupid to drop the gun. Darwin won that round!
ReplyDeleteHe sure did, NFO.
ReplyDeleteAnd will this recent... spasm get people to focus on solving the Deon issue and the almost total breakdown of the 13% as anything remotely civilized?
The Dems, imo, have thrown them under the bus to illegals from the South, who scorn blacks, and the blacks are just beginning to wake up to the scam. Well done Candace et al.
It makes the current Kunty Cloth episode seem as faked up and duplicitous as a Klansman at a Panther rally.
It's awfully interesting when nothing adds up on the left. Nothing. And the lefties don't even think 'Huh?' even to themselves?
ReplyDeleteI don't and never have liked being lied to. About anything. In the political sense that would be from either side or the middle. No use for it. Seems like there's a lot of people that this doesn't bother at all. And this bothers me somehow :)
It's very worrying, Kid.
ReplyDeleteThe whole leftist thing has become a weird, neon astroturf simulacrum of... something. Whatev, phony rings out, and I scorn that.
Stupid is as stupid does.
ReplyDeleteAnd the beat goes on, WSF.
DeleteAt least they’re consistent /sarc
ReplyDeleteTo them you’re not an individual, you’re a member of a, or a number of, imaginary collective identities. Your soi disant ‘superiority’ based on how many you can claim to be a member of, whilst individually you’re worthless. They feel superior because they (their group) want to help ‘all’ gay/black/women/trans people whereas ‘we deplorables’ only help specific people actually in need. They ‘personally’ may hate, despise and avoid those specific people (and do since ‘all those black people obviously can’t improve themselves without their help’ can they) but at least their group ‘cares’ about the (preferably) ‘distant generality’.
Look at their demands for the imaginary climate change. ‘We’, collectively, must have restrictions, hardship, population reductions and a return to the stone-age. Whilst ‘they’, individually, are happy to fly everywhere, continue to buy their iphones and live in their mansions (in at risk beauty-spots). They personally may be mega-consumers but at least their group is ‘doing something’.
Look at charity vs. welfare. Charity, the individual, voluntary giving of your own (hard earned) monies, time or labour to aid ‘specific’ others in a ‘specific’ need is almost exclusively a ‘right of centre’ phenomenon. Those on the left stridently demand more and more aid for the vaguely defined ‘poor’ and ‘needy’ but … only in the form of welfare. The forced ‘collectivist’ seizing of ‘other peoples’ (never, ever, their own) money to give to some favoured ‘group’ some of whom may, or at least claim to, have a vague need or want.
Everything, but everything, the leftists do is based on ignorance, selfishness, or projection.
In this instance I believe it can easily be explained by assuming just that. That they simply don’t understand (or care) about the facts, they can personally gain (be it money or status) without personal cost, and they ‘know’ you’re ‘doing the same’ (even if they can’t see how) and so must be opposed.
(A gross generalisation, but our hunter-gatherer ancestors behaved in distinct patterns. Women gathered together as a group. Their achievements/costs, collective. Their ‘standing’ depending on group dynamics. Men hunted as a team. Their achievements and standing reliant on their ‘individual’ ability.
I wonder how much of the rise of the left is a mainly female ‘perspective’ phenomenon?)
So (in my typically verbose manner) I don't think CSL had it right. I don't believe they hate themselves. I believe they believe they have to act 'as if they do' to gain the wealth, power and status they desire. A minor, but significant difference.
Female perspective phenom? Interesting point, Anon, and more than a few would agree. But are you sure CSL's saying the faux penitent hates zirself? More like "the other", surely.
ReplyDeleteWhatev, in the meanwhile our self-righteous tin pot revolutionaries are attacking restaurants. Coz, you know, that'll spark a proletarian uprising and make everyone vote Biden.
They're clearly possessed, by the Idiot Dwmon.