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| Britain |
| A step to the right, a slap to the left |
| 2007-02-24 |
| The invasion of Iraq and the debacle that followed prompted a change of heart in one passionate British left-winger |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #5 I find the transformation of the Left's attitude toward Israel even more informative. Where once the Left supported the existence of Israel as they viewed it as a safe haven from European Fascist tendencies, today they consider it an "apartheid state" and a tendril of European/Western colonialism. What has really changed is not the object of their displeasure but their association of Israel with a Western identity which they despise to the core. The Left never really admired the construction/creation of a functional state with democratic/capitalistic ideals - they were always motivated by a negative emotion, by abhorrence for the place these refugees fled from. And today that same quasi-Marxist worldview is the common thread running through the kaleidoscope of their take on all world events. It means nothing to them that Saddam Hussein was a vicious mass-murdering dictator; he was cast down by the West, and in their formulations Western powers are driven exclusively by imperialism, racism, and covetousness for natural resources. The well-being of the Iraqi people under Hussein or in the future is also immaterial to them. Only the opportunity to reaffirm their revulsion toward the West matters. Perhaps we need a new term to explain this attitude - something along the lines of "Western Civilization Derangement Syndrome". |
| Posted by: Sic_Semper_Tyrannus 2007-02-24 22:02 |
| #4 Here is the key to the "Left". "...the working class is seen as a reservoir of racism and homophobia, he says. It has gone "from the salt of the earth to the scum of the earth in three generations". It was only the salt of the earth rhetorically as a stick with which to beat those more powerful than the left. They ALWAYS thought of them as scum, but they were a weapon to use in their struggle to gain power. The weapon was taken away from the left when the demands were met! The were never MEANT to be met. Now that the "salt" is no longer a weapon for the left, they are scum publicly as well as privately. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2007-02-24 11:07 |
| #3 Hear Hear Thrump! |
| Posted by: Shipman 2007-02-24 10:53 |
| #2 Churchill said it best, "Every reasonable man is a socialist at twenty and a conservative at fourty." The problem is those who don't grow up. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2007-02-24 07:33 |
| #1 The left has forgotten its core principles, he charges. It has abandoned its commitment to democratic and human rights struggles in poorer countries. In place of its old internationalism is an isolationist and narcissistic obsession with the evils of Western corporations and governments - in particular with the Great Satan, the United States. LOL! That's a description of the only left I've ever known. I've been told that they believe they were once The Great Wise Ones. Yeah, okay. Riiight. I find it amusing that this poor chap still clings to the term "leftie". I suppose if I had spent my life feeling superior to the Knuckledragging Right it would be tough to finally swallow that big slice of crow pie and acknowlege that I wasn't even as smart as those whom I believed were soooo stupid. I wish these arrogant bastards would spare us these long wordy explanations attempting to nuance how - even though they were wrong, they were really right afterall. Yeah sure. Whatever floats your boat. |
| Posted by: Thrump Snairong6534 2007-02-24 05:03 |