White Liberal Guilt can make voters do some pretty strange things. For example, when one considers how a political novice of questionable birth, alleged ties to shady domestic terrorists and with no executive experience whatsoever, (not even a hot dog stand), after not even one full term in the US Senate, wound up being elected the leader of the free world, the force of such collective guilt begins to come sharply into focus.
Christopher Orlet has just reviewed French author Pascal Bruckner's latest offering, Tyranny of Guilt: An Essay on Western Masochism and informs us of the following...
""Our past crimes command us to keep our mouths closed," writes novelist Pascal Bruckner in his engaging new book-length essay. We dare not speak out lest we open ourselves to charges of hypocrisy by every tin-pot dictator or terrorist leader. How dare we condemn bin Laden when Custer massacred the Sioux? Oh, wait, the Sioux massacred Custer. You get the point.
This kind of fuzzy thinking is freely on tap in Western Europe and in the current White House. "From existentialism to deconstructionism, all of modern thought can be reduced to a mechanical denunciation of the West, emphasizing the latter's hypocrisy, violence and abomination," Bruckner writes. It was a conceit that reached its peak in 2001 when so many Western intellectuals praised the Twin Tower attacks as America's comeuppance, when the oppressed finally struck back.
This faux remorse is actually a ragged disguise masking feelings of moral superiority. We have become our parents and the rest of the developing world is our naughty kids whose misdeeds can be blamed on their parents' sins (colonialism and racism). No wonder their development remains stunted...
This collective historical guilt is puerile and destructive, Bruckner writes. Our good deeds vastly outweigh our bad. "There is no doubt that Europe has given birth to monsters, but at the same time it has given birth to theories that make it possible to understand and destroy these monsters." No culture has been without sin, therefore none of us should be pointing fingers or throwing stones. But if, god forbid, somebody does start throwing stones -- or bombs -- some one needs to have the moral courage to put an end to it."
This kind of fuzzy thinking is freely on tap in Western Europe and in the current White House. "From existentialism to deconstructionism, all of modern thought can be reduced to a mechanical denunciation of the West, emphasizing the latter's hypocrisy, violence and abomination," Bruckner writes. It was a conceit that reached its peak in 2001 when so many Western intellectuals praised the Twin Tower attacks as America's comeuppance, when the oppressed finally struck back.
This faux remorse is actually a ragged disguise masking feelings of moral superiority. We have become our parents and the rest of the developing world is our naughty kids whose misdeeds can be blamed on their parents' sins (colonialism and racism). No wonder their development remains stunted...
This collective historical guilt is puerile and destructive, Bruckner writes. Our good deeds vastly outweigh our bad. "There is no doubt that Europe has given birth to monsters, but at the same time it has given birth to theories that make it possible to understand and destroy these monsters." No culture has been without sin, therefore none of us should be pointing fingers or throwing stones. But if, god forbid, somebody does start throwing stones -- or bombs -- some one needs to have the moral courage to put an end to it."
And who is going to stand up to the emerging threats from the criminally-minded dictators of today such as Chavez, Kim Jung Il or Ahmadinijad if not the United States? Britain? I doubt it. France? Puh-leeez. No friends, I really don't see anyone with the backbone to stand up to these thugs except possibly the United States. However not with the current commander-in-chief who probably couldn't lead a dog on a leash if his life depended on it.
The next presidential election will be on November 6th, 2012. I pray that we hold on as a country and as a civilization until then. Even then there's no guarantee that the Republicans will offer up someone with the fortitude for the challenges that person will face, to do the hard job that no other country is willing to do. But it's hard to imagine them nominating anyone worse than the inept man-child masquerading as a head of state that we currently have the displeasure of being humiliated with.
12 comments:
I don't know if there really is such a thing as "white liberal guilt" or not. There must be for some of the stupid, assinine, meaningless, and senseless gestures that are often made.
Since I was created by God, I believe this by faith I beieve God gave me as a gift, I, as Psalms 139 and other Scriptures state was made exactly as God sovereignly determined.
I am a male, I am white but I am not anywhere close to being liberal. I didn't choose when, where, how, or what I was born.
I think the depraved human nature we as humans are born with have done some horrendous, horrific, and barbaric things to people of all races, colors, nationalities, and etc. These things are wrong no question. Do I feel guilt for the Huns, the Romans, the Vikings, the maruding and warrioring American Indians, slavery and such, no. Do I owe the descendants of anyof these people, no. I only owe love, respect, courtesy, and dignity to people today I don't owe anything nor does this country to anyone from 100 years to 1000 years ago.
How Obama got elected is beyond me. How Clinton was elected was beyond me. Political deals and dances go on all the time. I don't think presidential elections are based on anything but the money. Backers and investers are not looking for someone to rule this country they want someone they can control in order to further line their pockets and enhance thier power.
The presidency needs to be a volunteer position (protection & entertainment budgests) with a volunteer congress meeting every two years to oversee national security. Let the Abe Lincolns, Thomas Jeffersons back in the white house. Where are men of principal? What happened to Davey Crockets and Daniel Boones who served with honor, dignity, and principle. They don't have the bankers support.
What will happen in 2012? The absolute perfect sovereign will of God will happen. As we march headlong to a one world government that will be eventually headed by the anti-christ, our nation will do one of two things: produce the anti-christ who will rule the world for seven years, actually for 3 1/2 years, or be wiped out or almagated into a world alliance with no sovereignty or power as a nation. I hope neither one of those things take place in my life time, my children's life time or my grandchildren's life time. But it will happen.
I have read the last chapter of "The Book." I am on the winning side. Christ will return on a white horse with the armies of heaven and will rule this earth with a rod of iron in righteosness and holiness. I just don't know what we will experience before He arrives. So, I say as John, the Beloved Apostle, Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!
I don't know if there really is such a thing as "white liberal guilt" or not
It's basically a concept Gregg. I don't have time to go too in depth about this so I'll punt and go to Wiki on this one...
Columnist George Will defined "white guilt" as "a form of self-congratulation, where whites initiate "compassionate policies" toward people of color, to showcase their innocence to racism."
Similarly, from the same entry...
"Judith Katz, the author of White Awareness: Handbook for Anti-Racism Training, is highly critical of what she calls self-indulgent white guilt fixations. Her concerns about white guilt led her to move from black-white group encounters to all-white groups in her anti-racism training. She also avoided using non-white people to reeducate whites, she said, because she found that this led whites to focus on getting acceptance and forgiveness rather than changing their own actions or beliefs"
JD I was not clear. I actually know the concept exists and what a "dictionary definition" would be. I really should have written, I don't know if it is warranted, validated, accurate, or vital.
Thanks for the help, Lord knows I need all I can get. I really was subtly being sarcastic.
Thanks for you reply.
I was thinking of opening up a discussion forum concerning critical race theory if anyone else would be interested. I don't know how popular it would be though. I personally find race relations to be interesting though.
GS,
Please address the extensive laundry list of questions that (you believe) you effectively dodged on the Advocating morality doesn't make people bigoted thread before commenting on anything else here please.
I will reiterate,
Please address the extensive laundry list of questions that (you believe) you effectively dodged on the Advocating morality doesn't make people bigoted thread before commenting on anything else here please.
JD,
What is it that you think should be done about North Korea and Chavez?
Insofar as Venezuela, my thoughts are as follows.
At a bare minimum, we should have people on the ground helping the opposition insofar as financing and helping with advertising/propaganda for real leaders that have democratic principles to run against Chavez and the candidates that he backs. I thought Leopoldo Lopez might be the guy to back, but I haven't heard much from him lately. He's probably afraid for his life.
We should have no shortage of American Latinos working covertly for the US government, inside VE counter the current regime.
Before I comment on N. Korea, what do you think is the best course of action there Froggie?
Sorry, the recent article about Leopoldo Lopez didn't go through on the above entry.
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