Monday, November 08, 2004
Liberals and their morals
Most accurately, I can only talk about one liberal and his morals. But I can still scratch my head about the suggestion that liberals are basically amoral, hypocritical snobs who pitched the 2004 elections pretty much across the board because they treated conservatives like brainless boobs.
Some liberal positions are indeed informed by Christian morality. Historically, I can think of abolitionism, the Catholic Worker movement, the various Civil Rights efforts, and the anti-Nuclear movement of the 80's. I suppose there have been millions of liberals who would see their support of women's rights or their opposition to lynching as being essentially informed by faith. Maybe some liberals have economics as a prime motivator: they think thousands of warheads is a waste of money, or that as women, they would just like their fair share of the payroll budget, please. I think an insightful person should look a little more carefully.
My opposition to abortion and the Iraq War are liberal positions springing from my philosophy of pacifism. I suppose a person could have the same views, but be a conservative, preferring instead that a woman have no rights to secure an abortion, or that the Bush Administration is making war on the wrong country. I guess if you're looking for moral values voters, you might have to peek at something other than the bottom line.
So in the media commentary I've seen about arrogance and name-calling, I have to say I'm not terribly sympathetic (though I am empathetic). I've been called names before, by both liberals and conservatives. I've been misjudged, too. It doesn't bother me too much, because in real life, I work with both camps. And the neglected middle ground in between, too.
So if Dan Rather or your favorite guru seems to be in a pout for the next two to four years, my suggestion is to let 'em be. One whole week into our latest New Morning, and I have yet to receive a call to join up and build a better moral society. I think it's time to roll up sleeves and get to work improving things. What do you say?
