Sunday, June 5, 2011

Cognitive dissonance


I am a liberal.  I believe society should provide a minimum standard of living to all people.  I believe we should not engage in wars of aggression against other peoples or nations.  I believe the government needs to be barred from interfering in the lives of citizens.  I think any legislation that is intended to make the job of law enforcement officials “easier” is wrong.  I believe unfettered capitalism is as destructive an ideology as any our species has ever developed.  I believe in a secular society with a strong prohibition against the meddling of theocrats in the policies enacted by our government.  This last includes the references to “God” on our currency and the asinine pledge of allegiance.  I believe we need to have a strong public education system that is the envy of the world.  I am as libby-lib as they come and I am not ashamed of it in the least.  For some reason this is disconcerting for some of the people I work with.  They think I should cover my mouth and whisper quietly into my shirt front when I admit to being a liberal.
 
What really bothers me about these people I am referring to is the fact that their conservative ideas don’t fit them.  They are all younger people in their early and mid-twenties.  They are all university educated. And they are all crazy neo-conservatives.   At least that’s what they appear to be.  But their ideas are very clearly not the product of thought and self-reflection.  Their ideas appear to belong to someone else; they appear is if they were placed in to their heads.  I suspect it is similar to how religious ideas are passed from person to person.  It is most startling when they discuss the government using the neo-con bullshit talking points.  They all want smaller government and to cut the federal budget…and they all WORK FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT!  Hello?  Cognitive dissonance people?

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