The Real Liberal Man

George Rebane

Social futurist(?!) Sara Robinson tells us the real meaning of Mother’s Day, and comes up with quite an analysis of men from both sides of the political spectrum.  Her ‘How the Ayn Rand-Loving Right Is Like a Bunch of Teen Boys Gone Crazy’ is a worthy sample of what sites like AlterNet.com and truthout.com are telling their own kind.  Again, it’s worth a read for our more conservative and libertarian readers to get a measure of the chasm, and also some perspective on the criticism from our more liberal readers clucking their tongues for merely being identified as collectivists or socialists or liberal or leftwing – all labels apparently of a pejorative nature when uttered in mixed company, and in the light of day.  H/T to a reader who definitely does not identify with the right, and yet is a bit embarrassed at the extremes her brethren and cistern (or is it sistern?) dish out.

Comments

[Scott Obermuller]

I read it George. Nothing new. The same over the top, take everything to an extreme nonsense. If you are against higher taxes - you are "anti tax". If you are against govt policies that the left likes - you are "anti govt". The women's view that some kind of Ayn Randist cabal has taken over the Republican party has no factual basis. That might be why she provided not one shred of evidence of that startling idea. I just read a love paean to Krugman due to his use of facts and charts and numbers to prove his points. The idiot right can only come up with "stories" to counter his perfect views of the world. Now we have this "story" from the left, using facts about the evil right from John Wayne movies. It ends up devolving into a shrill screed about feminism, and conservative men being immature. Sigh. What is the woman's point, really, in the end? Just an hysterical rant displaying her ignorance of those she doesn't agree with. We have enough of that on both sides. The tipping point is a left-wing president that lectures us on a regular basis of the need for reasoned discourse and ridding ourselves of poisoned politics. Ah, that would be wonderful! I wonder when he will start to follow his own advice?

[Ryan Mount]

If we spent more time actually discussing the issues, and less time trying to corner/box-in our opponents into tidy categories, we might actually make some progress.

This extreme article is a perfect example of how the author is more concerned with psychoanalyzing her opponents for the purposes of assassinating them, rather than discussing the issues.

Policy is tough. Worrying is easy. It must be quite exhausting obsessing about what your opponent is thinking.

[Todd Juvinall]

Me \thinks the woman is a man hater. She forgot to inform us of who buys those darn romance novels by the truckload. Those books about those manly men the women like her fantasize about. What a hoot!

[THEMIKEYMCD]

It is easy for someone with no grasp of economics, morality or liberty to belittle those who do. The term female dog comes to mind.

[Gregory]

Rand-y Objectivists aren't even a majority among libertarians, half of whom are more on the left anyway. Robinson's piece is just an exposition on "the left wouldn't be telling you what to do if you'd all just be doing what the left wanted in the first place"

[David King]

"it's high time these so-called "libertarian" freeloaders get off the couch, stand up, and show some respect to the rest of us who've done the hard work that makes their cushy lives possible."

I helped with the curtain, “The IRON curtain!” We freed millions from totalitarian rule.
But thanks for playing Sara!

[billy T]

I actually think that Ms. Robinson is a good writer. Nice flow to her story telling and pretty darn clever. I like the part of eating wild berries and roots and am especially fond of the image of dirty socks in the living room....the very image I am looking at this very minute. Just got home and kicked off the shoes and pulled the socks off to crack my toes. Also liked the picture in her column of the lady pointing her finger. I love a good woman who enjoys her finger pulled and can fart like a man. Maybe, just maybe, Ms. Robinson will come to town and I can get her to pull my finger. Its a real ice breaker and always good for a laugh among close friends.