September 12, 2004
True liberalism exists primarily in the minds and wishful fantasies of a very small, insulated, and elitist minority whose fascination is more with rhetoric and concepts than objective results. This high-powered minority serves as the ruling oligarchy of modern liberalism whose messianic mission is to, first, appease and control its present legions of followers, and, second, to enlarge its followership by any and all means available. The everyday person is not smart enough or knowledgeable enough to either understand or resist this process; rather, his or her role is to obey dictates from above and serve as a willing subject in a noble program of contrived, manipulative, and often dangerous social experimentation. All he or she hears are the dulcet siren calls of “freedom,” “justice,” “fairness,” and “equality’ that float about in liberal discourse like beautiful butterflies. And that is enough.
Ironically, many of those caught up in the movement do not view themselves as liberals or go by that name. Indeed, precious few are aware of the radical, revolutionary, and atheistic underpinnings of liberalism as a social philosophy. Few could provide logical or well-articulated arguments favoring partial birth abortion, homosexual marriage, or extending the rights of criminals, but somehow or other they just “know” these are the morally correct positions.
Their intellectual superiors in the colleges and universities, in the print and television media, in Hollywood, and now in many churches and synagogues, have trained them well. They reflexively intone liberal rhetoric to a fault and readily give their imprimatur to the great progressive cause of the moment, but their furrows are very shallow in the domain of understanding. The great irony is that their daily social and cultural habit patterns are virtually indistinguishable from those of their conservative brethren. I see very little or no difference between the New York or L. A. "street liberal" and the truck-driving, gun-toting, church-going, flag-waving, and Republican-voting good ole' boy from Tennessee or Georgia. But they share one thing in common- they share virtually nothing in common with the Marxist/socialist cultural elite that dominate the press, the media, the academy and John Kerry's Democratic Party.
I suggest that the typical rank and file “liberal” is, in reality, a behavioral “conservative” who spends most of his or her time pursuing species goals just like everyone else (simply, that which is good for “me” and “mine”). Many are working people seduced by liberal rhetoric regarding “more jobs,” grand social programs, and high-sounding policies in the areas of education, health care, and social security. In the voting booth they merely vote for the candidate that promises more for “me” and “mine” and theory be damned. Then, after the fact, they try to reduce cognitive dissonance by attempting to think, feel, and act “liberal” when nothing in their cultural background, personal preferences, or intellectual universe is consistent with the larger liberal agenda.
Thus, behaviorally, many who vote for liberal candidates or mouth liberal platitudes look just like conservative working people simply striving for the “best deal” for self and family. Whether Republican or Democrat, fulfillment of the American Dream is essentially that of a behavioral “conservative” looking for a nice, quiet, safe, and prosperous family life in the suburbs. It is this simple, honest, natural, and traditional way of life that the true liberal elitists want to consign to the dustbin of history.
Kent Bailey [kbailey(at)vcu.org]
