Why the Incoherence of Palin and the Tea-Party Right Is a Logical Outcome of Movement Conservatism

[marmar]

via AlterNet's PEEK:



Why the Incoherence of Palin and the Tea-Party Right Is a Logical Outcome of Movement Conservatism

Posted by Steve M., No More Mister Nice Blog at 4:55 PM on December 4, 2009.

The movement's leaders are reaping what they've sown.




"Crunchy" conservative columnist Rod Dreher has discovered to his dismay that many of his fellow righties simply aren't rational:

Whether they realize it, ordinary people have become more comfortable with the idea that truth is relative and that emotion is a reliable and sufficient guide to finding it....

Relativism in this sense is no longer a specialty of the left. Here's the nut of an exchange I've had many times over the past year with fellow conservatives:

"Barack Obama is a Muslim."

"No, he's not."

"You have your opinion; I have mine."

There is no way to argue with this....

I'll ignore the swipe at the left (noting only that I don't know any lefties who really don't believe in the existence of objective truth). I'm deeply amused at Dreher's despair -- from which he moves on to Sarah Palin:

Her mind isn't geared toward resolving basic philosophical contradictions like her observation that corporations and politicians often collude against the common good, and her dogmatic belief in the sanctity of free enterprise. Well, which is it? You can't hymn the majesties of capitalism's "creative destruction" on one page, while proclaiming yourself a staunch defender of traditional families and institutions on another.

Well, Rod, you righties are reaping what you sow.

Your side made attacking Democrats and liberals from every possible angle at every possible moment the main focus of your political lives, reaching for whatever argument would provide the most effective wallop even if it contradicted your previous argument, and inevitably you were going to inspire younger followers who actually believe every contradictory thing you say. ..............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/144373/why_the_incoherence_of_palin_and_the_tea-party_right_is_a_logical_outcome_of_movement_conservatism/

[Ozymanithrax]

1. We have witnessed teh Lewis Carrollization of the Republican Party...

Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.
--Lewis Carroll

[undeterred]

2. Incoherence as a Logical Outcome

:silly:

[Odin2005]

3. The Postmodernist Right. Frightening.

This does not surprise me. There is a deep intellectual connection between Postmodernist philosophy and Totalitarianism, since if there is no objective truth then Might makes Right.

[anonymous171]

6. Wait, I thought that post-modernism was all about finding your own personal truth

I think it encourages apathy rather than totalitarianism.

[Odin2005]

7. Postmodernism is about the denial of objective truths.

To Postmodernists there are only equally valid "meta-narratives".

[snagglepuss]

8. Post-modernism is not synonymous with individualism.

The essence of post-modernism is a rejection of 'truths' that were products of Western/European philosophy which post-modernists claim is the simply product of old, white men and has no inherent value and is no way superior to other schools of thought.

All notions that suggest a universal truth like "all men are created equal" are thrown out the window because that idea is simply the product of old white men. Post-modernists like the word "narrative" because in their eyes there are no grand truths which explain the world'- instead of grand truths there are simply narratives.

Post-modernists are also fixated on group identity, individuals don't really exist apart from whatever group they belong to such as racial, gender, ethnic, religion. Individuals cannot escape their group identity when they form narratives therefore the notion "old white men".

The notion that there is no grand truth and that no particular narrative has any more of less value than another is constantly being used to justify totalitarianism - Chinese officials are constantly reminding the West that democracy is not a universal idea, its something that might be applicable to the West but not to the East. Islamists do the same thing when they reject women's rights, etc etc.

[tanyev]

4. OMG. Rod doesn't like Sarah?

I'll have to go check how many hateful comments he's received on his article at the Dallas Morning News.

[kestrel91316]

5. Ask most Teabaggers, and you will find they want a return to

PRE-ENLIGHTENMENT ways of thinking and societal conditions. They worship the Dark Ages.

[snagglepuss]

9. Great article. Thanks for posting. K&R.

[D23MIURG23]

10. K&R