Why Are the Baddies So Bad? | Power Line
There s a lot more worth taking in from this article, all of it sound observation. Here s the key paragraph though:
Does this mean that I think the people in my class are vicious and evil? No. Most of us are earnest, kind and public-spirited. But we take for granted and benefit from systems that have become oppressive. Elite institutions have become so politically progressive in part because the people in them want to feel good about themselves as they take part in systems that exclude and reject.
Here David proves unable to break from his class. The people in his class are vicious and evil. Full stop. We can see already a critical mass of elitists who will censor and even enforce lockdowns by force if the law didn t stand in their way even a little bit. Elite institutions are a large part of the cause of this; they deserve to be destroyed right down to their foundations. The inherent presumption of progressivism is that their expertise, based on infallible science, can guide us to a better future. As Oakeshott warned, the conjunction of dreaming and ruling generates tyranny. Good luck getting the Harvard faculty or the New York Times editorial page to ponder this problem for a nanosecond. This is why the baddies are so bad (hat tip to Mitchell & Webb below). Until that presumption is overturned, nothing will meaningfully change. Does Harvard realize that a majority of the nation would celebrate if the entire campus burned to the ground?
Brooks asks as the end of his column:
We can condemn the Trumpian populists until the cows come home, but the real question is: When will we stop behaving in ways that make Trumpism inevitable?
Short and obvious answer: Never. Here s a serious suggestion for Brooks (whom I know and like personally): Quit your job at the Times editorial page, move back to Chicago, and report on the day-to-day crime beat for a Chicago newspaper.
This is about one of those hand-wringing columns by David Brooks. Everyone seems to be saying it was more thoughtful than usual. Meh.