Jim Devine wrote: > > Bill Lear wrote: > > Yes, this aspect of capitalist psychology is certainly true, but some > > times they do it because they do have some grasp of the greater good. > > yes, some of them do. But, then again, they define the "greater good" > differently than people on the lefts do. Their version might involve > preserving the class system, for example. > -- > Jim Devine / "Nobody told me there'd be days like these / Strange > days indeed -- most peculiar, mama." -- JL.
There is an old and well-tried argument defending the status quo, an argument that often makes at least sufperficial sense, and if one is hugely advantaged by the status quo, it is easy to accept that argument. It goes like this. Yes our society creates terrible misery, and we should do all we can go alleviate that misery. But any other fundamental arrangement would be even _more_ disastrous, and hence despite all the real evils of our society, we should make any sacrifice to preserve it. Of course the sacrifice usually turns out to be of everyone else but the ruling elites and their servants, but that is just the way the world goes. As Jimmy Carter said, the world simply isn't very fair but we must do the best we can. Within this comforting ideology it is possible _both_ to support really terrifying policies _and_ be sinceely commited to "the public good" as one understands it. Again, we need to understand our enemy to destroy it, not merely comfort ourselves with badmouthing representatives of that order as bad or stupid people. Carrol _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
