Seems that the amen chorus likes your essay. I think it is interesting with some nice phrasing, but troubling. I had some lunch and re-read it to be sure I wasn't just being peckish. Don't think so.
But the plain fact is that liberalism has made a travesty of itself, and
most people are sick of paying the costs of lightminded self- indulgence.
Seems to me that you can make the point that many people indulge interests that are permitted only by great affluence and are, therefore, frivolous. And you can draw the conclusion that society shouldn't have to pay the costs of people's hobby horses, such as police protection for a march. I am having a hard time, though, with the notion that the interests of liberals have less moral standing than anyone else's.
As a capitalist and lover of freedom, I'm content to let the marketplace decide, even as I often grumble about its decisions. People make individual decisions to spend their free time and money as they see fit and niche businesses form around those interests. There are lots of things that other people do that I consider a total waste of time and resources--like ice fishing--but the marketplace caters to both their interests and mine. This is the creativity and vitality of our way of life. As long as people are spending their own time and their own money, their interests are theirs to pursue. This is to be applauded, IMO, not disparaged.
There are other ways to frame some of the points you make--ways that are more worthy of you. I think that making the generalization that "liberal" interests are bankrupt your key message produces less an essay than fodder for a grass-roots political pep rally.
Karen |
