But that was part of my intention, to write something with some verve and humor, something in a more polemical vein.
That's cool. I guess the word, essay, threw me off. I expect intellectual rigour from something called an essay. What you wrote sounds more like gussied-up rant.
I firmly believe in the decadence of contemporary liberalism, and its propensity to waste time and social resources that could be better employed. I think that by the standards of an older liberal tradition, it is remarkably frivolous and disconnected from the concerns of ordinary people........
I think that a case could be made for that, with more rigour and a more scholarly tone, if you were so inclined. I think though, that you'd have to distinguish between the loss of public resources and the expenditure of private time and money. You can be stern and maybe even sanctimonious about the cost in the public sphere but the individual choice of hobbies needs a lighter touch, I think. You can call it silly or dotty or frivolous but I think it's too much to suggest that it's wrong or dangerous. If people want to give their last hour and their last dollar to save chickens from being slaughtered, well, that's the American way. To suggest otherwise is heavy handed.
Karen |
