These stories underscore a depressing dichotomy that is becoming increasingly evident in American attitudes toward the rest of the world.
The "progressive" movement, call it liberal, politically correct, whatever you will, and its adherents in and out of academe, have totally lost the plot. They have subordinated rational thought to ideology and reaped the inevitable consequences. The post-colonial revision of history, based on a number of valid and in fact essential perceptions, has been deformed, distorted, and bloated into a parody of reality, and those it dominates have adopted flagellation as the default response to any challenge. Lunacy prevails.
Opposing this lunacy we have all too many neo-neanderthals who seem convinced that the rest of the word is inhabited by whining sissies without the discipline to earn a living or the balls to impose their will in a fair fight. Whether the issue is economic development or direct conflict, the knee-jerk response is "get tough". Ignorance is made a virtue; there is but one "right" way, and that is all that needs to be understood.
Both sides have valid points that are overwhelmed and negated by the basically extremist framework that they are wedged into. There are way too few voices in between.
Time to go dig in the garden, I think. |
