The Politics of Efficacy
by Slamfu
There seem to be a lot of names out there for everyone’s political position. Democrat, Republican, liberal, conservative, libertarian and oh so many more. It would seem these days that most people lump me into the Liberal category, some even name me a Democrat. It’s true that I have views that tend to line up with those groups more often than not, and maybe that’s all it takes. But when people go out of their way to label me, I get the distinct impression they are saying that I am a liberal therefore that is why I have those views, and not the other way around.
That my positions on things are a product of the group I have chosen, like some sort of jersey I have to wear because of the sports team I root for. Conversely, when I criticize one group, it is often taken as a matter of faith that I am a sincere supporter of their opponents just because. This irritates me. It delegitimizes my motivations, and therefore my opinion by reducing it to some simple “if, then” formula that almost always oversimplifies complex issues.
For lack of a better name I like to think I follow something called the politics of efficacy.
As the name implies, my political loyalties lie with those who, within the bounds of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, promote ideas that work. And my political animosity is directed at those who promote ideas that don’t work. It’s really, really simple. Now obviously this works for topics that can be boiled down to numbers and data and not, for instance, emotional ones like abortion. But I find all the truly important ones come down to numbers.
Making decisions based on my gut, or because that’s just the way it’s been done, or because some authority says so when reality says otherwise, is anathema to me. It’s really hard not to go with your gut, and sometimes I find myself falling into that trap like a downy bed of feathers, and with no small amount of self-loathing have to pull myself back from the brink.
Now it just so happens, that when I have looked at the numbers, and then at the ideas put forth by the 2 main political parties in the USA, I find myself at odds by far most often with the Republican Party. Some would say this makes me a Democrat, or at the very least a Liberal. But then again, we are getting oversimplified. Many say that simply calling someone out for spouting complete lies or proven garbage, you cannot be considered a “moderate”, which I say is total hooey.
If a person says drinking a glass of mercury is good for you, and I call the person a complete effing moron, that is not a declaration of immoderacy. I can and will be extremely vocal about ripping people who mislead, lie, or just plain have no competence or common sense in a clearly demonstrable way. I also encourage others to do so. And if I have my facts wrong, please feel free to call me an effing moron, just provide some data to back it up while you do and you and I will get along just fine. That will not make you a Republican, or a Neocon, or whatever label is fashionable. It will however make you a moderate, even if we loudly disagree until the facts can settle the matter.
graphic via shutterstock.com