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The Left’s Intolerance and Why I Back McCain: From Expresso of Portugal

Posted by WILLIAM KERN in Politics.
Oct 28th, 2008 | Comments

McCain supporters might well exclaim, ‘May wonders never cease’ upon reading this article from Portugal in favor of the Republican.

From Portugal’s leading business Daily, Expresso, Joao Pereira Coutinho writes in part:

“A friend of mine ordered a shirt through Amazon supporting John McCain. The shirt came, he put it on and he went to work. Nothing could have prepared him for the spectacle that followed: colleagues and friends alike looked at him with frowns of incomprehension and disgust. It was so intolerable that by mid-afternoon, he decided to change so as not to get into any more trouble in an atmosphere that is a mostly artistic, in other words – leftist. … It was precisely this moral arrogance on the left, when coupled with an obvious lack of sense of humor, which made me a person of the right.”

Translated By Brandi Miller

October 27, 2008

Portugal – Expresso – Original Article (Portuguese)

A friend of mine ordered a shirt through Amazon supporting John McCain. The shirt came, he put it on and he went to work. Nothing could have prepared him for the spectacle that followed: colleagues and friends alike looked at him with frowns of incomprehension and disgust. It was so intolerable that by mid-afternoon, he decided to change so as not to get into any more trouble in an atmosphere that is a mostly artistic, in other words – leftist.

The episode is interesting because it reveals the mental framework within which the left usually wallows. I think it was Roger Scruton who summarized it perfectly: when a “conservative” criticizes a “progressive,” he makes the assumption that the adversary is wrong. The criterion for dispute is epistemological, not ethical. But when a “progressive” criticizes a “conservative,” the judgment is moral: and the adversary is simply the enemy.

READ ON AT WORLDMEETS.US, along with continuing translated and English-language foreign press coverage of the U.S. election

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Jim_Satterfield

Wow. The writer obviously has paid absolutely no attention to what the American right wing behaves like.

AsherJ

Um, I have never seen that sort of behavior in social circles among right-leaners but have seen it consistently in leaft-leaning social circles. I don't know what world you live in, Jim.

AsherJ

For the record, I'm sitting out this election.

JSpencer

So did this guy get beat up by some leftists when he was a kid or something? Here, let me do a quick diagnostic check...

OK, well my sense of humor seems to be fine, I don't seem to be "wallowing" in anything, nor am I disgusted by conservatives. Wow! What a relief! I guess I'm not going to contribute much to Joao's "infinite laughter" scenario. (even though it's a novel concept)

Maybe I'm dense, but I don't really understand why some guy in Portugal has an axe to grind about something on the other side of the Atlantic he clearly doesn't understand very well.

PattonGuy

Heh, I'm 19, and even I know that generalizations are worthless. So automatically, when a conservative criticizes a liberal (or progressive, whatever), it's always based on facts. And when a liberal criticizes a conservative, it's always because said liberal sees the conservative as the enemy. And WTF? "[T]he moralistic and intolerant left"? So the right can't possibly be moralistic and intolerant? (cough...cough...Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Jerry Falwell...cough...cough) I'll say it again, in stronger terms: generalizations are bulls***. Saint Obama? I don't think of him as a saint. I'm not that bloody stupid. I merely think that he is more suited to the Oval Office than McCain. Lack of humor on the left? If the only thing you look at are the extremes, hell yeah. But this holds true for the Republicans as well. And there are exceptions to these "rules" on both sides. It sounds nice and tidy to simply label the others as "moralistic and intolerant", but it's usually wrong. Good God, it's not that hard to figure out. I'm 19, and I know that life is complex and can't be reduced to sound bites (and still be true).

pacatrue

It's also worth noting that "conservatives" in many countries are to the left of American Democrats. And others are borderline fascism. It's not clear there is any such thing as a single conservative group in the U.S. and the different nations of Europe.

Jim_Satterfield

So there is no such thing as a "social circle" that takes Rush, Hannity, Coulter, Malkin et al seriously in their demonization of "the left"? I think we both know they exist, AsherJ. Have you even looked at the titles of certain books by Republican "pundits"? The lies about Democrats being Marxists are some delusion? Please. I think it's not I whose planet of residence should be questioned.

NordicAngst

I don't think the left can be considered the side of "moral arrogance" so long as large portions of the American right are set on making their religious views into public law. I've also dealt with way too many of these type of people to have much belief in conservatives having a superior level of civility. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRJPHzz5Htw

AsherJ

@Jim

"So there is no such thing as a "social circle" that takes Rush, Hannity, Coulter, Malkin et al seriously in their demonization of "the left"?"

Ugh, ugh, ugh. FOCUS, please, Jim. We're talking about how people treat each other in private, not what goes on in very public places. I'm an iconoclast who hangs out with a vast range of people with various political commitments. The private incivility of leftists toward rightists dwarfs the reverse.

Focus, Jim, focus, we're NOT talking about Michael Savage and Keith Olberman. We are talking about how Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones treat each other at the neighborhood Halloween Party.

Jim_Satterfield

I am not speaking of those commentators directly, but those who take them seriously including their cue on how to behave towards those who disagree with them.

AsherJ

*Sigh*

Still avoiding the issue Jim. We are talking about how people treat each other in private social circles. No one gives a rat's ass if the guy sitting next to me listens to MIchael Savage or Keith Olberman, so long as they are pleasant and are generally respectful.

Focus, Jim, FOOOOOCCCCCUUUUSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sheesh.

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