We Hold What Truths To Be Self-Evident?

How Is This Sane?

How Is This Sane?

Tipsy Dazy has a comment here that challenged me to think long and hard about, well, everything, and particularly about communication.

Most of the people I have ever known do all tend to make assumptions regarding what is meant by a particular turn of phrase or word usage, (not to mention tone of voice, and so forth…) rather than listening carefully and attempting to think logically or critically or to ask the communicator for more information. I’d be lying if I pretended for one nanosecond that I don’t exhibit that kind of behavior on a regular basis, but hey, I’m working on it.  Read on if you want to know more about my (sane, though I say it myself… heh) ….assumptions.

In thinking about this sort of thing, and as I am today attempting to think about the issues of equality or inequality in American society, Tipsy made me remember that I should at least attempt to consider what some of the assumptions are behind my statements and my “world view.” It may be clumsy but here’s my attempt at some definition.

One of the assumptions that I believe underlie some of my thinking about the world is the idea that it almost certainly is not possible in human society to “legislate equality.” I can remember in my youth as part of my education in literature, reading the story “Harrison Bergeron” originally published by Kurt Vonnegut in 1961.  (available in full here.) I remember marveling as a child at Vonnegut’s brilliantly made point that it simply is not possible–and it is silly to try– to pass laws that will supposedly somehow make everyone “equal” in any real, meaningful way. We are all born with different skills, talents, interests, and capacities, and no amount of law-making is going to change that.

Having said that, I also in my youth digested the famous line from “Animal Farm,” which states: ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL. BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS.

Whether I and my liberal brethren like it or not, (even though Orwell, of course, was speaking out against “some being more equal than others,”) the truth of the matter is that we are not in any way truly equal in the world except in the metaphorical sense of the worth of a human life which is immeasurable, of course….. and that this inequality does now and always will  include our incomes and cash assets. To oversimplify, our conservative brethren seem to me to also oversimplify, and that they worry that libruls (misspelling intentional, sorry) miss that point–e.g. that income, too, is not equal and never will be.

Actually we liberals/progressives, we understand that last point. Really. Anybody that’s tried to make an actual LIVING in America in the last twenty years or so, can hardly have missed it.

I also assume that conservatives (and too, libertarian types…) tend to think that liberals, and/or “progressives” furthermore have some deluded idea that somehow it is possible to wave our non-existent magical wands and make us all equal, in income or by any other measure. We aren’t equal, not in abilities, not in opportunities etc. etc. etc.

Another assumption that I hold, though I don’t think as a general rule that the majority of my countrymen would agree with me…(my friends, yes, and family… but most of the country? doubt it…. )….is that we ARE all equal, however, in terms of WORTH. (Inner, metaphysical, human-dignity type worth.)

Personally, I hold it to be self-evident too that (although, of course, it’s a slippery slope that requires much caution)  just because someone is in possession of assets – cash or other ones – does not mean that they acquired them legally or in any sort of morally acceptable fashion. This seems to be one assumption tenderly nurtured by the Republicans and Libertarians – e.g. that the assumption is that if someone has something today, that they are entitled to keep it in perpetuity.  (Witness the implosion of the entire financial world partly as a result of leveraging and re-leveraging “assets” that were backed by nothing or not very much or .0001 % of not very much… and the continuing clamor of investors to “be made whole.”)

On the other hand just because I might not think, for example, that Alan Greenspan has come by whatever assets he has in his bank account in any sort of moral, acceptable, or legal way,  does NOT give me the right to just ride in and seize his assets. That’s why we have due process, that’s why we have courts, and that’s why the framers tried to limit (not eliminate) the openings for “mob rule.”

Mobs are notoriously not great at critical thinking.

Back to what I think that conservatives and such assume; I think they assume that liberals think that assets can be/should be just taken away willy nilly from the have-mores and given to the have nothings. I don’t think I’ve ever met a person who really believed that.

However what I do assume – and think is self-evident- though again I do not think the majority would agree with me in the United States - is that the inequalities of income CAN and should be leveled at least to a degree.  Take a close look at the graph on this post. How the hell does that make sense in a civilized society?

Oh yeah, that’s another thing. I do not assume that this really is a civilized society. Maybe never has been, when you take even a moment’s glance at our history.

And I certainly do not assume that this country is a representation of “the good guys” in the world, or that we have any right whatsoever to tell other countries how to run their affairs. Clearly our own “house” is not now and perhaps never been in order.

Two last ones before I stop… I DO also assume that taxes are part and parcel of the dues I and anyone else have to pay for living in a society. I do not assume that taxes are bad. Even if I do not think that the people I pay taxes to are stewarding them the way that I would steward them.

Last, and perhaps most important  assumption: I assume, with few and narrow exceptions, that there is not such a thing as “US” and  “THEM,” at least not on this planet. We live in a literal fishbowl – I assume that it is ALL  US. We are all in this damn life together. That seems pretty damn self evident to me.

And I assume that some day we will all assume that – but I don’t think it will happen in my lifetime.

What do YOU assume? What is self evident to you? I really would want to know.

March 27, 2009  Tags: , , , , , , , ,   Posted in: Sane

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