The liberal denial of the right of self-defense seems, like liberal egalitarianism, to represent a degenerate form of Christian ethics (‘turn the other cheek’). We are in need of a less vulgarized ethics, drawing on religious wisdom while not insisting on any kind of orthodoxy for those who cannot accept it.

Having watched a considerable amount of television during a recent period of personal inertia, I am struck by the prevalence of this attitude to self-defense in the more humane popular dramas. Basically the alternative that is presented to the public is between letting evil run riot and joining the forces of evil oneself.

Liberals tend to be terrified of their own latent aggression because they are incapable of distinguishing legitimate from illegitimate aggression. Anything other than unlimited tolerance and democracy is “fascism”. One suspects that this attitude will lead to the rise of a real fascism once it becomes clear to the majority that liberalism is unworkable.

Ian, I think the key is the leftwingers’ inability to distinguish between justifiable defensive/pre-emptive offensive action and premediated barbarism akin to Osama’s actions of September 11 and the numerous Palestinian slaughters of Israelis and Americans.

Obviously, this inability to discern the difference is due to relativism. The answer isn’t complicated.

The key is for conservatives to illustrate the left’s aversion to truth forcefully in the public square. Unless we clearly draw a line of demarcation between us and them, civilization and anarchy, Christendom and satanism, we will continue to lose this culture war.

Yes, liberals deny the possibility of the moral use of violence. So, when it becomes unavoidably necessary to be violent, they also embrace immorality.

It’s the same with equality. Because liberals deny any moral basis for some people to have more wealth or authority than others, when they themselves have wealth and authority, they can only see these things as immoral, so in embracing their own success they embrace immorality as well.

Since Mr. Hare was mentioning television programs, I think what I’ve just said helps explain a bizarre phenonemon in today’s tv dramas in which every scene is filmed in half-darkness or three-quarters darkness. Whether it’s a law office, or a courtroom, or the White House, or a military headquarters—places that in real life are brightly lit—everything is filmed in semi darkness. Often you can’t even see the characters’ faces. When I’ve pointed this out to liberals, they didn’t know what I was talking about. So apparently today’s audiences regard it as normal and don’t notice it. In case, I’ve never seen it commented on.

What is being expressed by this? My theory is that liberals simultaneously have great self-esteem (hence the self-congratulatory nature of all these shows such as The West Wing) AND they regard their achievements as part of a rotten society in which all achievement is questionable and can have no moral basis. So they simultaneously glorify themselves and portray themselves in creepy darkness.

Lawrence, I’ve noticed the T.V. ‘phenomenon’ you speak of though I must admit that I didn’t think of it in that way.

The liberal hypocrisy on matters of accumulated wealth is also so obvious that it irks me that no one points it out…except folks like you and I on little known websites. this is tragic and certainly not what the Founders intended.

Our message hasn’t a chance of remaining intact after being filtered through the cable/networker/editorial page gatekeepers.

What to do about this???

To Jeff Brewer, I’d be curious to know what he did think about the “dark” phenomenon.

Except for a few pacifists, I don’t think the Left seriously believes in non-resistance. They like it when it can be used to create media interest in favored causes. They hate it when the same tricks are used against them. As to self-defense, they prefer that certain cheeks be turned toward certain offenders, but not toward others.

Remember that the affluent liberal often takes up politics for psychological reasons. They wish to assuage the guilt of their own ruthlessness. Egalitarianism gives greedy nen a sense of self-righteousness. People can deny their own materialism by attacking the middle class.