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Fright is caused by the unexpected
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A short opinion piece appeared today in the Wall Street Journal written by Peter Berkowitz, a senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution.
Mr. Berkowitz proposes that the passions Americans exhibit through their rhetoric expressing “Bush hatred” or “Obama euphoria” essentially derive their energy from the same common sources. He notes that many of the people who espouse such rhetoric are otherwise intelligent, educated professionals and that their immoderation says more about themselves than the public figures they seek to describe. He notes that the media promotes the problem by its failure to appeal to reason. But it seems that he primarily blames our universities, resulting from what he regards as their cultivation of intellectual conformity and by quelling the exercise of reason in public life. Whatever the true source of the condition, it seems that some people don’t think for themselves.
Mr. Berkowitz introduces a quasi-religious explanation wherein persons who challenge what could be called “non-thinking patterns” are sometimes treated like apostates or heretics, while our political leaders are sometimes elevated to the status of redeemers. It seems fairly obvious (to me) that either of those outcomes does little to promote genuine discussion, critical thinking, or sound judgment.
I think it is safe to say that we see some of the zeal the opinion piece attempts to describe here in CE&P. It takes the general form, “My politician can do no wrong,” or “Your politician is evil incarnate.” These sentiments, when expressed with sufficient frequency or vociferousness have a tendency to squelch reasoned debate. Perhaps they indicate an intellectual lethargy of some sort. Or perhaps they are simply manifestations of excessive consumerism.
Regardless of the the most appropriate explanation, I agree with Mr. Berkowitz that such zealous statements say more about the person making the statement than the persons being described by those statements.
Mr. Berkowitz proposes that the passions Americans exhibit through their rhetoric expressing “Bush hatred” or “Obama euphoria” essentially derive their energy from the same common sources. He notes that many of the people who espouse such rhetoric are otherwise intelligent, educated professionals and that their immoderation says more about themselves than the public figures they seek to describe. He notes that the media promotes the problem by its failure to appeal to reason. But it seems that he primarily blames our universities, resulting from what he regards as their cultivation of intellectual conformity and by quelling the exercise of reason in public life. Whatever the true source of the condition, it seems that some people don’t think for themselves.
Mr. Berkowitz introduces a quasi-religious explanation wherein persons who challenge what could be called “non-thinking patterns” are sometimes treated like apostates or heretics, while our political leaders are sometimes elevated to the status of redeemers. It seems fairly obvious (to me) that either of those outcomes does little to promote genuine discussion, critical thinking, or sound judgment.
I think it is safe to say that we see some of the zeal the opinion piece attempts to describe here in CE&P. It takes the general form, “My politician can do no wrong,” or “Your politician is evil incarnate.” These sentiments, when expressed with sufficient frequency or vociferousness have a tendency to squelch reasoned debate. Perhaps they indicate an intellectual lethargy of some sort. Or perhaps they are simply manifestations of excessive consumerism.
Regardless of the the most appropriate explanation, I agree with Mr. Berkowitz that such zealous statements say more about the person making the statement than the persons being described by those statements.
Both represent the triumph of passion over reason. Both are intolerant of dissent.
Bush Hatred and Obama Euphoria Are Two Sides of the Same Coin (Subscription may be required)