Map of life expectancy at birth from Global Education Project.

Wednesday, July 13, 2022

Freedom!

 I commend to your attention this essay by Ethan Grey, which sorts out what many people mistakenly think is hypocrisy when it comes to the Republican party and liberty. No, it's not hypocrisy, the problem is that "freedom" means something different to them than it does to people with a moral compass. Quoth Mr Grey:

 

You’ve watched the Republican Party champion the idea of “freedom” while you have also watched the same party openly assault various freedoms, like the freedom to vote, freedom of choice, freedom to marry who you want and so on.

If this has been a source of confusion, then your assessments of what Republicans mean by “freedom” were likely too generous. Here’s what Republicans mean:

  1. The freedom to tell people what to do.
  2. Freedom from being told what to do.

When Republicans talk about valuing “freedom”, they’re speaking of it in the sense that only people like them should ultimately possess it.

Read the whole thing, but I'll give away the punch line: "People like them" means white, Christian, heterosexual  men.  Once you understand that, much confusion is cleared up.

  Also too, this blog post by Betty Cracker. How the Republicans manage to hold on to the brand of "freedom" when all they want to do is take away our freedoms is a mystery.



 

5 comments:

Sitting Duck said...


"People like them" means white, Christian, heterosexual men.


Really??

So how does Mr. Grey square the fact that Blacks and Latinos have been slowly trending toward the Republican Party? Why would minorities move to the right if it were not in their best interests?


Innocent Bystander said...

Peaceful enjoyment of one's life and property

Chucky Peirce said...

Sounds a bit like Wilhoit's Law

Frank Wilhoit: “Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition …
There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind,
alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.”

(Credit to @HeerJeet via Fred Clark of Slacktivist.)

Don Quixote said...

Yep. Sounds about right. My old broker/office manager in Tucson used to take her cigarette breaks outside. When jets from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base used to fly overhead, she'd say, "When I hear that sound, you know what I hear? Freedom!"

This was in 2010.

The freedom to bomb the shit out of Iraqis under Bush father and son, killing hundreds of thousands of innocent people.

She'd probably say, "Innocent? Why the hell did they bomb the Trade Towers?"

It's depressing to know so many people in our country cavalierly sanction and encourage mass murder for no valid reason but their own ignorance, and a corrupt scheme to benefit greed for the few with their participation.

Cervantes said...

Sitting Duck: First of all, that is not true about Black voters. "Hispanic" is a label that actually encompasses a great diversity of cultures and communities. Some had an increased share of Republican voters recently, there are complicated reasons for that. Many are socially conservative. But in general, what voters consider to be their best interest isn't necessarily what a given outside observer would perceive. I actually think that is the case for white Christian men who vote for Republicans -- they're misconstruing their own interest.

As for peaceful enjoyment of one's life and property, sure I suppose most people would say they want that. But you have to consider how what you are doing for your own enjoyment affects others. And then it gets complicated fast.