6.20.2004

Hehehe- "great bubbling Crock-Pot of Godliness."

That's funny.

The article is pretty good, I suppose. But there's nothing new in it. The book he reviews sounds offensive, though- even to me (not a big fan of religious zealotry). I do wish the red-state peoples would vote with their material interests in mind, though.

Damn, the democrats would kick some serious (electoral) ass if people voted in their best material interests. Recall the old saw: Want to live like a Republican? Vote like a Democrat.

It is, in some small way, impressive that people vote counter to their own worldly interests. I mean, it takes some powers of concentration to ignore your poverty and powerlessness in favor of some distant final reward. Another person might call them powers of self-delusion, but whatever. The point remains that these people do some serious gratification-deferral, which is something that we frequently point to as a Good Thing.

On the flip side, liberal people do it, too. A significant portion of liberal voters vote counter to their best economic interests (short term, maybe- there's dissention on the part of economists) with the same regularity. They, too, seem to be deferring material gratification in favor of some nebulous reward. The reward seems to be liberty, equality, and fraternity, at least in concept.

What's the common thread, there?

I think that both of these types of deferral of gratification are obscuring an immediate gratification: the heady intoxication of self-righteousness. Like Tom Papa said, "Look: this is me... better than you..."

Many, many, people are voting in a manner that makes them feel good. Is it inborn? Is it the result of chance chemistry, like the predispostion to a sweet-tooth? God only knows.

No comments: