We here in Tucson have more than our fair share of Young Conservatives™. You've seen them. Their hair is impeccably groomed, they wear kakhis and dockers, and they are very eager to get you to understand that their ways are logical, consistent, and correct.
Of course, they're 169% wrong. The fact that their theories are logical precludes them from actually being functional, because - on any level that politics is functional at - humans are not logical creatures. To paraphrase a movie I sort of enjoyed, "A human can be logical. Humans are as irrational as a shithouse rat."
But we don't just see this in the far right, do we? No, it pervades all elements of society, though most especially at either end of the political and/or social spectrums.
The standard by which humans should make decisions would be "Given the information that I have processed, X is true." The standard by which humans actually make decisions is "Things would be really great if X were true, so I am going to behave as if it was, no matter what the universe says."
And this is where the late, frequently misquoted Adam Smith comes in. When he talked about "the invisible hand of the marketplace", he certainly didn't mean "corporations will do what's right, because they make decisions based on marketplace reality", he meant "If, in the marketplace, decisions are made that do not reflect reality, then reality will come back and kick your arse sideways, sooner or later."
It's a simple concept, right? So simple that you'd expect at least the Superior Mutants™ to understand it...But we're just as irrational as any other group of monkeys, so you have people jabbering about rational anarchy, how neat things would be if only human nature would suddenly change, etc.
Well, here's a bit of Horrible Truth™ for you: The universe is what it is, and it's not going to change because you've adopted a philosophy that would really be neat if things were different. Your wants and beliefs have precisely zero impact on the world, unless they are somehow compatible with the way the world actually works in real life.
I don't expect anyone who doesn't already understand that to get it, and I don't expect those who do understand it - but don't want to - to stop jabbering about their pet ideas and utopian dreams. I wish they would, because I'd much rather use all this potential for rage at work, but I'm realistic enough to know that most people will read the above and assume it applies to everyone but themselves.
God, how I hate you all.
Okay for now,
Dok
