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Americans are all living the Republican dream now: Paul Krugman for the NYTimes
Paul Krugman, writing for the New York Times, painfully explains that what is happening right here, right now, is nothing more than the natural endgame of all Republican, “conservative” philosophy. This is where it was all headed, and where it has always been headed. And anyone with half a brain should have seen it coming:
You see, the modern U.S. right is committed to the proposition that greed is good, that we’re all better off when individuals engage in the untrammeled pursuit of self-interest. In their vision, unrestricted profit maximization by businesses and unregulated consumer choice is the recipe for a good society.
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The idea of a collective responsibility—of a social compact between Americans-- was always, implicitly, poisonous to that shiny, conservative ideal. And it has manifested itself in ways that we have seen unfolding during the course of this horrid pandemic, as conservative attitudes have been exposed and highlighted under the harsh glare of reality:
This rage is sometimes portrayed as love of freedom. But people who insist on the right to pollute are notably unbothered by, say, federal agents tear-gassing peaceful protesters. What they call “freedom” is actually absence of responsibility.
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Everything they’ve believed and lived, oblivious or indifferent to the harm it caused, for decades, is now at mortal risk. And they would rather die than see the entirety of their prior existence trivialized, or worse, completely discredited.
The point, instead, is that they’ve sacralized selfishness, hurting their own political prospects by insisting on the right to act selfishly even when it hurts others.
What the coronavirus has revealed is the power of America’s cult of selfishness. And this cult is killing us.
You see, the modern U.S. right is committed to the proposition that greed is good, that we’re all better off when individuals engage in the untrammeled pursuit of self-interest. In their vision, unrestricted profit maximization by businesses and unregulated consumer choice is the recipe for a good society.
----
The idea of a collective responsibility—of a social compact between Americans-- was always, implicitly, poisonous to that shiny, conservative ideal. And it has manifested itself in ways that we have seen unfolding during the course of this horrid pandemic, as conservative attitudes have been exposed and highlighted under the harsh glare of reality:
This rage is sometimes portrayed as love of freedom. But people who insist on the right to pollute are notably unbothered by, say, federal agents tear-gassing peaceful protesters. What they call “freedom” is actually absence of responsibility.
----
Everything they’ve believed and lived, oblivious or indifferent to the harm it caused, for decades, is now at mortal risk. And they would rather die than see the entirety of their prior existence trivialized, or worse, completely discredited.
The point, instead, is that they’ve sacralized selfishness, hurting their own political prospects by insisting on the right to act selfishly even when it hurts others.
What the coronavirus has revealed is the power of America’s cult of selfishness. And this cult is killing us.
[link:https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/7/27/1964368/-We-re-all-living-the-Republican-dream-right-now-Do-you-like-it|]
Emphasis mine
Late stage capitalism run rampant presenting as a death cult. Who woulda thunk it?!?!
62 replies
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"the Founders viewed slavery as a necessary evil"
Of course he was actually referring to the Founder brothers, Doug and Joey...
Like clicking the "rec" button in the original post (OP).
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Just like we knew it would be...
That will do it
