INSIDE | The Liberal Mindset - Inexplicable Logic

Inexplicable Logic | Surely a more oxymoronical truism has not existed before in our "English" lexicon that so aptly describes the utter disconnect which most (if not all) conservatives like me experience when attempting to "as Dr. Stephen Covey put it, "Seek first to understand, then to be understood."

Borrowing from Webster: Inexplicable \ˌi-nik-ˈspli-kə-bəl - "incapable of being explained, interpreted, or accounted for"  AND  Logic: \ˈlä-jik\ - ": the science of the formal principles of reasoning".  I think you'd agree that these two words most often aptly identify the culminating exasperation involved with conservatives trying to grasp the liberal viewpoint.  (...and most likely vice-versa).

What am I writing about here?  Well, in keeping with the theme of this blog and the titles which all begin the same way, "INSIDE | The Liberal Mindset..." I attempting to explore, and by virtue explain, how it could be that the liberally-minded amongst us can possibly think as they do.  Admittedly trying to unravel this mystery is akin to untangling a massive ball of yarn which the cat has decided to disrupt with its four clawed feet, with your own two human ones;  it is nearly inconceivable from the start! 

Basically because God put us together in our "own special ways" there are certain differences which tend to prevent complete and total understanding between humans.  However, this column does try and do just that - understand - and perhaps by highlighting and illustrating a few of the seemingly bi-polar regions of the two basic tennets of political and socio-economic mindsets; cause deep reflection.

With all that said; let's examine the following statement: If you ask a "conservative what they believe and WHY they believe it, you will get a carefully stated laundry list of tenets buttressed with solid background rationale.  However if you do the same with a liberal, you get either nothing or next to nothing.

Example (from a typical conservative): I believe in a person getting to keep most of their hard-earned money and giving as little to the government as possible.  Why? Because I believe that the government was created as a tool of the people and not their lord and master.  That the government should not be the one that decides how I live my life outside of keeping the rule of law and other basic services.  I believe in personal accountability and that you are a product of your individual efforts.  Sure I support public health and safety issues, garbage collection and snow plowing; but paying my hard earned wages to support "(fill in the blank)" is not on my bucket list...You get the picture right?  However, ask any typical liberal to espouse their beliefs and to solidly back them up, you get something like this; I believe that rich bastards people don't pay their fair share.  Why? 'cause they make too damn much money and there's poor people out there.  If you push them to explain their contention that "rich people" don't pay their fair share, they'll just get mad and stammer all sorts of holier-than-thou platitudes with the sole intention of tying to make you feel selfish.  You see, their "reason" never seems to include themselves in the equation of solving society's ills; that's the "rich people's" problem.  It's the same rationale that has each one of 'em grabbing for every dollar of pork no matter what the actual need may be.  It's "someone else's money" not theirs and it'll always be there to grab.

So in summary; a conservative will tell you specifically what they believe in and why - and a liberal can't bring themself to actually espouse beliefs with any rational conviction because (perhaps) saying it (or writing it) will glaringly expose the inexplicable logic within their tenets and slogans...AND make them mad(er) in the process?   After all, a bumper sticker is short and allows for no logical discussion right?

You decide (and comment if you are so inclined).