The Political Left Needs to Start Judging More Wisely

Rogan

I saw this Rogan interview with Krystal and Saagar. I’ve watched a lot of Joe Rogan for the past two years. He leans far left on most issues he discusses, but that’s not good enough for most people and news media on the political left, who seek to purification, not nuanced discussion. Many of them have no idea what to do with people like Rogan, who hold heterodox opinions. They reject the idea of human complexity and they are increasibly thinking in cartoons. That is the subject of Krystal Ball’s 7-minute commentary. It was spot on. I’ve seen this rejection of the “impure” on FB over and over. IMO, this is ruining the political left and sending many voters over to the political right, which is morally bankrupt.

My advice to people on the political left: Quit demonizing people who are not aligned with your views. Quit writing off everyone who voted differently than you. Engage openly and respectfully with your family, neighbors and friends who think differently than you. I’m an atheist, but Jesus had it right when he gave the Sermon on the Mount: “Love your enemies.” I give thanks today that we don’t all think alike. And I give thanks for the wisdom of John Stuart Mill. And I give thanks for the courage and soaring inspirational thoughts of Martin Luther King: Hate cannot drive out hate and we should judge each other only by the content of our character. Let’s start judging each other more wisely starting today.

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Erich Vieth

Erich Vieth is an attorney focusing on civil rights (including First Amendment), consumer law litigation and appellate practice. At this website often writes about censorship, corporate news media corruption and cognitive science. He is also a working musician, artist and a writer, having founded Dangerous Intersection in 2006. Erich lives in St. Louis, Missouri with his two daughters.

This Post Has 3 Comments

  1. Avatar of Bill Heath
    Bill Heath

    Amen.

    There is a secular aphorism that comes to mind: Hold your friends close, and your enemies closer. As difficult as it is to admit to error, the authoritarians (left/right, up/down, red/blue, it doesn’t matter) need to see that results matter. They’ve successfully divided the country and made it ripe for destruction. And I can only conclude that it is deliberate. If there is a single word best to describe them, it is mean.

    There are many subsets of mean: malevolent, vituperative, sadistic, the list is almost endless. They are miserable, and want others to be, too.

    1. Avatar of Erich Vieth
      Erich Vieth

      Bill: You final sentence comes close to describing Nietzsche’s concept of ressentment.

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