I found some human interest in this story of a self-righteously egalitarian English politician worried about her son’s education: Abbott says son’s school decision is indefensible.
The problem with egalitarianism is that it destroys all good things, or at least most of them. Good things are usually particular and local and relative to the capacity of the recipient to find them or bring them about, and to make use of them. Often they are gifts—that’s the meaning of the word “grace.” Usually some luck is involved. The result is that if you say they all have to be equal for everyone you’re mostly saying they can’t exist.
Diane Abbott, a member of something parliamentary called the Socialist Campaign Group, has in effect been saying that for years. She found she couldn’t stomach it in her son’s case and sent him to private school. When called on her decision she admitted her conduct was indefensible, which does credit to her honesty, but kept her son at the school, which does credit to her humanity.
Unfortunately, the article suggests she’s attempting to soften the contradiction by pleading special circumstances. I hope she can find some other way to make sense of her situation—for example, by accepting that the campaign of the Left to make life a controlled and self-consistent system doesn’t make sense.
Mr. Kalb, that politician in
Mr. Kalb, that politician in England would, more likely than not, rather commit suicide than admit that the Left does not make sense. For to even move to the Center for a woman of her ilk would still be a movement to the Right. And to move to the Right at all, in any miniscule fashion, brings the secular equivalent of eternal death to a person of the Left.
I agree with the “more
I agree with the “more likely than not.” Still, there was something about the recognition of contradiction and the reluctance to resolve it either by following her left-wing conscience or by simple cynicism that seemed to hold out hope.
“Still, there was something
“Still, there was something about the recognition of contradiction and the reluctance to resolve it either by following her left-wing conscience or by simple cynicism that seemed to hold out hope.”
It doesn’t hold out hope, because in the minds of women the logic that disapproves of the liberal unprincipled exception (seen here committed by the MP in question, as well as by Tony Blair and someone named Harriet Harman) is merely a part of the oppressive patriarchy. That logic commands no respect in the minds of these women. It can be totally disregarded as being some silly thing men think is important but isn’t at all. So, there’s no hope along the lines of expecting women to wake up in this regard. This woman is not going to concern herself with any need to resolve the contradiction in her own mind and actions. She’s simply not going to care about it—not going to concern herself with it. What she needs is a husband—either that, or to have her vote restricted to topics where her lack of good sense can do no real harm.
The solution to this eruption of clueless women into politics and government lies in restricting the list of things that women are allowed to vote on (possibly exempting wives from the restriction, since wives are known to vote more sensibly than women who aren’t legally attached to men).
Two comments: in 1994 my son
Two comments: in 1994 my son was going to secondary public school (here in Cuernavaca, Mexico) and once I went there to ask his Biology teacher why she flunked him -I was aware that my son knew enough B. to pass- and her answer was in general terms: “You can not complain, I’m sorry, I will do whatever I consider right with your kid. THAT’S WHY I HAVE MY KIDS IN A PRIVATE SCHOOL, SO I CAN DEMAND QUALITY FROM THE TEACHERS THERE”. Wow!!!! I was so amazed I didn’t even know what to answer, except “Then we have a dictatorship in public schools” She didn’t answer and left angry. Next grade I moved my son to a private school. What an incredible answer! What nerve and cynicism! That is the attitud we are confronting with this lefty pseudo intelectuals. As my second comment: dear Unadorned, I think it is not only women, but men too. I remember a communist man I know telling me (laughing) that another commie friend of his almost killed himself when driving a bit drunk in his car, there was a detour on the road and he had to take A RIGHT TURN. The man said that he “will never veer to the right!”, and ended up at the hospital. How about it. The guy I know, even though he is a comrade of the other nut was laughing at him and saying how utterly stupid he was. And this was a man. I have the impression that quite a few leftist are hopeless regardles of their sex. Sad indeed.