The foolishness of liberalism. . .

Something that once seemed curious or even interesting, is, in reality, more than threatening and downright dangerous to us all.  The foolishness of liberalism is betrayed in less than obvious ways but it is revealed if we are willing to hear it.

Example One:  Brazil, it seems, is finally attempting to outlaw the practice of some indigenous tribes who find certain children bad luck and who have a history of killing such children.  You know, the kind born with physical blemish or handicap, etc...  Now the liberal anthropologists find such imposition of civilized values objectionable.  They are working to block the laws with the claim that it is morally wrong to impose the values of western culture on such people and their barbaric practices.  Read in the The Federalist for John Daniel Davidson story on the matter.  Why is this important?  Because at the heart of it all is the issue of modern day practices which mirror the primitives in aborting children who are believed to have physical or mental handicap.  Indeed, one of the cardinal rules in this is that ancient practices are closer to nature than modern day and therefore weighted with more relevance and authority than morals or values that conflict with them.  So if you can show that these practices are ancient, it gives more credence to the argument of those who say it is the smarter path to eliminate those with physical or mental defect.  We may not do this often outside the womb (ah, recall the issue of Alfie) but we do this all the time in the womb.

Example Two:  Liberals look around all the time for examples to use to justify the rejection traditional values with respect to sex, sexual practice, marriage, family, and gender.  So, to find such ancient and more, shall we say, enlightened sexual mores, the liberals look to our supposed ancestors -- no, not those from Europe or Africa but further down on the evolutionary chain.  They reference our ape ancestors.  Here the reference comes from Christopher Ryan whose short documentary interestingly named Monogamy Explained is suggesting that among some apes, at least, sex has nothing really to do with marriage, family, or even affection and is all about consensual fun. “[Bonobos monkeys] have sex to say hello, they have sex to say goodbye, they have sex when they’re stressed out.”   Monogamy is not ancient and has been imposed upon us when we are really polyamorous.  As the heirs of bonobos, we humans also are at heart promiscuous and monogamy and relationships are imposed upon us.

But bonobos are not simply promiscuous. They seem to have sex with any and every other bonobo  engaging in sex with juveniles, infants, and close relatives. They have the requisite feminism to fit modern day ideals.  They are esteemed for their strong patterns of female equality and even dominance.  Of course, they are also violent and merciless. They have been known to practice  hunting down and killing fellow monkeys -- even eating them alive.  So is this the enlightened example that we should use to guide and define our own values and practices?  William Jennings Bryan’s famous line at the Scopes monkey trial come to mind: “How can teachers tell students that they came from monkeys and not expect them to act like monkeys?”

So according to liberals, ancient human practices and the practices of those with whom we share DNA, and, if you believe in evolution, a history, should be used to inform, enlighten, and direct what we believe, what we value, and how we live today.  At least as long as and in so far as these things mirror the positions of modern day liberals.  But it strikes me as foolish to think that the IBM PC ought to be used as the model of the lastest version of computer or the earliest version of a medicine be valued more highly than something more modern.  Why, if this model were used in medicine, blood letting would be back in style as a cure all for what ails you.

Again, the issue here is whether or not we can trust nature, at least our own primitive or instinctive nature, or if there is a pristine nature which we ought to emulate over the nature corrupted by man and civilization?  Goofy?  Yes!  Dangerous?  Definitely!