THE IRONY OF MORAL BLINDNESS
how detractors are often guilty of that which they confidently accuse others
Recently, I came across a short missive about Donald Trump and his followers that, in typical fashion, was critical and over the top, way over the top. Indeed, the attempted effort to sound profound and intellectual actually provides a quite ironic insight into the mindset of those who so vehemently oppose the MAGA movement. It is written by a journalist and then reposted in a number of places. Before commenting, please peruse the article for yourself. Here it is:
Talented and well-practiced in every vice, a stranger to compassion or empathy, a liar and a cheat so complete in perfidy that he has elevated his dishonesty to hold it up as an ersatz moral principle. Violent, so long as he can order someone else to do the dirty work. Grotesque in body, graceless in action, in possession of a wounded self-regard so colossal as to smother any spark of grace. Treasonous, not only to country, but to every ally he has ever had, the poisoned fruit and rankest flower of racism and contempt for women, and utterly devoid of shame for his moral and spiritual bankruptcy. That is your leader. That is to whom you give your money. That is who you follow and laud. That is whose banner you willingly carry. Why? Because he is a mirror, not a lighthouse. You see yourselves in him. He is what you would be, if you had inherited money and could shed the last vestiges of conscience and shame. No, I do not “respect your choices,” nor do I admire your loyalty and dedication to this miserific, demoniac vision. You have demonstrated not only a lack of civic virtue, loyalty to the Republic and to the rule of law, but a willingness to engage in violence and sedition at his slightest expressed wish. And you will never, ever admit you were wrong. Because you see your dark, twisted, resentful dreams in him. And to renounce him is to renounce yourselves (Advocatus Peregrini).
Drawing: "Stable Genius"
by Siegfried Woldhek
pen & ink
October 12, 2019
A QUICK AND RATHER HAPHAZARD RESPONSE —
There are times when it seems like we must be living in the Matrix or an old Twilight Zone episode or perhaps in some sort of dream world. Such is the state of our society today. Up is down, down is up, right and wrong have been reversed in the minds of once sane people. Some sort of derangement has indeed overtaken and possessed the hearts of many. At the core, it is a spiritual battle.
There are no perfect individuals, of course, and we are all susceptible to misunderstanding, avarice, and pride—what was once termed sin. Still, even as weak and flawed individuals, we must stand against misleading and even deceptive assertions, pointing out the fallacies and misguided claims of those whose minds have gone haywire. Again, a spiritual matter.
For those who absolutely and falsely assume that Trump supporters are somehow mindless robots, it appears more likely and in keeping with common observation that the anti-MAGA crowd may be protesting a bit too much. Watch any zombie movies lately?
Though there are surely exceptions, the main swath of Trump supporters stood for America First principles long before Donald Trump threw his hat into the ring. Most of us have always looked at him with objectivity and through the lens of conservative values and common sense. So, we regularly criticize him when he crosses the line with overly self-congratulatory statements, silly tweets, and even for some of his viewpoints. But we have also long understood that far too few who claim to be conservative, though knowing the talking points well enough to tickle our ears, have followed through on their campaign promises. Whether captured by the swamp that is the federal government, captivated by the bribery of the establishment, threatened by those in power, or simply lacking genuine conviction, the right has almost never acted in accordance with its stated beliefs. In other words, few claiming the moniker conservative and even fewer Republicans actually govern with integrity or any consistency. The uniparty is as much republican compromise and squishiness as it is democrat extremism.
These shortcomings are what gave rise to a Trump-like figure. The country needed someone not already tainted by uniparty influence, a person who could, flaws admitted, not feel compelled to bow to the powers that be, an individual who might actually keep some of the promises he made. It is, in great part, due to his being an outsider, an independent voice, that Trump is so vehemently opposed. When you actually implement conservative-like principles, it threatens those on both sides of the aisle who have long ignored any type of principled behavior and accountability. Through the messiness of human imperfection, including Trump, it’s a spiritual battle.
As for Trump himself, I know of no one who worships the former president, and very few are so naive as to assume that we are looking for a flawless commander-in-chief. What many want is someone with the courage to oppose and counter the establishment and follow through on important issues, a leader with the personality to break through the barriers of political correctness and other anti-American intimidation. It’s often sullied by human impropriety, for sure, but it’s spiritual. Enter Trump, who has been at the center of it all.
As I read this imbalanced and often untenable tirade, it's hard not to see the unhinged mindset that must motivate such a message, and it is not difficult to pick up on the relentless need to signal virtue, the utter disdain for the actual interests of the country, and the complete lack of awareness as to the projectionism* that is on full display.
Trump’s immoral behavior, according to reports, was probably a factor in his past; it’s not complicated to imagine that a billionaire with immense power, especially in his youth, might sometimes color outside of the lines. But Biden sniffs children, touches women on camera, has apparently taken showers with his young daughter, allows fentanyl to stream across our border at unprecedented rates, and invites unvetted strangers into our neighborhoods.+ He's okay with mutilating confused children who are experiencing dysphoria and has no problem pandering to anyone who might represent a vote. “You ain’t black” is but one illustration of his blunderous words.
The author then accuses Trump and his followers of treason. How so? By protecting the border, avoiding conflict, building our economy, having the boisterousness to challenge the biased media? By unashamedly allowing his personal idiosyncrasies to take center stage? In a previous age, the quirkiness and openness and bottom-line creation of a thriving economy would be respected by his detractors and celebrated by his friends. Today, everything has changed, as insanity has come to the fore and our moral compass not only doesn't work but actually functions the opposite of the way it was designed.
In this north is south and south is north world, we celebrate the decades long corruption of the decrepit man who occupies the White House. Joe Biden has enriched his family and taken money from countries that are our mortal enemies. Biden has allowed January 6 protesters, none who were guilty of anything of extreme nature and most who did little more than walk into a building on a cold day, to be imprisoned for years. Biden has used his own agencies to go after his political opponents, and is clearly behind the attempt to keep the other party’s front-runner off of the ballot. It is corruption from start to finish, and few have benefited so richly and done so little over decades of “service” that is more aptly described as self service.
Joe Biden, not Donald Trump, has created mayhem at the border and chaos in the streets. The economy is in shambles and every radical ideology has been given prominence. What's more, in clear contrast with the former president, Biden’s administration has us on the verge of World War on a number of fronts. Never in my lifetime has such corruption been so brazenly pushed and celebrated. The country is clearly at a crossroads, and the decisions we make will either give us a fighting chance or send us on a spiral towards moral and governmental destruction. Spiritual, I say.
When you read this and similar attacks on Trump and his supporters, it is not surprising that so very many of the depictions, intended to describe Trump, are illustrative of progressive accusers generally and Joe Biden specifically. It is spiritual.
With the country on the verge of implosion, patriotism is regularly mocked, opposing viewpoints are not debated but canceled or punished, and traditional religious convictions ignored if not rejected. Our only hope is a return to the values that undergirded our founding, the documents that served as our guide, and the true God who is our only real source of truth, virtue, and inspiration.
No one knows what the future may hold, and we can’t guarantee anything . . . even if Trump should return to the White House. He'll probably make mistakes and will doubtless produce a few ill-advised comments. What we know definitively is that, based on countless recent examples, he will be relentlessly ambushed and perpetually misrepresented. It is likely, though, if given the opportunity and based on his measurable record, that he will also give us an opportunity to make America Great Again. Through defective human vessels, it’s spiritual.
Perhaps, Trump will be the Hitler the Left claims he is. If so, practically the entire MAGA crowd would oppose him. But it would be far more prudent to give less attention to the imaginary Hitler figure they want Trump to be and far more recognition of the current Hitleresque tactics of the Biden Administration, which regularly assaults its opponents, imprisons its competition, bans the free speech of those with contrary views, and uses fear mongering and threatening tactics to control those not aligned with its extremist agenda.
This is indeed a spiritual war, not because Donald Trump is a Savior or his followers without deficiency but because we live in a world in which invisible forces influence people and populations to say and do things that are objectively the opposite of reality. Spiritual!
The choices couldn't be more clear. It's traditional America or woke ideology, the family structure or chaotic and arbitrary hook ups, a country with identity and sovereignty or open borders, respect on the world stage or embarrassment, strength or weakness, biblical values or arbitrary standards, science or pseudoscience, and objectivity based on truth or relativism based on emotionalism.
Joe Biden, an unaccomplished man of highly questionable ideals, cannot speak a coherent paragraph, has made us a laughingstock, and placed us on a precarious pathway to ruin. Yet, people like the aforementioned writer accuse Trump and "his ilk," as the writer states it, of the very things that plague our nation and emanate from Joe Biden, this foolish, babbling, corrupt human being.
Near the end of this message, these words, directed at Trump supporters, appear:
“And you will never, ever admit you were wrong. Because you see your dark, twisted, resentful dreams in him. And to renounce him is to renounce yourselves.”
How sad. We all must be humble enough to admit our wrongs and our mistakes, of course. But is this not a blatantly obvious depiction of elitists, Biden, and this administration? They were wrong about Covid tactics, the wet market theory, the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, the invitation to cross our border unhindered, the quick withdrawal from Afghanistan, the ending of energy independence, the spending of billions on largely unvetted wars, the Russia collusion fiasco, many claims and actions regarding January 6, and they declared, and some still do, that Joe Biden is an articulate man.
As for the depiction of “dark, twisted resentful dreams,” the irony is stunning. We want light, accountability and truth, and you classify such traits as dark. Again, it's a spiritual battle, which means we require rational thought and illumination, not hate-driven arrogance and blindness. The ancient prophet, no doubt an enemy to the left, captures it this way:
"Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” (Isaiah 5:20).
It really is spiritual.
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