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Saturday, February 01, 2003
Youth
John Ray has an interesting post entitled "Heart Versus Head: Young People And Leftism" at his blog Dissecting Leftism. (I can't get the permalinks to work, so look for it under the "Saturday, February 01, 2003" group of entries.)
I would add only the following point, which I believe could be included under one of his subdivisions. I think many young people are drawn to leftism because it appeals to the truths they were taught as children. Your parents tell you to always share, because they know you'll never share if left to your own judgment, and they don't really expect you to be in situations where sharing will make matters worse. Some children take these instructions to heart, even to the point of turning them back against their parents. (My daughter knows that I am thoroughly unprincipled, but she still tries anyway.) When they get older, instead of developing a more sophisticated version of these childhood maxims, they get upset that people aren't trying hard enough. Furthermore, they are aghast to discover that the rules that have made them successful at school and at home are not always what works in the world at large. Thus the disenchantment of the leftist begins.
Eddie 5:47 PM
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