Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies.

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive.

Wanted: Universal Translator for Political Speech

Young Turks: Glenn Beck’s view of FDR

This discussion of Glenn Beck from the Young Turks sums up so neatly the political divide between the left and right in America. It shows how the left and right have very different definitions of the following:

  • Rights
  • Where the middle ground is in America
  • History
  • Communism
  • Health Care
  • Facts
  • Oppression

Just as Americans and the British are separated by a common language, so are the left and right in America. If someone from the UK said “I like a fag when I’m pissed,” (i.e. “I like a cigarette when I’m drunk”), I wouldn’t assume they are crazy, because I know they have different meanings for the same words.

I’ve heard countless discussions just like this one, where one side refers to opposing views as making “no sense at all.”  When people start with completely different definitions and make no attempt to understand other side’s definitions, it should come as no surprise that the other side sounds crazy.

I wonder if the universal translator on Star Trek would work for political speech?