Slavery is Freedom
Thomas Frank shows us why liberals should never frankly state what they believe because it is bleeping scary. Apparently, what we call liberty is actually horrible because it doesn’t allow a “freedom from want” that only government can provide. If only the South picked up on that argument during the Civil War.
“We’re not enslaving black people; we’re freeing them from want.”
Come to think of it, slavery has a lot of things to it liberals love. Slaves are guaranteed a job, shelter, and food, and all they need to do for it is surrender a few freedoms to someone who believes himself to be an intellectual superior. This leads to the scary thought that though liberals will tell you slavery is wrong, it’s only because they were told as a child repeatedly it was wrong but never fundamentally understood why it’s wrong. It sometimes seems like the only difference between slavery and liberals plan for America is the whip.
Or at least that’s currently a difference.
(32 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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September 17th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
They did make that argument. That’s where the term ‘wage slave’ comes from. They had whole arguments relating to the poverty and horror of jobless freeman vs. the joys of salvery.
September 17th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Contrast and compare the movie Born Free to the movie Madagascar. Now we are telling our kids that the animals were better off in the zoo where others would take care of them. Of Franklin’s 4 freedoms, two aren’t.
September 17th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
After watching the press over these last Obama-infused months, I think the government also provides freedom from thought.
September 17th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Freedom and responsibility don’t just go together, they are the same thing. If you aren’t responsible for yourself, you aren’t free.
September 17th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Or put another way: “Arbeit macht Frei”
September 17th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Well, the path of freedom is of course, not perfect but yes, he did sum it up nicely by stating “Liberalism is a sort of despotism in waiting”. Couldn’t have said it better myself……….it can wait forever.
September 17th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
That sentence right there is why every leftist pos should be punched in the mouth.
especially their dear anti-Amrican-anti-freedom-classless disgrace-pos-leader.
September 17th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Should’ve Guessed It: Freedom is Slavery…
Frank J. nails it in his own off-beat way:
Thomas Frank shows us why liberals should never frankly state what they believe because it is bleeping scary. Apparently, what we call liberty is actually horrible because it doesn’t allow a “freedom fr…
September 17th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
This is EXACTLY what I’ve been saying for years! Until I can date Megan Fox, I’m not really free.
Do ya think Obama can help me out on that one?
September 17th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
that is exactly what i needed the other day when i was trying to convince my 5th grade daughter that most southern slave owners were not evil. (and yes that would be a public school system 5th grader).
September 17th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
Intersting argument the fellow makes : “What are you worried about? You’re free enough.”
September 17th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
“…the only difference between slavery, and Liberals’ ‘Plan For America’ is the whip.”>>> Currently Liberals have 2 Whips they are using in their ‘Plan For America’:
James Clyburn( House Majority Whip), and Dick Durbin( Senate Majority Whip).
September 17th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
If this were Hot Air, it would have taken approximately 10.5 seconds for someone to turn this thread into a debate about the causes of the Civil War.
I digress.
It’s amazing that an entire gaggle of political doctrines (Marxism, socialism, communism, “progressivism”, etc) are based solely on forcing others to provide for you. How an average liberal can look at his or her reflection is a question for God to answer.
September 17th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
Post #2, by Sillouette, is a perfect analogy to use when trying to persuade those on the fence, about liberty.
September 17th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
OKAY, so #5 got here first with Godwin’s Law…but the doesn’t make it necessarily WRONG.
An old book worth reading, if you can find it, “The Fascist: His State and His Mind” by E.B. Ashton.
The “organic” concept of a state as promoted by National Socialists did indeed perceive (or, at least, verbally rationally) “freedom” as
that which an individual may do within the distinct definition of his role in serving the State…sorta like a blood corpuscle is “free” to do whatever it wants, as long as it keeps flowing to keep the body alive.
ICK.
My reaction as well to Frank’s WSJ article.
September 17th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Slavery is Freedom
weakness is strength
stupidty is intelligence
failure is success
immoral is moral
Big Bamma is watching you. Why do I feel like I’m living in Orwell’s 1984
September 17th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
You forget, liberals always see themselves as somehow being the slave “owners”, which is why they’re always so shocked when they end up as slaves.
September 17th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
- Abraham Lincoln, 1865.
“I have always thought that all men should be free; but if any should be slaves, it should be first those who desire it for themselves, and secondly those who desire it for others. Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally.”
That sounds fair.
September 17th, 2009 at 11:21 pm
Government entitlements are invisible shackles. They are an addiction worse than any drug. Look at third generation welfare receipients. They receive welfare money from the government, food stamps, public housing…everything they need to survive but not to truly live. They don’t receive dignity or the drive to pursue their dreams provided they have dreams. They are so engrained into the welfare system that they know no way out. Yet if anyone suggests doing away with the bonds keeping these people down they are called a racist who wants to take away the only think keeping these people alive. The truth is these people are slaves whose sole purpose is to keep voting for Democrats because that is who they think is giving them money. However according the the WSJ columnist they have more freedom than the guy that works hard to put his way through college, starts his own business and makes a comfortable living for himself and his family. I am sure he would even consider that course of action selfish and quite possibly racist.
September 18th, 2009 at 12:22 am
The reason foolish issues arise…
Divert and Conquer:
The Liberal Agenda for Decades
Dear American,
Intelligence is brutal when calculated with intent. True intelligence manipulates itself into illiterate disguise. The diversions of this administration since January 20th have bounced conservatism into a frenzy of defense after defense leaving it exhausted.
The architected deconstruction and reconstruction of America is being preformed effortlessly without retribution through decades of diversion. The Presidency of Obama is the final stage of its evolution.
Barack Obama, not the architect, the Martyr of this systematic strategy in the first phase of the acquisition of America spent 2.3 trillion dollars of tax payer money acquiring control of the financial market. The result being an unconstitutional Government run banking system. Subservient banks now answer to a Czar reporting directly to the White House absent congressional oversight.
Currently 32 Czars act as the underbosses to the king. They have the ability to negotiate and write policy unlike the sixteen in the Bush administration. These Czars are the vital reality Democrats now rejoice in. When acquisitions are made the left of congress diverts public interest to controversial issues. The Czars, free of public scrutiny move forward agenda.
A second stimulus package was introduced when America begin to question the banking takeover and shortly after the Czar was named. Immediately this package created a new controversy diverting Americans from scrutiny. A quick 130 billion dollar acquisition of the automobile industry was offered as an alternative and America jumped to accept. Americans were relieved at the price tag and agreed quickly to avoid the 1 trillion dollar second stimulus proposal.
Unemployment numbers continued to rise and backlash from the Automobile Industry takeover begin as attention turned back to the first stimulus. After quickly injecting a liberal Supreme Court Justice the failsafe of this design was implemented. Healthcare, an age old debate that has no chance to succeed confirmed by a century of attempts was called up. Instantly it took the spot light. A full injection of conservative attention brought a nation to uproar. Just as quick quietly the Czars went back to work firming up their newly acquired industries.
A country baffled by these and other well thought out implemented strategies are twisted in confusion hanging on the ropes swinging at air. The “Big Picture” struggles to linger in the minds of Americans manipulated by the Obama system. They have been successfully diverted and conquered intentionally with every move.
At the cost of 880 billion dollars Healthcare may or may not be Obama’s intent. If desired its acquisition will be confirmed by a soon to come bill on Gun Control, Abortion, or any other issue big enough to divert and except the headline, “Congress makes a deal and passes healthcare”. Americans will learn the news coming home from their Abortion march on D.C. bringing the receipt of America to over 3.3 trillion dollars. At least we don’t come cheap, however the irony we are purchasing ourselves is baffling. If, however there are multiple smaller venues of control Obama seeks he will allow this current diversion to resonate till its last breath.
The fact is Obama is the ultimate diversion. He, the decided martyr will exhaust himself for those he has proven his allegiance to and whom secured his position. In the end he will be destroyed, however his once liberal then socialist party will have diverted and conquered enough agenda to now be the new dominant and powerful Communist party of the once United States of America.
Intelligence is brutal and conservatives with due diligence would be wise to respect it. They are not idiots. Quite the contrary, they have been planning this for decades. They have diverted and conquered the conservative movement into a reactive mob. Validated through the dumbing down of the young and impoverished, the acceptance and support of the radical, the delusion of minority and their rights, and in every quiet corner of America subtle evolution of the deconstruction of morality and character. A revolution has begun. It is not conservatism nor reform. It is the systematic deconstruction of America and it has been going on for decades. When will America wake up?
source: http://pledgeamerica.org/blog/?p=190
Editorial: 091509/0100
Brock Ventura
Editor
PledgeAmerica.org
http://pledgeamerica.org
editor@pledgeamerica.org
September 18th, 2009 at 12:23 am
I think this one is particularily sharp.
I realized 2 or 3 years ago that the cows at my grandparents farm live the liberal ideal. Free healthcare, universal daycare, from each according to their ability and to each according to their need until they become too much of a drag on the system.
It’s weird enough that the life of a cow correlates so strongly with the life liberals envision – even weirder is that they hate that we make cows live that life. They think cows should be freed and humans herded. (by their enlightened selves)
For liberals… when it comes to cows, freedom becomes important.
September 18th, 2009 at 12:49 am
Well, the Dems have been in charge in Oregon for at least twelve years and they’ve freed us of our functional economy AND several of our primary industries. That, in turn, has freed so many people of their employment (we’re number two in unemployment in the country), that many of our citizens have used their freedom to go to states that are run by conservatives to get jobs. They ARE crazy liberty loving fools.
September 18th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
“Hey, I’ve been enslaved by
pro-regressivism ever since it took hold in the mid-20th-century! I want my reparations and apologies NOW!”September 18th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Not to worry too much about the WSJ article; T. Frank – by his own admission! – doesn’t really know anything; doesn’t have a clue…
But he surely does know how to project his own fears and biases, doesn’t he?!!
September 18th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Your imagery is exactly the mental image that I get whenever I hear John Lennon’s “Imagine”.
“Imagine there’s no heaven” – that is, there is no point to our life.
“…And no religion, too” – that is, there is no purpose to our life.
“Nothin’ to kill and die for” – is the same as nothing to live or fight for. By this, he wouldn’t even protect his family from attack. Nothing, to die for, after all.
“And the world will be as one.” – Yeah, like any heard of cud-chewing ruminants. They, too, are “one”.
I don’t think that I have ever come across a more succinct portrayal of complete and utter nihilism as is contained in that song. His greatest hit – you betcha.
September 18th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
Of course lefties love slavery. But you’re a racist if you point it out.
Government health care=slavery for doctors (and picture the kind of people who’ll choose med school under THAT system)
illegal immigration=slavery for the immigrants (“it’s okay to pay them less than min wage”)
unions & min wage=slavery for foreign kids doing the work nobody can afford to pay Americans to do
The only thing more racist than Democrats is when Republicans let them get away with it.
See, there’s never been any shortage of slimes who’d take advantage of anybody for their own benefit. But it’s a fairly recent development that they get airtime and win elections. Say about… 1920 or so. Gee, did something happen around then to drastically change the electorate? I’m just sayin…
September 18th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
Karen beat me to the punch, kind of. If you look at George Fitzhugh, the antebellum South’s most articulate defender of slavery, he was essentially making the same argument that Thomas Frank and other modern State-fellators make against a free society” that the slavocracy (or Big Government, take your pick) took better care of its serfs than a free society.
September 18th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
To the left freedom is to protest or humiliate someone they dont like. To the right Freedom is the freedom to call stupid stupid. To defend and keep life and property.
The lefts definition of Freedom steam rolls ours. Our definition of freedom offends their irrational feelings but they are still live to live and think and speak as they want.
Read some European papers find out what the Nanny state does to populations. You think the public is stupid now, wait until they have been nannies into submission and dependence for a few generations.
September 18th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
sorry first live=free
September 24th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
[...] think Thomas Frank is trying to destroy the Democratic Party. First, he told Democrats to take on the “liberty” issue and argue that the slavery of big government is a [...]