An Example of Constructive Dissent

In a recent post, "Evil HR Lady" Suzanne Lucas addresses a question related to this year's nauseating presidential election with a preamble that made me smile:

First a couple of things, just because I've developed a nervous twitch over this election: Trump is not a conservative. Sure, he's running as a Republican, but he's not a conservative.

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[J]ust to make things clear -- I'm a free market capitalist and a strict Constitutionalist. Basically, I have no good options in this election, but no bother because I NEVER have any good options. I just throw that out because often when I write about politics I get nasty emails saying, "You only said that because you love/hate [insert candidate of your choice]!" I am not supporting Trump and I am not supporting Clinton.

That last line just about sums up all I want to say about this election, and what interests me is why I was so glad to read it. Do note that it is not all that needs saying, nor is it all Lucas said.

I think the cathartic value of that opening for me boils down to justice and benevolence, both of which seem to be in short supply during this election.

That said, either "choice" will prove a disaster as the executive of a free republic, presenting short-term threats to individual freedom with the real possibility of damaging the cause of liberty for the long-term. On top of that, the fact that we face such a choice speaks ill of many voters -- arguably the majority -- who seem indifferent to anything but a willingness to be pandered to. And this mindless depravity is being drummed into our heads constantly by a largely complicit media. In other words, at least for this advocate of individual rights, this election presents a particularly acute feeling of what Ayn Rand once identified as "Cultural Value-Deprivation" and I can't remember a time when the temptation to give in to cynicism has been stronger.

Those of us who favor freedom must, for the sake of sanity, solidarity, and our sacred cause, say something in the face of all the hostility and indifference to freedom embodied by the two major candidates. Any respect a supporter for one of those two might feel for one of us must be marshaled to at least cause them to see that there might be a good reason to question that support. Our fellow travelers need to know now, more than ever, that they are not alone. And, most important, we need to dig down and remember, taking our own independent thinking as an example, if need be, that our cause is not lost. Others can choose to question their beliefs or even how they approach thinking about their beliefs, if we can find a way to help them see the value in doing so.

What Lucas said in her opening was exactly the kind of thing we should be saying when we have the opportunity. The last line was cathartic, but it served as an exclamation point to a positive alternative offered by someone who is widely and deservedly respected. My thanks go to the Evil HR Lady.

-- CAV