March 18, 2004

A PRIORI

I still can't get over the fact that I know people who think that Bush has Bin Ladin and his going to pull a big TA-DA right before the election. This shocks me, and I think this morning I figured out why.

I operate on a daily basis on the a priori assumption that people are inherently honest and good. I assume that the people I meet are decent upstanding human beings, faithful to their spouses and honest in their jobs. I operate under that assumption until proven otherwise. I also assume that people naturally want what's good for them personally, what's good for others, and what's good for their country. I assume that, because that's the way I behave myself.

So when I read something like this, where people are constantly rehashing the idea that Bush lied and that he'll stop at nothing to stay in power, I can't believe it's true. I can't believe someone wrote this

He's also the first president to pre-emtively, unilaterally and illegally attack another country. I put NOTHING past these people and I mean NOTHING, including murder. If he's still down in the polls in Sept./ Oct.......we will see a terrorist attack and elections will be canceled and martial law declared. No doubt in my mind. These people are capable of anything.

because I do not operate under the a priori assumption that someone would resort to murder to get what he wants. I can't even fathom it.

I believed President Clinton when he said that he had not had relations with that woman. I believed him because I assume that people tell the truth. Naive? Perhaps, but shouldn't we assume that, for pete's sake? I believed him over all the rumors because I wanted to believe in the inherent goodness of the Presidency. I was wrong, I guess. And if Kerry were President, I would want to believe that he would tell the truth too. I might not be voting for him, but I would hope that he turned out to be worthy of our respect. I want to believe that others are trustworthy and good.

But it appears others don't.

How many times have we seen President Bush get the benefit of the doubt? With AWOL? With his Thanksgiving trip? With WMDs? With anything at all? People hated him from day one, and they've never even listened to what the man has to say. They a priori call him a liar. Geez, they even say he's going to resort to martial law if he's down in the polls in October! I can't understand that.

I re-read today QandO's Justification: A Post-War Review. It's so obvious to me that no one lied, that no one unilaterally did anything, and that no one should've been shocked that this was coming. It was justified. Period.

But people are blinded by their a priori assumption that Bush is Hitler.

Posted by Sarah at March 18, 2004 05:07 PM
Comments

In my mind, that's the chief difference between Republicans and Democrats, which is why military folks are mostly conservative.

Posted by: Mike at March 18, 2004 08:58 PM

That is the chief difference bewtween conservatives and liberals. Liberalism is based on victimhood and mistrust. They don't even trust people to feed themselves, for God's sake. Liberals find it impossible to believe other people are inherently good. In their minds, they are saints and everyone else are money-grubbing lunatics who can't be trusted with a tablespoon, much less a gun. Very, very, VERY deep down, they know they are doing this, and it makes them self-consious. This can explain just about every liberal policy you can think of.

Posted by: Taron W at March 18, 2004 09:10 PM

Great post, even if it is depressing. I don't have much to add.

However, I just want to point out how hilarious it is watching DU try to reconcile the "Bush went to war unilaterally" meme with the "Spain was attacked because they sent troops to Iraq" meme. They're so pathetic.

Posted by: CD at March 19, 2004 01:24 AM

I think that the reason DU and MoveOn and such, and also the broader left, is so rife with conspiracy theories is that that is the way they'd do it if they were in power.

Most of it is just people projecting their own failures on what they see as the enemy. Look at Kerry's accusations towards Bush of running an attack campaign - when Bush has been extremely reserved and Kerry and the other Ds have been on the attack from day one.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at March 19, 2004 01:53 AM

Well said! I too take people at face value, and believe the best in them until proven otherwise. I can't imagine being any other way. How horrible it must be to see shadows every where you look.

Posted by: Tammi at March 19, 2004 02:26 AM

I hope this guy was just smoking crack when he wrote this and is not really this naive.

Posted by: Aurora at May 11, 2004 11:13 AM