The New Year is upon us. Once more we will be treated to projections about the year to come. Most of us hope for improvements over the past; nonetheless political controversies have risen to such heights that we may expect even more divisiveness than in the past.
The United States is an optimistic country. When we talk about the American Dream, we assume that our lives will always get better. Despite the hard times we have recently experienced, many of us intend to create a near heaven on earth. It is just a matter of time.
Millions of Americans are confirmed idealists. Not just the young, but successful adults—who should know better—aim to impose social justice on the rest of us. They want a nation in which everyone is completely equal and where every potential hazard is averted by a federal government dedicated to our wellbeing.
This, however, is a fairytale. It is the product of an idealism that has lost its way. Too many of our countrymen await the impossible. They assume that because they can dream something, they can invariably make it come true. As a result, they are habitually disappointed.
Excessive idealism makes us vulnerable. Because we are blinded by extravagant visions of the future, we do not recognize the obstacles preventing us from realizing our aspirations. As a result we also become susceptible to manipulation by those who use our ambitions against us.
Let us consider the implications of getting rid of ICE. If we stop enforcing our borders and allow sanctuary cities to protect criminals, what will happen to law enforcement? Will justice flourish or will anarchy break out on our city streets?
The idealists believe that if we are nice to people, others will always reciprocate our kindness. While the evidence for this is nil, they assume this is because their amiability has never been fully implemented. Just give love a chance, they tell us, and it will do magic.
Have these idealists ever encountered bullies? Have they never seen what happens when mean people are exposed to temptation? Would they really leave their doors unlocked or their keys in their cars? I doubt they would in some urban neighborhoods.
Nor are extreme idealists troubled by efforts to tear down the Trump administration. They do not mind if lies are told in order to besmirch his reputation. Indeed, they celebrated when FBI activists concocted a scheme to evict him from office. Since he was a fascist, this bureaucratic assault on our democracy was heroic.
What these zealots refuse to contemplate is a shoe-on-the-other-foot scenario. In their self-righteousness, they do not reflect on the possibility of their enemies turning the tables on them. They don’t realize that once the notion of a clandestine insurrection gains currency, bad guys can use it too.
A law-abiding society must protect its laws even when this is uncomfortable. It has taken millennia for ordinary citizens to internalize respect for moral norms. It has taken as long to legitimize government authority. Without these, however, social rules have to be coercively applied.
If people did not voluntarily pay their taxes, the government might have to send in troops to collect what was owed. If federal regulations were only enforced for one political party, it wouldn’t be long before the other contemplated a revolution.
Lies have become a standard operating procedure because too many idealists defend them. They refuse to admit the existence of dishonesty, as long as it benefits their side. So honorable do they consider themselves that they don’t believe they are doing anything wrong, no matter how egregious a canard.
Not long ago, James Comey, the former head of the FBI, bragged that he had bent the rules in order to incriminate General Michael Flynn. His liberal audience giggled and then applauded. Few in the room seemed to realize that this breach of decency endangered us all.
This trend is terrifying. Amazingly, those on the left claim that they are offended when their attack on constitutional principles is exposed. They are proud of their efforts to introduce tyrannical practices into our country. For them, the line between despotism and freedom is invisible.
So here is what I am hoping for this next year. If, as I expect, the Democrats overreach in their attempts to overthrow Trump, it would be nice if the public notices and becomes enraged by these tactics. Unless liberal idealism comes down to earth, the damage inflicted could be irreparable.
Melvyn L. Fein, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
Kennesaw State University
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