Localized Self Loathing

Liberals have long been known for their self-loathing of our American way of life. For decades we've seen the Left loathe anything Christian, anything American, and anything Western for that matter. It seems they're always at the head of the line when it's time to name bad things about Christianity/America/the West, but somehow always find somewhere else to be when it's time to celebrate all the wonderful things about Christianity/America/Western culture.

Now, I think my Left-blogosphere buddy Todd Epp is taking that Leftist self-loathing inclination a little farther even than his national liberal self-loathing brethren. It seems his guilt over being American isn't good enough: he must loathe being South Dakotan, too.

This per his post today "Exhibit 2 in South Dakotans Aren't More Special Than Anyone Else" aka "We Stink, Too" on the recently publicized cases of violence against children. (Exhibit 1 was Ted Klaudt).

Todd has simply taken the typical Leftist moral-equivalency mantra of "See, we're no better than the Soviets" and "See, we're no better than Islamofacists" and "See, we're no better than any other tinpot oppressive group in the world" to a new, local level.

"See, South Dakota is no better than the slums of Chicago or Los Angeles where people hate and hurt and kill each other." Yes, Todd, let's all join hands and loathe ourselves because we have child abusers in our midst.

On a more serious note, though. Our society has come to loathe children, viewing them as little inconveniences that we must not only avoid via birth control, but if that fails, we must kill them before they can get out of the womb and actually look us in the face.

Now for the record, I'm not against contraception, and I'm not a big "kid guy" who just "loooooooooooooves children!" I'm a little too self-centered and self-absorbed to really get happy around a lot of children (though I do love my own children so much it hurts). But I draw the line at treating them like they don't matter, and I definitely draw the line at killing them after they've been conceived. They aren't parakeets and they aren't goldfish you can flush down the toilet when they're too much trouble.

If we as a society view children with such disdain, even such malevolence that we're willing to kill them after they're conceived and before they're born, it may be only a logical extension to view them with hatred and react with violence when they inconvenience us AFTER they get out of the womb. If we react with violence when they bother us IN the womb, why is it so illogical to react with violence when they bother us OUT of the womb? Maybe it's a little tougher when they can look us in the eye, but once indulged, perhaps the inclination is still the same.

I've lived in a number of places around the world, in both large towns and small. I'd take South Dakota (and Rapid City, for that matter) over any other place in the world. South Dakota isn't perfect, but when compared to other places around the country, most folks here are more in touch with traditional values, have a better work ethic, tend to treat each other better, and tend to live a more wholesome lifestyle than most other places. That's something we can be proud of.

How can we make it better? Embrace those traditional values more tightly, let go of lies and embrace the truth, put others before ourselves, and value life ahead of convenience.

If we fail to do these things, then we really aren't any better than the lowest common denominator.

Thanks, Todd, for (inadvertently) pointing out an important truth today. :-)