Rant

It’s time for a pissed off rant. I’m annoyed today (more so than normal) for having to put up with a higher caliber of idiots than those to whom I’m accustomed.

One of the many things that annoy me about many people is their belief that, you belong to a certain demographic, then you must think and believe a certain way. This is the most commonly used logical fallacy: the “either/or” fallacy. Those who use this fallacy the most often are those who are so inured into their beliefs that they are either unwilling or unable to accept the fact there are people with whom one may disagree for whatever reason.

An example that is frequently heard is “You’re either a Conservative Christian or a Liberal Atheist.” This line of thought automatically assumes that you’re one or the other, without any possibility of any differing combinations, without any consideration towards the individuality of human nature. This line of thought leads to the dark depths of collectivism.

Throughout history, collectivism has reared its ugly head and it has always led to great tragedy. Collectivist thought has brought us the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Salem Witch Trials, communism/socialism, Islamic terrorism, and the United Nations. All of these can be construed as great periods of darkness and tragedy in our history.

Yet, with all of this in our past and present, we still have not learned the folly of collectivist thinking. Many are guilty of it, no matter where they stand on the political scale. Conservatives and liberals alike fall prey to the trap of collectivism.

When collectivist thinking becomes dominant, the rights – even the beliefs – of the individual are threatened. Without the individual, the collective cannot exist. And when collectivism threatens the individual, the collectivism puts its own self in jeopardy. The irony of this paradox would be amusing, if it weren’t so serious a matter.

Time and again, history has proven the inherent evils of collectivism. Isn’t it time we learned our lesson?