Toxic Urban Vices
As I have grown older, I have noticed the urban areas, where leftist thinking brews, are full of numerous vices. Yet, few have commented about such vices, therefore, I outline them here.
First, many of the educated people become horrendously ignorant because of their own arrogance. If I posted a sign saying "Public education only teaches you enough to not appear too stupid, but you are still stupid", their emotions would kick in, and feel offended. Learning is a lifelong endeavor but too often arrogance leaves them being stupid as critical thinking is absent and they are done with learning more.
Next, cowardliness reigns supreme in the urban areas. The leftists and Democrats are empowered by such cowardliness as they engage in fear mongering tactics. If it is not racism, or COVID-19, or climate change, it is the supposed threats to democracy, and a “dangerous” Trump.
Between cowardliness, arrogance, and ignorance, the vice of being judgemental and defaming of other people is way too common. Defaming someone is the easiest way to cut off another point of view. Call them an “election denier”, an “insurrectionist”, or a “right-winger”, and suddenly there is no way to have a debate. The door to discussion slams shut. This results in persistent closed-mindedness.
Oh, and the lying rapidly gets out of hand. First, it starts with mild white lies but as time goes on, the lies proliferate. Out of fear of hurting feelings, they soon learn to have no value in honesty. If not an outright lie, there is the silent treatment where they say nothing out of fear of a give-and-take discussion on some supposedly controversial topic.
Which is worse? Being gullible or paranoid? Well, paranoia is considered a sign of mental illness whereas being gullible is a sign of being stupid. This form of stupidity though is way too comical as well as dangerous. I know I looked disheveled the other day picking up trash in Omaha but I was not panhandling yet I accepted the $5 the person gave me and gave it to the Republican Party.
Republicans? You frown? Sorry, but leftists insist hate is not a good thing unless it is hating Republicans. This hypocrisy is common in urban areas. Some even write "RepubliKKKan" to accuse Republicans of racism and ignore the fact Republicans passed anti-Klan legislation in the 19th century (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ku_Klux_Klan_Act).
Yet, the hypocrisy should not be a surprise. We have banned tobacco and vaping in public places, but somehow it is acceptable to promote the smoking of marijuana, and the eating of cannabis edibles which look like candy. Dare I mention cannabis psychosis (https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/cannabis-induced-psychosis-review)?
The urban people are very self-centered and arrogant in being empathetic. Sorry, but they are just trying to look nice, while the policies they advocate are ignorant, harmful, and dangerous such as illegal immigration. They will never allow you to press cold facts into their face as they suddenly would have to confront how selfish and cold-hearted they actually are or how impractical they actually are. In some cities, the tolerance for theft has been sold as compassion for the poor, but in the end, poor people end up buying guns and shooting thieves. How long will people tolerate such stupidity? Dare anyone watch Cash Jordan on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@CashJordan)?
What of reciprocity? The expectation people will treat other people the way they expect to be treatded. This has largely been thrown away particulary in partisan politics where the desire for power prevents any cognitive recognition for the need of reciprocity. The result is a series of partisan, double standards.
Posterity versus sterility is yet another problem. The fear of having children or being done after having two children is a sincere problem. The idea of having many children and the joy of raising children has largely been thrown away in urban areas. The future must arrive and it does not arrive for humans without more children.
The problem of temptation and the need for discipline are evident everywhere. If not in drugs, drinking, sex, and gambling, it is apparent in the level of how much people overeat. Yet, fat-shaming is nearly a hate crime but to not point out the problem of obesity is to lie.
Political debate can be avoided to some extent, but the debate over virtues and vices is necessary and the avoidance of such discussions is dangerous. We need to have such discussions and many of them.
Well said!