Uncarting Jeremy Aspen
Idealistic Child
In today's World Herald, Jeremy Aspen explained why he left the Republican Party for the Democratic Party (https://omaha.com/opinion/column/article_da5b0a04-fea8-11ef-9dd4-4bdf53633633.html). I want to console Aspen, but how do I explain, people like him created Donald Trump without him taking offense? It is not possible. All I can do is take pity on his stance and wish him well. For the rest of you, I can uncart the problems within.
Technology in the information age has caused many people to be overloaded with information. The majority of people are having difficulty coping with this. To get a handle on all the information, you have to learn to sort, organize, research, and determine its value and viewpoint. I even spot check myself. Yet, I can tell when people lack the coping skills to deal with such information, and Aspen, like so many others, has reached a breaking point.
Misinformation is a tiny problem compared to the overload of idealism. Having ideas is not a problem but when such ideas are disconnected from reality, it becomes a form of psychosis. Social media can feed this psychosis as people block information which does not fit their ideas. In many ways, idealism has replaced pornography as a wasteful recreational pastime, particularly since the Covid Pandemic. The once common interaction between people is gone due to the cultural phenomena of social distancing, empowering all our digital devices.
However, if you have had the experience of following instructions only to find the instructions are wrong and do not work, you know to abandon the instructions and put an effort into what actually functions. Yet, many people insist the instructions are correct even when context and other information is clearly missing. This was the lesson of Mitt Romney, a poster child of a conservative Republican running on a polite conservative presidential campaign only to lose in the presidential election in 2012 as many conservatives predicted. Those faulty instructions are the sort of idealism which is disconnected from reality, yet, people keep defending the instructions and reading them again to no avail.
The idealist cannot see what is flawed in their untested and unproven ideas. They do not have or tolerate a cosmopolitan viewpoint. The idealist will unleash a barrage of attacks on anyone disagreeing with them. An idealist will believe any lie about those they disagree with. Filled with ideas, the idealist is often the small child with two toys in hand and crying because they do not know how to pick up the third toy. Television, newspapers, and social media double down by pushing sensationalism. Useful information is replaced with fear-mongering and despair. So much drama ensues.
Aspen and I can agree on many things, but he does not understand scientific proof versus scientific consensus. He also does not seem to understand human rights must have jurisdiction in law. He does not understand the Hobbesian nature of international politics. He does not understand party politics and the use of media within. If he did, he would not hold many of the ideas he has, such as thinking the Democrat Party is somehow better than the other parties. He, unfortunately, will not be happy until he parts with his idealism. I fully understand why he is now a Democrat.
As to Trump, Trump is a realist and a pragmatist. He has shattered numerous political records. Dare I suggest Aspen spend time listening to the full speeches of Trump instead of Trump’s detractors? Has Aspen fallen for many falsehoods (https://americandebunk.com/hoaxology/)? At least Aspen knows referring to Trump as Hitler is flippant and stupid, but he is still stuck with dysfunctional idealism. In addition, Trump is the anti-idealist which Aspen fears.
The political flavor of the month is the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Trump has made many grandstanding statements, worrying many. This is a tactic. Trump knows Russia is small with a GDP of a mere two trillion dollars, while the European Union is approaching 20 trillion. Italy, France, Germany and the United Kingdom each have larger ecnomies than Russia. Meanwhile, China is over 18 trillion, which is why Trump focuses on China. But you will never hear any of the media outlets compare the GDP of such political entities as it would make Trump look correct.
This is where I enter the picture, and tell you this information. It is available to anyone willing to learn, research, and sort.
If you read this far, I could use a cup of coffee! https://buymeacoffee.com/andrewlsullivan
Thought he was a libertarian. Surprised to hear this. Definitely a stupid move!
Why does Aspen finally finding his home in the Democrat party not surprise me? He's been a Republican in sheeps clothing for a while now. Honestly did not hear a peep about him for years until this. He will add even more crazy to the NE Dem Party. Will he out do Jane Kleeb, Micheala , Megan Cavanuagh and the rest of crazy children / authoritarians in that party, very possible. I found him off kilter with the Suttle recall. Oh sure we could agree non much but I found his demeanor troublesome. That is probably just me though. I can talk to nearly anyone - I have friends that are so far left they are right yet we can strike up a conversation on politics and its just works. Not so with Aspen, their was just something not quite right.
So now all can see Aspen hates women, supports meatball surgery, supports authoritarianism - has that human ownership gene ( always has) - hopefully now he will fade into irrelevance permanently.