Sarah Matthews

It occurs to me that my fondness for these Bulwark contributors kinda harkens back to a time when we could disagree and punch around with each other over policy differences, and still be able to hang out together because we both knew the other one was keeping the faith - we both wanted what's best for the most, we just thought we needed to go about getting the best in different ways.

At least, that was the pleasant, comfortable, fragile understanding (some say fantasy) that let us sleep better at night.

The truth is that there are always - have always been - will always be - assholes who can't be satisfied with winning the debate. They have to dominate, subjugate, and dictate. And that desire - that need - to be able to dictate everything to everyone is the real fantasy. Because it doesn't work in the long run.

People will be free.

It's been said that you don't want to set up a system of government that requires a change in human nature in order to work well. And democracy's opponents - those people who need to rule instead of serve - believe they have the winning argument against it. Because in a democracy, we have to give a little. We have to go against our basic animal instincts of "I Me Mine" and work in the interest of the whole.

That doesn't mean anybody is required to be "selfless", but that's a whole big messy can of worms. That one always leads me back to Ayn Rand, and Milton Friedman, and Freddie Hayak, which requires a lengthy dissertation on how it sounds pretty good at first, but almost immediately crashes and burns in The Logical Extreme (where even good ideas go to die).

Anyway - Sarah Matthews, and our family shit is not to be paraded in front of strangers.