Have you ever been around people who thought they were better than you? Or are you one of those people who can’t take others seriously because of some feeling of moral or intellectual superiority?
Moral superiority, also called self-righteousness, is most common among people who feel a certainty that their religious beliefs put them at a level of truth above others. A Muslim might act this way when they declare Jihad against non-Muslims. A Christian might feel this way when they judge the sins or failures of others, as if they are not a sinner or above failure.
Intellectual superiority is obviously when a person looks down on another because of a lower, or lack of, formal education. A person might have a PhD, a Juris Doctor, or Master’s Degree of some sort, and feel intellectually superior to someone who is, perhaps, a welder or factory worker. People in the media often come across this way.
When I was an undergraduate student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City I worked at the Law Library. I got to know the law students very well. I helped them out in the computer lab as well as finding their research material. Some of them had become good friends.
Because I was an employee of the law school, I was invited to their extracurricular events. One year at a Christmas party, which had a DJ and dancing, I met an attractive young woman who was a friend/guest of one of the law students. We seemed to connect and enjoyed conversation and even danced some.
One of the law students, who knew me from the law library, had inquired about the young woman and took interest in her. While he observed us having a good time, he eyeballed me with contempt. Eventually he walked up to her and asked her to dance. She said, “No, thank you.”
He smirked and scoffed at me, then said, “You think you’re a big man, don’t you?” Then walked away. The young woman looked at me, her eyes widened, and she said, “Well that was certainly the right decision.”
This is a classic example of Intellectual Superiority, looking down on me as inferior, because of my status versus his. It also comes with a high dose of arrogance.
Many on the left will say that people on the right believe what they do because of lack of education. That they are ignorant to science and base their lives on religious ideology. That voting Republican is voting against their interests, because the Democrats are the party of the little man and the downtrodden.
If you watch, for example, an episode of Bill Maher, this arrogance comes out in spades. Laughing and poking fun at the cultural aspects of Grass Roots Americans is a staple part of their unhealthy diet. His friends, such as Michael Moore or Martin Short, among many others, come across as intellectually superior. They claim that we don’t accept scientific fact, yet they believe that there are more than two genders, and that men have periods.
This did not start when Trump was elected President. It has been going on for eons, most noticeable to me during the George W. Bush presidency. Bush, a born-again Christian, was criticized for his personal beliefs, and how they influenced his domestic and foreign policy decisions, including opposition to gay marriage.
Donald Trump has ignited a whole new dimension of opposition. The responses of those who feel intellectually superior are to be expected, especially the Bill Maher types. What is so surprising to me, however, are the occasional fence riding Christians who simply can’t support him because of his “sinful past.”
Moral superiority, self-righteousness, among Christians should never be surprising, in fact, it should be expected. Not everyone gets it–that Matthew 7:1 verse; “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” Not every Christian remembers that Matthew, the tax collector, was hated among Jews for his association with the Romans, and Christ was criticized for inviting him to dinner.
Even the idlest of Christians knows and understands these lessons, where the most devout are as likely to overlook them as anyone else.
Recently, and editor with Christianity Today, looked at as a liberal Christian publication, condemned President Trump, supporting impeachment, and saying that he “should be removed from office.” This rallied many Christian Democrats who opposed Trump.
I’ve said this many times before, publicly and in my writings, that I couldn’t believe Trump won the primary election, and even more surprised when he won the Presidency. I voted for him, but held my nose when I did so. Regardless, now, more than ever, I know why people voted for him.
When I was 16 I worked in my hometown men’s clothing store, owned by a man a lot like Trump. He was extremely proud, braggadocious, overly outspoken, wealthy, and every ounce a salesman. What some would call lies, others would call “sales tactics.”
One of my neighbors went to school with him and knew him well during his childhood. He said that his personality had always been that way, and that many classmates disliked him and made fun of him. But as a businessman he flourished. He provided a service that was needed in the community. He managed it well, and it grew to be an iconic establishment.
Sound familiar? He was very difficult to work for. He was strict, demanding, seemingly self-centered, but all in all, as I look back, it was one of the best experiences I have ever had. The work ethic I gained from my time there was priceless.
I imagine if I had to work with Donald Trump I probably wouldn’t like him very much. I certainly don’t like his style of politics. His rude, talking down and belittling of people, evident in his daily Tweeting, is not becoming of a leader. I can name several conservative pundits, radio hosts, and writers, including myself, who wish he’d stop.
But, he is who he is, and he’s not going to change. He’s built his success on that style of dealing, so in his mind, why stop winning? When his conservative colleagues complain, he shrugs it off.
Working in the clothing business for 8 years, and later in the writing and publishing business, I have met many people from New York City. Historically New York has been the hub for both the garment industry and publishing.
I’ve attended trade shows where New Yorkers set up their displays to sell next year’s men’s fashions, from socks to men’s suits, as well as writing events with book editors and literary agents, and their personalities are very similar to Trump. Outspoken is the first trait I noticed, somewhat bold and confident, and many times rude.
To me it’s a cultural thing. My midwestern culture, and my family culture, taught me to be friendly, polite, and respectful. Not that there wasn’t rude people where I’m from, but for the most part, day to day confrontations with people were cordial and polite.
The hatred for Trump, however, is so profound on the left, that even the New Yorkers on the left despise him. Historically it wasn’t that way. He was famous and powerful. If you were somehow connected with Trump it likely proved beneficial, so he hobnobbed with everyone and had friends on both sides of the political spectrum.
But when you run a country like a business, not accepting failure or stupid deals, the business of politics is turned upside down. That is what Trump has done. His “drain the swamp” policy has made him one of the most hated men in the history of our country.
I understand why corrupt politicians, Democrat or Republican, hate him. I understand why foreign leaders fear and loathe him. I understand why Gay or Abortion Rights activists hate him. I understand why Yellow Dog Democrats hate him. I can even understand why some Christians can’t support them, even though an overwhelming amount do.
What I don’t understand is how anyone who is opposed to abortion, opposed to leftist activism (i.e. gays wanting more rights than others, extreme socialist programs, gun confiscation, suppression of free speech), or opposed to the highly hedonistic and nihilistic movements of the left, cannot support Trump? Don’t they realize that not supporting Trump is supporting the other?
The possible answer to this is the feeling of moral superiority.
I know many, many liberals, and also Democrats who are Christians, and they abhor the leftist movements that I spoke of above. They feel torn, not only because their party seems to be getting away from them, but also because Trump simply is not a likable guy.
He’s crass, rude, has had multiple marriages, alleged extramarital affairs, has been known to view women as objects–literally offensive to anyone who does their best to live a model Christian life. It’s easy to understand.
One can’t argue that there are organizations that follow political leanings. Anyone who traditionally worked in factories that were unionized was likely a Democrat. Anyone who worked in the education system was likely a Democrat. Anyone who is part of a minority race is traditionally a Democrat.
Though Trump has caused a stir in political leanings, most of these organizational loyalties still stand. It’s hard to break tradition, but some are breaking free. Even though they can be critical of a political candidate, I don’t ever remember them calling one “evil.” Most of the left view Trump as evil.
I’m not an expert in presidential history, but of the ones I’ve read about, there are a couple I could classify as borderline evil. Andrew Jackson, maybe, and Lyndon B. Johnson, certainly did and said horrific things. But Trump? How can he even come close to that?
One of the tools used by propagandists and ideologists is repetition. They bank on the idea that the more you hear it, the more you believe it. I notice this a lot on the news media, and especially on Twitter. The one you see every day, by the left, is how many times Trump has lied since he has taken office.
The number is never the same, but that’s not the point. It’s over 10,000 times, and it’s probably the most popular rebuttal you will get in any debate. Or another similar line, repeated, ad nauseam, “Trump lies every time he opens his mouth.” Where did they get this info? Is it true? Why are they saying it?
We know where they got it–the news media of course–the pundits. There are video clips out there that show a rapid succession of repeated phrases by pundits in defiance of Trump. The general public take these statements to the social media and we’re off and running.
Are they true? Of course they’re not true, to the point of literal numbers. Do the left believe they’re true? At least on the surface they do. Often when we take sides, we take the spin and accept it as gospel.
To be fair, the right does this too. Fox News, like the rival MSNBC and CNN, are just as bad. Sean Hannity, the most listened-to radio talk show in America, starts almost every show, and comes back after every break, repeating all day long, what the political adversaries have done.
If you watched the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, you’d have seen the same thing. All the Democratic Senators, with their allotted time, asked him the exact same questions. “Why won’t you submit to an FBI investigation?” Blah, blah, blah. Simultaneously, and for days to come, the left wingers were repeating those words on social media.
Why are they saying it? Because it works! If you’re conservative, and don’t like liberalism, you’re gonna roll with it. Same goes for the other way around. You poke fun of people who don’t believe or think like you do, and it spreads like a bad habit. It takes a well-disciplined, independently thinking individual not to be a conformist.
So this begs the question, why does the left despise us? Do we despise them? I think when you look at the far left versus the far right, that’s an obvious yes. But the far right is very outer fringe and certainly doesn’t speak for the vast majority of conservatives. The left can’t say the same thing, though more moderate democrats are rejecting the alt-left movement.
This is easy for me to say because you’ll never hear a Republican presidential candidate come right out and declare that he or she supports white supremacy. Though the left would like you to believe that Trump is racist, there is way too much evidence to that on the contrary, but to the left facts don’t matter. History, in fact, has proved, that the Democratic Party is profoundly racist. It’s easy to prove.
Look at the Democratic presidential candidates today and the issues they’ve been pushing. Bernie “Hide Your Wallet” Sanders got the ball rolling with his hyper-socialist, communist starter kit ideas. Now every candidate pushes either Medicare for all, or some sort of government-based health initiative, reparations for blacks, abortion at birth, stricter gun laws, even gun confiscation, and more rights for the LGBT.
Side note: LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, is now referred to as LGBTQ, adding Queer to the alphabet, and they’re pushing for LGBTQP–P for Pedophile. Because it really is just a sexual preference. Yeah, unfortunately that is not a joke. And Trump is evil.
The left wants to protect parents who wish for their children to undergo sex reassignment surgery. Elizabeth Warren applauded a child, under the age of ten, standing next to his proud mother, who wants to undergo this surgery.
During the recent church shooting in White Settlement, Texas, a trained, armed parishioner, licensed permit holder, former law enforcement officer, stopped an attack on his church in just a few seconds, that if allowed to go on any longer could have resulted in numerous casualties. ALL of the Democratic Presidential candidates disagreed with this man’s action, his license, or in general his right to defend his life and others.
And don’t forget the Democrat’s key agenda: Trump is evil, a bully, and a racist.
The left despises white men, the “boomer” generation, billionaires (it’s laughable how many billionaires are Democrat), and oppression brought on by the Christian patriarchy. It’s amazing how Muslim women enter American politics, i.e. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, as Democrats, when Muslim women are the most oppressed women in the world.
Ilhan Omar wears a modern version of the khimar on her head, makes clear anti-Israel and anti-Sematic comments, but her Democratic colleagues don’t ever call out her hypocrisy. Why is that? Muslims claim to be the religion of peace, but what do they do to homosexuals in their own nations?
Christians have a saying: Hate the sin but don’t hate the sinner. I don’t hate the left, but I certainly despise their politics. The ideology, with which they are educating our children and pushing on our society, is far more evil than anything Trump has said or done.
Our country is falling apart. Not supporting Trump is supporting the demise of our civilization. Vote your conscience. On the surface you may not accept the truth, by deep in your heart you know what’s right.