And I think the fear stems from some authoritarian brainworms I have-- a person who disagrees with me on so many important things threatens my sense that We're All on the Same Page, and interacting with them makes me think that I could be wrong or that they could impose their political will on me and the world at large, and that means I lose and the correct way to relate to them is groveling deference and penitence, because by their POV I'm advocating for basically the worst possible things and am a Bad Person. Like, I imagine some society where they're right or they win and where I'm forced to roll with it, and it creeps me out. I don't want to live in ancap-world. And maybe this IS just how politics is, and liberals are simply naive as to the violence inherent in the system, that politics is essentially war and you gotta get maximally prepared to fight your enemies. But you know, I don't like war. I don't like hardening my heart against other human beings or losing sight of their uniqueness and preciousness as individuals. And I believe in meeting people with compassion and mercy, even if the implications and tradeoffs there are not fully clear to me and this sounds like a feel-good platitude more than a developed social/ethical belief. And I think liberal democracy is probably the best system for keeping the weird eschatological vision where one faction wins and imposes their vision by force from happening, even though you know, it's not like the French Revolution wasn't like this.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2025-08-17 05:13 pm (UTC)And maybe this IS just how politics is, and liberals are simply naive as to the violence inherent in the system, that politics is essentially war and you gotta get maximally prepared to fight your enemies.
But you know, I don't like war. I don't like hardening my heart against other human beings or losing sight of their uniqueness and preciousness as individuals. And I believe in meeting people with compassion and mercy, even if the implications and tradeoffs there are not fully clear to me and this sounds like a feel-good platitude more than a developed social/ethical belief. And I think liberal democracy is probably the best system for keeping the weird eschatological vision where one faction wins and imposes their vision by force from happening, even though you know, it's not like the French Revolution wasn't like this.