Left Versus Right?

We live in a time when the world is (as usual) in a state of upheaval. More and more we read of unrest in the world. The latest example is the ongoing uproar over cartoons published in a Danish newspaper. Although the cartoons were published in September of last year, there is now a concerted effort across the Muslim world to violently demonstrate against them and to demand apologies. Ironically, one of the cartoons being protested shows Mohammed with a turban in the shape of a bomb.

The latest news includes a mob burning a Danish Embassy in Syria, riots in Gaza, calls for the murder of people who insult Islam and protest marches by Danish leftists. The left, in Europe and here in America are decrying the “offensive” nature of the cartoons and demanding apologies. So they are making common cause with the Muslim protesters.

Why would Western leftists make common cause with fundamentalist Muslims? After all, many on the left stand for things that are banned in Muslim culture. Many on the left would not long survive in a Muslim country. Yet, the left routinely dismisses – or never even sees – these problems and takes the side of the extremist Muslims.

There appear to be two basic world views at odds here. Often expressed as left/right or liberal/conservative in this country, maybe the proper way to express these world views is as Collectivist versus Individualist.

Individualists believe in the rights of the individual and do not believe that the State, in and of itself, has rights. Certain individual freedoms are consciously surrendered by the individual to the State for the common good. Therefore, the right of the individual to seek redress for a wrong is given by the individual to the State. Hence, we have courts and laws rather than vigilante justice. The individual allows the State to serve the common good for certain things but does not surrender all rights to the State. Therefore, despite the existence of courts and laws, the individual retains the right to self defense when necessary.

Collectivists believe in the State as the means to provide society’s needs. The State becomes the engine to redistribute wealth so that nobody becomes too rich or powerful. The State decides what constitutes proper conduct and behavior and regulates society to ensure compliance. If there is an injustice, the State steps in and addresses the issue by controlling behavior. Therefore, the State decides what rights the individual has. To the Collectivist, rights derive from the State. In this respect, the Collectivists are much more closely aligned with Muslim thought than with classic Western ideals of liberty.

So maybe the answer is not that the leftists are “useful idiots” as much as they are fellow travelers. Individualists see this whole cartoon issue as a basic free speech issue even if they dislike the cartoons content. The right of the individual to speak must be defended. Collectivists see the issue as a right of a given society to not be offended. The right of free speech is surrendered to the State, which protects the people from becoming upset.

(Note: Due to some problem with Blogger this is the 3rd time I have published this post. And a bunch of other posts have disappeared. I really will have to get a domain elsewhere...)