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This morning I received an angry finger-wagging from a fit middle aged woman on a bicycle. She had a mannish short haircut and, of course, was obediently wearing her bicycle helmet. This is a bike-friendly university town and proudly bills itself as such. My transgression? I failed to see and yield to her bicycle, as my view was obscured by parked vehicles. Even worse in her mind, I'm sure, I had a cell phone on my ear - though that had nothing to do with the problem. (California is one of 10 states that bans handheld cell phone use while driving. Old habits are hard to break.) She was many yards away and completely out of danger.
Which brings me to the topic of the militant liberal scold (MLS). MLSers feel as passionately about their constellation of petty issues - bicycling, recycling, anti-smoking, anti-spanking, animal rights, zoning laws, building codes, discrimination, etc. - as devout religious people feel about God. Even more passionately, it seems, judging by their incessant displays of outrage. And they aren't afraid to impose their beliefs on you. Case in point: my city has just taken another step toward banning the use of plastic bags by grocery stores. Once this is passed, non-grocers who use plastic bags can expect lots of mean glares, finger-wagging, and nastygrams from the MLS crowd. If you transgress one of the tenets of their secular religion in public - especially if you fit a certain (ahem) profile - expect a boatload of MLS wrath. And if you own a business, you might as well put it in the budget, because it's going to cost you.
The MLS is typically a person who has replaced faith in God with a thousand petty laws and rules designed to create a liberal utopia on earth. The MLS who would shut down a sidewalk lemonade stand for operating without a health permit typically has no problem with killing innocent children in the womb. The MLS who goes ballistic over some fellow smoking in the park typically has no problem with Jack Kevorkian and assisted suicide. The MLS who calls the cops when you are target shooting on your own property typically has no problem with internet pornography. Etc.
This seems like a paradox, because when MLSers rail against religion and Christian morality, they frame the conflict in terms of freedom. But MLSers on the ground are psychotic control-freaks and micro-managers hell-bent on squeezing the last bit of freedom from the lives of their benighted and backwards neighbors. And yet - is it really a paradox? Or are MLSers merely creating a substitute religion a thousand times more controlling than the faith they are rebelling against?
This morning I received an angry finger-wagging from a fit middle aged woman on a bicycle. She had a mannish short haircut and, of course, was obediently wearing her bicycle helmet. This is a bike-friendly university town and proudly bills itself as such. My transgression? I failed to see and yield to her bicycle, as my view was obscured by parked vehicles. Even worse in her mind, I'm sure, I had a cell phone on my ear - though that had nothing to do with the problem. (California is one of 10 states that bans handheld cell phone use while driving. Old habits are hard to break.) She was many yards away and completely out of danger.
Which brings me to the topic of the militant liberal scold (MLS). MLSers feel as passionately about their constellation of petty issues - bicycling, recycling, anti-smoking, anti-spanking, animal rights, zoning laws, building codes, discrimination, etc. - as devout religious people feel about God. Even more passionately, it seems, judging by their incessant displays of outrage. And they aren't afraid to impose their beliefs on you. Case in point: my city has just taken another step toward banning the use of plastic bags by grocery stores. Once this is passed, non-grocers who use plastic bags can expect lots of mean glares, finger-wagging, and nastygrams from the MLS crowd. If you transgress one of the tenets of their secular religion in public - especially if you fit a certain (ahem) profile - expect a boatload of MLS wrath. And if you own a business, you might as well put it in the budget, because it's going to cost you.
The MLS is typically a person who has replaced faith in God with a thousand petty laws and rules designed to create a liberal utopia on earth. The MLS who would shut down a sidewalk lemonade stand for operating without a health permit typically has no problem with killing innocent children in the womb. The MLS who goes ballistic over some fellow smoking in the park typically has no problem with Jack Kevorkian and assisted suicide. The MLS who calls the cops when you are target shooting on your own property typically has no problem with internet pornography. Etc.
This seems like a paradox, because when MLSers rail against religion and Christian morality, they frame the conflict in terms of freedom. But MLSers on the ground are psychotic control-freaks and micro-managers hell-bent on squeezing the last bit of freedom from the lives of their benighted and backwards neighbors. And yet - is it really a paradox? Or are MLSers merely creating a substitute religion a thousand times more controlling than the faith they are rebelling against?
In summary. You were talking on your cellphone, failed to yield, almost hit someone, were scolded, and believe the liberals and Godlessness are responsible...
This morning I received an angry finger-wagging from a fit middle aged woman on a bicycle. She had a mannish short haircut and, of course, was obediently wearing her bicycle helmet. This is a bike-friendly university town and proudly bills itself as such. My transgression? I failed to see and yield to her bicycle, as my view was obscured by parked vehicles. Even worse in her mind, I'm sure, I had a cell phone on my ear - though that had nothing to do with the problem. (California is one of 10 states that bans handheld cell phone use while driving. Old habits are hard to break.) She was many yards away and completely out of danger.
Which brings me to the topic of the militant liberal scold (MLS). MLSers feel as passionately about their constellation of petty issues - bicycling, recycling, anti-smoking, anti-spanking, animal rights, zoning laws, building codes, discrimination, etc. - as devout religious people feel about God. Even more passionately, it seems, judging by their incessant displays of outrage. And they aren't afraid to impose their beliefs on you. Case in point: my city has just taken another step toward banning the use of plastic bags by grocery stores. Once this is passed, non-grocers who use plastic bags can expect lots of mean glares, finger-wagging, and nastygrams from the MLS crowd. If you transgress one of the tenets of their secular religion in public - especially if you fit a certain (ahem) profile - expect a boatload of MLS wrath. And if you own a business, you might as well put it in the budget, because it's going to cost you.
The MLS is typically a person who has replaced faith in God with a thousand petty laws and rules designed to create a liberal utopia on earth. The MLS who would shut down a sidewalk lemonade stand for operating without a health permit typically has no problem with killing innocent children in the womb. The MLS who goes ballistic over some fellow smoking in the park typically has no problem with Jack Kevorkian and assisted suicide. The MLS who calls the cops when you are target shooting on your own property typically has no problem with internet pornography. Etc.
This seems like a paradox, because when MLSers rail against religion and Christian morality, they frame the conflict in terms of freedom. But MLSers on the ground are psychotic control-freaks and micro-managers hell-bent on squeezing the last bit of freedom from the lives of their benighted and backwards neighbors. And yet - is it really a paradox? Or are MLSers merely creating a substitute religion a thousand times more controlling than the faith they are rebelling against?
Talk about reaching. So you have a traffic incident where you admit you didn't see a woman on a bike and she was upset about that, yet this turns into being about liberals.
How do you know that woman's political beliefs, and how do you know how her political beliefs factored into her reaction to you?
Are you saying that people who aren't liberals don't ride bikes? Are you saying that all women with short hair are liberals?
Are you saying that all people who wear a helmet while riding a bike are liberals?
Are you saying that all women who bike are liberals?
Are you saying that all people with short hair who ride a bike are liberals?
Are you saying that short haired women who wear helmets while riding a bike are liberals?
Finally, I think her reaction had to do probably with her feeling that you almost hit her and maybe your nonchalant attitude about almost hitting her.
This morning I received an angry finger-wagging from a fit middle aged woman on a bicycle. She had a mannish short haircut and, of course, was obediently wearing her bicycle helmet. This is a bike-friendly university town and proudly bills itself as such. My transgression? I failed to see and yield to her bicycle, as my view was obscured by parked vehicles. Even worse in her mind, I'm sure, I had a cell phone on my ear - though that had nothing to do with the problem. (California is one of 10 states that bans handheld cell phone use while driving. Old habits are hard to break.) She was many yards away and completely out of danger.
Which brings me to the topic of the militant liberal scold (MLS). MLSers feel as passionately about their constellation of petty issues - bicycling, recycling, anti-smoking, anti-spanking, animal rights, zoning laws, building codes, discrimination, etc. - as devout religious people feel about God. Even more passionately, it seems, judging by their incessant displays of outrage. And they aren't afraid to impose their beliefs on you. Case in point: my city has just taken another step toward banning the use of plastic bags by grocery stores. Once this is passed, non-grocers who use plastic bags can expect lots of mean glares, finger-wagging, and nastygrams from the MLS crowd. If you transgress one of the tenets of their secular religion in public - especially if you fit a certain (ahem) profile - expect a boatload of MLS wrath. And if you own a business, you might as well put it in the budget, because it's going to cost you.
The MLS is typically a person who has replaced faith in God with a thousand petty laws and rules designed to create a liberal utopia on earth. The MLS who would shut down a sidewalk lemonade stand for operating without a health permit typically has no problem with killing innocent children in the womb. The MLS who goes ballistic over some fellow smoking in the park typically has no problem with Jack Kevorkian and assisted suicide. The MLS who calls the cops when you are target shooting on your own property typically has no problem with internet pornography. Etc.
This seems like a paradox, because when MLSers rail against religion and Christian morality, they frame the conflict in terms of freedom. But MLSers on the ground are psychotic control-freaks and micro-managers hell-bent on squeezing the last bit of freedom from the lives of their benighted and backwards neighbors. And yet - is it really a paradox? Or are MLSers merely creating a substitute religion a thousand times more controlling than the faith they are rebelling against?
On the way to a witch trial were you?
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