Not that I can recall any election in U.S. history in which those who voted for a losing candidate felt the need to apologize to the world. It's just weird. What's with the shame, anyway?
I voted for losing candidates in 1972 (McGovern), 1976 (McBride), 1980 (Carter), 1984 (Mondale), 1988 (Dukakis), and 1996 (Dole). Not once did I feel any need to apologize to anyone. First of all, it strikes me as a bit odd to apologize for losing anyway. So I think what they're trying to do is apologize for the fact that Bush won. Is this really their place? I doubt any of them are saying that they did something wrong by voting for Kerry, so they must be saying that they didn't work hard enough. Or not enough of them voted, perhaps? Or they didn't manage to persuade more of the "stupid" fellow citizens to vote for Kerry?
How can such an apology be made without apologizing on behalf of other people? Let's look at this more closely....
It strikes me as the height of arrogant communitarianism to apologize on behalf of other people who didn't vote at all, for their failure to vote is not the fault of people who did vote. To apologize on behalf of people who obviously do not agree with you is seriously misguided, and, I think, extremely condescending. I don't think too many Bush voters are "sorry" on behalf of Kerry voters, nor do I think they would have been sorry for them had Kerry won. Jealous, perhaps, but not sorry.
So what's with this "sorry" thing, anyway?
Unless I am mistaken, the apology seems to be directed towards the rest of the world, as if Bush voters have done something to the world at large. What that might be, the apologists are not saying. Perhaps they don't want to.
I don't think they're proud of their country, and I don't think it has much to do with Bush winning. I don't think they'd have been proud had Kerry won either.
I'm wondering whether they even are sorry. By definition, one cannot apologize or atone for the conduct of others. But apparently, that is not the understanding of the Sorry Everybody website:
Some of us — hopefully most of us — are trying to understand and appreciate the effect our recent election will have on you, the citizens of the rest of the world. As our so-called leaders redouble their efforts to screw you over, please remember that some of us — hopefully most of us — are truly, truly sorry. And we'll say we're sorry, even on the behalf of the ones who aren't.
Apologizing for other free people over which one has no control is, to my mind, an idle act. But what I think is really going on is an attempt to make other Americans feel ashamed of themselves as Americans.
Shame. A losing proposition, all the way. By definition un-American.
MORE: Still scratching my head, I asked a friend how people can attempt to "apologize" for other people? Answer? "Eric, they don't see themselves as individuals!"
Is that it?
And all this time I thought individuality was the whole idea of America.
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://classicalvalues.com/cgi-bin/pings.cgi/1735
Comments
Individuality is indeed the whole idea of America and of Western civilization. They are collectivists, One Worlders, who hate their own individuality and hence their own country and civilization. They are the party of entropy. And that is why they lost the election.
The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler
Don?t bang your head!
Individuality is indeed the whole idea of America and of Western civilization. They are collectivists, One Worlders, who hate their own individuality and hence their own country and civilization. They are the party of entropy. And that is why they lost the election.