Argument: there are only two kinds of people – those who want to control others, and those who do not. Prove me wrong.
I will carry on as if – as I firmly believe – no counter-argument succeeds (and I will update if I am wrong).
One corollary stands out in light of recent events. That is, that people either work to raise themselves up a level, or work to bring others down to their level. I submit that some believe that it is easier to do the latter than the former for the following reasons:
- Some believe that anyone more fortunate than themselves – for whatever reason – are evil, and deserve to be punished
- Some believe that they are victims of those more fortunate than they, and those more fortunate deserve to be punished
- Some believe that there is less hard work and less risk in degrading someone else than there is in improving themselves
- Some believe that all people should be made equal in every respect so that everyone will get along
So, a few real-world examples:
- “gun control” activists
- “open borders” activists
- “migrant relief” activists
- “globalism” activists
- “public education” activists
- “feminist” activists
- “lgbtq…” activists
- “civil rights” activists
- “labor” activists
- “immigration” activists
- “voting rights” activists
Each of those (and the list is much longer) deserves – and has received – individual treatment many times over. And even the most casual observation reveals the common characteristics and the common fallacies shared by each and every one.
Most notable commonalities:
- each example relies on force to produce the desired result, as rational agreement is impossible
- each example is often advocated by activists who have no stake in the game
- each example produces a set of rules for others that end up not applying to the rule-makers
- each example’s ultimate goal is to control the behaviors of ‘others’
Which brings us back to go. Do not accept any of these arguments. Do not defend any of these positions. Do not agree with any of these – or any similarly structured – positions.
They’re all wooden nickels.