A Disquieting Suggestion: The Left Cannot Comprehend Us

In such a culture men would use expressions such as ‘neutrino’, ‘mass’, ‘specific gravity’, ‘atomic weight’ in systematic and often interrelated ways which would resemble in lesser or greater degrees the ways in which such expressions had been used in earlier times…But many of the beliefs presupposed by the use of these expressions would have been lost…

–After Virtue: Alasdair MacIntyre

And now we reach the part of the Colorado shooting which, in some ways, may be worse than the shooting itself. The part where each side begins casting blame on their opponents, hoping to win the narrative and ultimately win the day. Distasteful.

By way of a bit of background, in relative terms I’ve only recently come to a pro-life stance on my own. Prior to that it’s not that I was pro-choice as much as my thoughts were more of a “obsequium religiosum” than a considered judgment. (Awaits some smackdown from Bannion for misuse of this term). I have, in more recent years (but, to put in perspective long before the birth of daughter) come to a deeper understanding.

I am, however, human, which is to say flawed. So I am not as openly committed to the cause as many people whom I respect and admire. I sign petitions, but have not prayed outside the Planned Parenthood. I will on occasion state my belief or argue the point, but other times I will remain silent. I have my reasons, I doubt they are good (fear, distraction, desire to avoid conflict with some close to me) but as I said human. I do have this feeling in my bones that at some point I’ll be called directly to take a stand, relationships will shatter and my world will change*, but for now I am what I am. Judge that however you wish, it’s inconsequential to my greater point, but you should know where I stand.

I am seeing a recurring theme, several of them actually, but the one that concerns us here is the accusation that pro-lifers should be celebrating or at least agreeing with the crazed nutjob’s actions. I’d be floored if it wasn’t so expected at this point.

Why is the left reacting in this way? Simple, they cannot comprehend that we look at this world, see horrible atrocities, including murder by the millions, but still see a resort to murder and ulitmately war as failure not a success. Progressives see injustice and are primed to use whatever force at their disposal to stamp it out (unintended consequences and natural rights be damned!)

I will not go through all the arguments why violence in response to abortion isn’t a logically sound position, I’ll leave that to those better than I (via Chad Pecknold on twitter). But I will note that the fact that the left cannot comprehend this thinking at all is a huge problem. It’s no longer that we disagree, we’re well beyond that. We can’t even comprehend each other. Someone should write a book about that.

As things go, I’m on the record wondering if laws create more backlash than they do solutions in some areas. I would suggest the same holds here. Instead, we need to change hearts and minds. But that’s another post.


*Given the theme of this post, that the left cannot understand us, I will state unequivocally: “A stand” does not imply anything beyond a statement of conscience. Relationships shatter and a person’s world changes sometimes merely because they says “I cannot condone this, it is wrong.”