21/03/2005 1:23:13 pm
Contradictions. If someone speaks in contradictions, the person is either ignorant, stupid or evil. Not knowing that you contradict yourself is not positive. But if you know that you do so, it is a deliberate attempt to spread lies and misconceptions. This phenomenon is not uncommon in the political debate. There are many varieties, but the pattern is the same in all of them. Basically, the theme is "of course freedom is good, but is has to be combined with the comfortable security of a prison". Or "I´d like some fried snowballs, please". How else could one describe the common saying that "of course everyone should be judged by their personal merits, but we also need affirmative action for some groups". Or "of course you should have the power over your own life, but it has to be combined with high taxes so you will use your money wisely". Or, for that matter, "we can never allow anyone to work for low salaries, and we have to keep paying millions of people low welfare contributions not to work".