Predictability

There are times predictability is a virtue. For instance, when my dad was alive, even after I became an adult, I knew that if there was something I truly needed (as opposed to wanted really badly) that I didn’t have but which he could provide, he would do so and without hesitation. There are also, of course, times when predictability is most assuredly not a virtue. One of my relatives was an alcoholic. His response to stress was predictable. He dealt with stress by drinking more than he already drank. Or, as another example, the odds are that J. Wellington Wimpy would never pay anyone back for his hamburgers and everyone knew it.

People who are strongly in favor of various political ideologies are much the same. Lately, I have been picking on the Left more than usual. There are multiple reasons for that, but it’s true. What I’ve noticed is that the responses I get from the Left, including from people for whom I have a great deal of respect and especially after conceding some criticism of the Left might be true, are references to “rabbit holes,” insinuations that those who disagree with them are believing lies (and are therefor gullible?), and an almost inevitable litany of “what I dislike about the Right/conservatives/libertarians is…” It’s like someone deciding to combine some bizarre version of Eric Berne’s of “Yes, but” fame with Tommy Smothers “Oh, yeah?” snappy comeback. For what it’s worth, there are people on the Right who do the same thing.

I despise ideologues.