[extropy-chat] Re: Fwd: Manditory draft for your child?

[Hal Finney]

Mike Lorrey writes:
> Trend here reminds me of a socialist fellow I talked with a few months
> ago. He was ranting on about the 'coming draft' that 'that bastard
> Bush' was implementing. When I informed him that every sponsor and
> cosponsor of both draft bills in congress were all left-wing Democrats,
> he abruptly started ranting how he approves of a draft, because it is
> more 'democratic' in that it applies to senators sons as well as poor
> kids (despite what  has come out about favors for national guard
> postings during Vietnam), and that it prevents the creation of a
> "separate and elitist mercenary caste" in our society.

Wow, nothing could be a better example of the hazards of being in the
grip of an ideology.  Who among us would want to be in the position of
this poor fellow, enslaved by a mind virus which forces him to absurdly
reverse his position as soon as he is told what is ideologically correct?
He acts like a fool but is unable to perceive it because his mind is
under control of the ideology which has infected him.

Yet how many of us recognize the danger of ideological infection?
Ideologies are extremely hazardous to the rational mind, as Mike's
sad story illustrates.  Each of us should work to free himself of this
subtle enslavement.

One approach is to critically examine every position you have which is
ideologically correct.  Do your best to find some idea or controversy
where you differ from your ideology.  Try to say, I mostly agree with
the general philosophy of X, but I differ on these specific positions...
Take this step of escaping the control of your ideological master in
one small area, and you will have begun your move towards mental freedom
and rationality.

Hal

P.S.  I am not speaking facetiously or ironically here.  I am completely
serious.  If the person in Mike's story doesn't seem foolish to you,
it is only because such ideological control is so widespread that we can
only shake our heads in sad recognition of our human foibles.  I don't
think we should be so complacent.  We are each just as vulnerable as
that foolish socialist.  We would certainly object to mental slavery if
a human being undertook to exercise control over our will; the fact that
ideologies have evolved memetically to seem pleasant shouldn't make it
any more acceptable.