If you’re looking for free stuff you don’t have to pay for, vote for the other guy.
– Mitt Romney

A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.
− Edward R. Murrow

Have you heard about “The Life of Julia”? It’s a video put out by the Obama campaign. It boasts about how President Obama will help a fictional character named Julia – help her all the way from preschool at age three to retirement at age 67. Is it a coincidence that “Julia” is the name of the girlfriend of the protagonist in Orwell’s “1984”? Perhaps, perhaps not.
David Harsanyi at Human Events complained, “Who the hell is Julia and why am I paying for her whole life?” But I would go further. If we encourage – no, enable – a generation of dependent, subservient “Julias,” there will be no one left to pay for much of anything.
Revealingly, the video mentions Julia’s parents only when she is a child. It shows her going through life without a husband or life partner. It shows her having a son without mention of his father, much less of marriage. It shows her working without friends or colleagues, and starting her own business without a business partner or employees. It shows her retiring on Social Security, but without mention of her own savings, much less of her son or other family members to help out.
Perhaps the reason Julia’s parents disappear from the story when she is still young, and Julia’s story itself ends when she reaches Social Security age, is that they all will be denied active medical treatment – because “experts” didn’t “advise doctors across the board that it will save money.” (Obama’s words, not mine.)
The video shows Julia going through life alone – except for the government. How indescribably sad. How unimaginably dangerous.
The video shows how all phases of Julia’s life will be benefitted by President Obama, but would be harmed by a President Romney. In short, it shows how Julia – and presumably all women – are expected to live as though they were married to the government. How patriarchal is that? And it shows how all citizens are expected to become subjects, dependent on a parentified government. How totalitarian is that?
Some parts of America, especially its liberal half, have been described as infantile. Many people regard the federal government as their parent. They expect it to provide for the needs of their young children, their elderly parents, and often themselves. In these respects, many Americans − and most Western Europeans − act like children.
Children recognize that they need their parents to protect them, provide for them, and make important decisions for them. But then they become teenagers. We used to call them “adolescents” − those who are becoming adults. But we no longer use the term, because there is less push to become adults.
Perhaps that’s why malls are full of middle-aged “boys” wearing baggy shorts and ball caps, and middle-aged “girls” wearing short shorts and spaghetti tops. Perhaps that’s why ex-Congressman Weiner tweeted raunchy photos of himself to women, as if he were 14 instead of 46. Perhaps he is an extreme example of a common phenomenon.
Yes, many Americans resemble teenagers. They depend on their “parent,” the government, to protect and provide for them – but they resent their dependence:
● They want to spend their money on cars, clothes, electronic toys, and entertainment – but they want “mom” to provide health care.
● They want their own house or apartment – but they want “dad” to help with the payments.
● They want to be safe – but they resent rules and look down on our police and military.
Children sometimes resent their dependent status. Teenagers are less dependent, but they resent it more. They insist on being treated as adults, but they do silly and sometimes dangerous things – then expect real adults to clean up the mess.
A prolonged state of childishness is called infantilism. There isn’t a word for a prolonged state of adolescence, but we need one, because many people are in it:
● They want to drive without seatbelts while talking on cell phones or texting. But if they have a crash, they sue the other driver and the car maker – while lawyers profit from their irresponsible behavior.
● They want to ride motorcycles and bicycles without helmets. But if they suffer a head injury in a minor accident, they want to be cared for at taxpayers’ expense.
● They want to drive wherever they please – then blame others for traffic jams and air pollution.
● They want to be safe on the streets, but they hobble police with unrealistic restrictions – then complain about violent crime.
● They want to be safe in their homes, but they push laws to disarm law-abiding citizens – then complain about home invasions.
● They want to be safe from foreign threats, but they oppose appropriations for new weapons, better training, or adequate pay for our troops – then grumble when the troops don’t perform difficult, dangerous duty with absolute perfection.
● They want to be safe from terrorism, but they oppose searching for terrorists as “profiling,” oppose security measures as “shredding the Constitution,” and oppose security alerts as “political.”
● They want terrorists defeated – but without casualties. They point to the deaths of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and want us to abandon these countries, not realizing that roughly the same number of people are murdered in Los Angeles. Should we also abandon our own large cities?
● They want relationships without commitment, sex without consequences, and fun without strings attached – then whine about feeling empty when they reach middle age.
● They want to plunge into careers – then whimper about lack of family or friends when they grow older.
● They want to spend their money on anything but health insurance – then weep and wail about lack of coverage.
● They want to eat and drink to excess and exercise little – then moan and groan about lousy health care when they get sick.
● They want to spend their time watching TV – then complain when politicians pick their pockets.
● They want more government benefits – then are shocked when the deficit balloons to colossal proportions.
● They want the government to make important decisions for them – then complain that things aren’t going well.
● They want unelected judges with lifetime jobs to decide vital issues – then gripe about not being consulted.
● They want to attend church rarely if ever – then criticize mercilessly when the church runs into trouble.
● They want to give little to charity – then claim to be kindhearted because they vote Democratic.
● They want to bask in the phony warmth of pacifism and nonviolence – then expect others to defend them from enemies who want to slit their throats.
● They want to “love all humanity” – then belittle their own country.
● They want to be “multicultural” − then ridicule their own culture.
● They want to be “citizens of the world,” which requires nothing of them but breathing. Being an American citizen, on the other hand, requires supporting our country, and if necessary fighting for it.
● They want to excuse their own failure to serve in the military by belittling the service of those who risk their lives for us. Those who belittle such service only belittle themselves.
● They want to “support our troops” – then express contempt for the troops and for what the troops are doing. That’s support?
● They want to “love America” – then make excuses for its enemies. That’s love?
● They want to be independent – then insist that America must pass a “global test” and can’t act without permission of the “international community.” That’s independence?
Yes, some people resemble perpetual teenagers.
Like many teens, they are skilled at making excuses for doing nothing. Jimmy Carter warned us not to have “inordinate fear” of communism. After roughly 100 million people were murdered by communists, could we at least be slightly concerned? And they “see the viewpoint” of those who brought down the Twin Towers. Really? If my mind worked like that of a mass murderer, I wouldn’t boast about it.
Like many teens, they fail to foresee the consequences of their actions. And when bad results ensue, they blame others. They block drilling for oil and gas, and they block mining coal or building nuclear power plants, leaving us dependent on Middle East oil. But when oil prices soar, they blame oil companies. Intentionally or not, they are enriching the oil sheiks and impoverishing Americans.
Like many teens, they have vivid imaginations. They confuse feeling good with doing good. They “visualize world peace,” then do nothing to achieve it. They condemn terrorism, then do everything they can to obstruct those who fight terrorists.
Like many teens, they are egocentric. They can’t believe there are people bent on world domination and killing “infidels.” In effect, they say, “Who could want to harm me?”
They want adults to do the difficult, dangerous work. But they are the adults.
They want freedom without the risk of fighting for it.
They want security without the expense of providing it.
They want blessings without being grateful.
They want justice without making moral judgments.
They want to be independent while borrowing astronomical sums from foreigners who do not wish us well.
They want to be a nation of “Julias,” but who will be left to pay for it?
They want to be free without being responsible. And how’s that working out?
Dr. Stolinsky writes on political and social issues. Contact: dstol@prodigy.net. You are welcome to publish or post these articles, provided that you cite the author and website.
www.stolinsky.com