Pre-Katrina Mindset
I've long thought the left needs some stronger rhetorical tools. Brian Leiter, in his blog, posted the following rhetorical suggestion by Robin Kar (Law, Loyola-LA):
Has anyone started using the term 'Pre-Katrina Mindset' to refer to the line of argument that (i) assumes the legitimacy of minimizing the government's capacity and responsibility to act for the common good and (ii) places all responsibility on private individuals to take care of themselves? As we all know, these are two choices (in terms of allocations of responsibility) that a narrow group of people in this country have increasingly pushed on the whole, and with great tenacity, over the last several decades. They have succeeded in large part because they have been able to keep most people less than cognizant of the full consequences of these choices, and even of the fact that these are choices.
Has anyone started using the term 'Pre-Katrina Mindset' to refer to the line of argument that (i) assumes the legitimacy of minimizing the government's capacity and responsibility to act for the common good and (ii) places all responsibility on private individuals to take care of themselves? As we all know, these are two choices (in terms of allocations of responsibility) that a narrow group of people in this country have increasingly pushed on the whole, and with great tenacity, over the last several decades. They have succeeded in large part because they have been able to keep most people less than cognizant of the full consequences of these choices, and even of the fact that these are choices.
posted by Charles P. Everitt at 10:10 PM
1 Comments:
I forgot to say that we already have a name for the 'Pre-Katrina mindset': it's called 'the ownership society'. But I think 'PKM' is more rhetorically effective.
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