Left and Right are two peas of the same pod

It is really quite interesting to see how people rail against something(the government, capitalism, etc) while at the same time having directly benefited from the object of their scorn. What is it that causes people to do this?

Why do the Left rail against the inequities of capitalism all the while enjoying the benefits that the American system of capitalism has permitted them to enjoy? Why does the Right assail the government that has provided the atmosphere which has permitted conservatives to acquire affluence?

This hypocrisy grates on my nerves. How can you damn a system that has brought so many benefits to you?

I believe that much of this traces to the fact that most people tend to be prisoners of their own experience. That is, they take the information they have gathered either empirically or second hand, and construct a belief system. Often times these beliefs are unrefined and require another person to mold them into a coherent, structured, ideology.

This ideology once formed, creates a follower who is certain of the superiority of their beliefs and morality, to those who differ. Liberals are convinced that because they support universal health care that they are doing so because their views are intrinsically greater morally than those who oppose it. Similarly, conservatives who oppose gay marriage do so because they believe themselves to be operating from a higher moral plain.

The psychological "prison" that we call beliefs can and do distort one's perception of the world. The believer may not be aware of the inconsistency of their beliefs with their actions or may believe that they are not being inconsistent. Liberals may believe that by advocating reform that they are practicing what they preach. Conservatives may believe that they have achieved their status without much assistance from government. That both maybe wrong does not occur to them.

Simply advocating for social justice does not alter the fact that you have benefited greatly from the system you damn. Arguing for small government does not change the truth that government has been a great boon for those who have achieved a level of financial success in the country.

Each side is oblivious to the cracks in their logic. For example, social justice. How do you determine what is just? Justice can mean different things to different people. How is it just to forcibly dispense wealth? How can you paint yourself as a devotee of Christ all the while advocating a form of Social Darwinism? How can you say one is superior to the other when both are seriously flawed?

Ultimately, the very weakness of their beliefs will make sure that neither will achieve status as the preeminent system of thought in this country. The Left and Right for all their arrogance and myopia, exist simply because the other does.