The assorted finds of Artefact Publishing
Yesterday Anita treated me to a run-down of five arguments used by National and ACT supporters to demonstrate that they’re not selfish bastards. And, indeed, I was forced to concede that the “hand-up not hand-out” argument isn’t a veiled defence of selfishness. It is, however, a position of stupidity. Once again the symptoms of a real problem are identified, and a fix is proposed which treats the symptoms and not the cause, and creates its own batch of problems.
As for the other arguments, they are both selfish and stupid. I imagine that many of those who voted National or ACT yesterday would fail the following simple test:
The Content of the Propositions
#1: That this is a rich planet. Therefore poverty and hunger are unworthy of it, and since we can abolish them, we must.
#2: That we are a civilized species. Therefore none shall henceforth gain illicit advantage by reason of the fact that we together know more than one of us can know.
The Outcome of the Plebiscite
Well — how did you vote?
John Brunner, The Shockwave Rider
Posted by jamie on September 18, 2005 10:37+12:00