Doing the Opposite
By Jan Larson (12/19/05)
In one episode of Seinfeld [1], George laments that every decision that he has ever made in his life has been wrong. He decides from then on to do the opposite of every instinct that he has starting with an order of chicken salad on rye instead of tuna on toast. His life immediately takes a 180-degree turn for the better and soon everything works out for George.
There are a lot of “opposite” people in America today. However, unlike George who decided to change his future behavior to be the opposite of his instinct, many of today’s “opposites” operate only in hindsight. They also do not lament their past decisions, but rather only the past decisions of others. It is only after the fact that they insist that the “opposite” should have been done.
Case in point are those that decried the federal government’s response to Hurricane Katrina. “Oh where was FEMA? The government should have been here with food and water sooner. It was Bush’s fault.”
But now, we have the opposite. It was revealed last week that the President ordered the secret eavesdropping of international communications of people that have been identified as having a “clear link” to terrorist organizations. The narrowly defined program has apparently been extensively reviewed by the Justice Department and others and falls within the scope of U. S. law and Constitutional protections of civil liberties. This does not stop the civil libertarians from crying foul.
Here we have a program design to help stop attacks before they happen – ostensibly the role of government is to protect the citizens – yet it is being denounced. The opposite of preventing attacks are attacks. Many of the same people that complained that the government failed during Katrina now are complaining that the government is, in effect, doing too much to stop terrorist operations.
John Kerry, Nancy Pelosi, Ted Kennedy and Harry Reid to name just a few, have perfected “the opposite.” All were in favor of removing Saddam Hussein from power. All insisted that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction (which he did). All authorized the President to use force to remove Saddam. Now, however, they all say the opposite – they are against the war saying it was a mistake and we need to get out.
Convicted killer Tookie Williams claimed to have had an “opposite” conversion. At one time he brutally gunned down four innocent people, but after he was convicted, he started doing the opposite of killing people – he started writing children’s books that told of the dangers of the gang life. Unfortunately for Tookie, his four victims didn’t have the opportunity to do the opposite. They remained dead.
Liberals tend to not only convert to opposites, they are opposites at the same time that they are “the same.” For example, the standard liberal mantra on college campuses includes “diversity” and “inclusiveness.” However, they really mean just the opposite. If one doesn’t share their views, they don’t much care for your kind of “diversity.” Just ask Ann Coulter.
With gasoline prices at historic highs, people whined that the President should “do something” about prices and our dependency on foreign oil. When the President proposed drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to accomplish that very goal, they take the “opposite” position and oppose drilling.
Some people may not practice “oppositism” but they see it, whether it exists or not, in others. Opponents of the President often characterize him as a stumblebum that can’t master the English language and who used family connections to skate through life. On the other hand, he is also the opposite – an evil genius who concocted the war in Iraq for political gain and to enrich his wealthy pals. He, in their twisted view, not only managed to hoodwink the American public but also pulled the wool over the eyes of everyone in Congress.
As we approach the New Year, I have the wish that people like Ted Kennedy, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi will truly embrace “oppositism.” That is, every time they feel the urge to babble irrational nonsense, they will do the opposite and keep quiet.
I wish that liberals that espouse tolerance would do the opposite and practice it. I wish that anyone that thinks that taxes are too low and the wealthy don’t pay their “fair share” would understand that the opposite is true.
Finally, it is my wish that Howard Dean does not change a thing. If he were an opposite, he would lose his entertainment value. Some things are fine just as they are.
[1] http://www.seinfeldscripts.com/TheOpposite.htm
Copyright ©2005 Jan A. Larson All rights reserved.
(Printer friendly version) Email: Jan Larson
