In an episode of Seinfeld called "The Opposite" the character George Costanza, played by Jason Alexander, decides to do the opposite of whatever his instincts tell him to do. I googled this episode and found that I am not the first to wonder aloud at the political ramifications of such an approach to life, but here I go anyway:
George W. Bush really is George Costanza, sans Jewishness and friends. Every choice he makes, had the opposite choice been made, would have benefited a far greater number of the world's population than by going his "gut" route. Some examples:
1. War in Iraq--his "gut" was telling him to make war in Iraq since the 1990s. Had he done the opposite, and not brouth war upon Iraq, thousands of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis would be alive, un-maimed and otherwise as nature made them. Do not waste anyone's time with a "But the Iraqis are so much better off without Saddam" rationale because "they" are not. The tribalism held in check by a nut-job tyrant has now been unleashed and shows no signs of slowing down until the last Hatfield shoots the last McCoy. America is safer? That must be why the Terror Alerts stopped appearing after our elections. We are one dirty bomb (or such-like calamity) away from the Rapture crowd becoming the Children of the Corn.
If George goes against his gut on this one...
2. Cutting taxes, largely for the wealthiest class: we are now in debt up to our spleens, and while privitizing profit and making public the costs looks good in a board room, it plays havoc with the backbone of the country. The Great Middle Class was the lynch pin that kept this nation from collapsing in a heap. Instead of working to shore that group up, we have wealthy people building higher and higher walls and armed entrances and how-do-you-like-living-in-a-two-class society?
If George goes against his gut on this one...
3. Clean air and clean water. George's gut tells him that regulation is anti-business, and so must be adjusted for today's market realities. Cough, spit.
If George goes against his gut on this one...
4. Turning Gay Americans into the "Other" to keep his funadamentalist supporters happily agitated is so low it looks like up to me. Turning teenage girls into litmus tests for abortion foes, and women in general into mere props for "life-affirming laws" is the magic of turning the personal drama into a public quarrel. Either a woman has sovereignty over her own body or she does not. Do people "love" abortions? My guess would be "no." Are these procedures used to inflict pain upon fetuses? My guess would be "no." Or is this all a difficult reality that, bottom line, no matter what, "the state" shall not impinge on the rights of the individual over matters concerning his or her own body? Shall we make men undergo "sperm counts" to make sure they aren't killing any in the shower?
If George goes against his gut on this one...
5. Global warming...
If George goes against his gut on this one...
6. Social Security!
If George goes against his gut on this one...
7. Healthy forests!
If George goes against his gut on this one...
8. Leave No Child Behind except most of them...
If George goes against his gut on this one...
9. Everything else that harms the poor at the expense of profits to the wealthy, who don't need the help.
If George goes against his gut on this one...
10. Nominate an arrogant, incendiary absolutist to be our country's #1 diplomat to the United Nations...
If George goes against his gut on this one...
I'm sure you can think of more. He is "The Opposite of Everything That Is Good."
It's a talent that is over-rated. George "Costanza" Bush: When he listens to his gut, we get shit on everytime.
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