Oblivion

My brother is a typical elitist liberal. He is smart (1600 on SATs) and a successful corporate lawyer. But he is a selfish person who is oblivious to what is going on around him. I do not care that I have to cook or clean up after him when he visits or I visit him. I do not care that he does not call me or email me unless I initiate the correspondence. It does not bother me he fails to listen to my opinion even on things we agree about (he leaves the room or talks over me). It does not even bother me he has never asked how I am doing even though I suffer from a neurological disorder. He is the same way about his liberal ideology – he is very selfish and oblivious to how it affects others.

My brother is a firm believer that the federal government should set standards, regulations, and rules on corporations. I asked wouldn’t it make more sense for experts, instead of politicians, to set the standards? His response is “No, because companies would sandbag and not move fast enough to solve the problem” (for things like increasing gas mileage for cars or cutting carbon emissions).

My brother admits he has no understanding over how to solve these complex problems such as increasing gas mileage without compromising safety or how to develop a carbon capture system. He even admits technology is moving fast and there is a strong incentive for companies to invent technology that would reduce emissions and improve gas mileage because of global competition in the private sector. So why then does my brother think it is fair for the government to set laws, policies, rules, regulations, mandates, and standards about things they are oblivious about? “Because it is their job”! Just like he feels it is his job to defend federal policies on subjects he knows very little about.

If that is not bad enough, my brother’s true selfishness and oblivion is revealed when he thinks it would be unfair for the federal government to place the same laws, policies, rules, regulations, mandates, and standards they place on companies on him. He does not think it would be fair for him to change his lifestyle to practice what he preaches by placing solar panels on his home roof or to drive a Chevy Volt. In other words, my brother feels he should have no responsibility or accountability in meeting his liberal ideological goals; instead the onus should be others (individuals and companies) to achieve what he deems are an arbitrarily acceptable amount of liberal tolerance to his liking.

While the government places unrealistic gas mileage standards and emission taxes on companies my brother likes to leave all the lights on, drive around in his 50 thousand dollar gas guzzling SUV, keeps his home temperature at unacceptable levels in both the winter and summer, wastes food, and has that “it is okay as long as that wind farm is not in my backyard” mentality.

It really disturbs me when people refuse to practice what they preach, but what’s worse is when people expect others to pick up the slack for their selfishness. It also disturbs me when people set standards on complex technological problems they do not understand. None of this fair. Maybe it is more arrogance than oblivion.