The Art of Conversation as War

I have encountered the feeling among many on the Left that they don't have to justify their arguments or back them with fact or logic. And it is quite frustrating. When we attempt to draw on the deep well of our knowledge on a particular subject such as the superiority of Western civilization we are usually ignored, labeled "extremist", or forced into a defensive posture by their refusal to just hear our points and be willing to debate them.

My bro and I have noticed this on numerous occasions. It has become socially unacceptable to hold and voice strong opinions that run counter to the "prevailing wisdom" of society(particularly the post-modern cynical segment) in general. Obviously I'm not talking about our particular circle of friends who share most of our views on many matters the differences usually arising in the degree of extremes one might favor. And I'm not trying to say that society is somehow stifling or censoring us or that "the man" is keeping us down.

I'm talking about situations that arise at work or at a larger social setting such as a party. If you happen to overhear a lefty popping off some childish remark about John Ashcroft tearing up the Constitution or saying that Arab culture is equal to or superior to Western Civ and you deign to jump in and challenge the remark you become, as a friend astutely pointed pointed out, the arsehole. What ever happened to the tradition of open, civilized debate that used to be held up as respectful display of our freedom and liberty?

In a way our method of intellectual warfare mirrors the Western style that Victor Davis Hanson so effectively lays out. We relish the opportunity to draw our enemies out into a decisive battle where we can have the chance to destroy them and so claim victory. If on rare occasion we suffer a defeat in one of these encounters through inadequate preparation or poor strategic decisions we lick our wounds, rebuild our defenses, and restock our stockpile of arguments. When possible we draw on existing rhetoric developed by others which we refine and add our own twists to increase its effectiveness and lethality. Then we return to the field of battle again and again until we have vanquished our foe completely.

The problem is we're now running around with an immense arsenal of firepower and advanced training(reading & research) that we're looking to deploy. When an unfortunate lefty spouts off with the equivalent of a few arrows in our direction we're ready to unleash a rain of precision guided daisy cutters upon him. But we're surrounded by post modern societal groupthink that seeks to tie our hands and limit the use of our power much in the way the UN and EU hamper the US and Israel through international law and pious resolutions calling for peace and justice.

Part of the problem is that many of these intellectually malnourished punks of the Left have been able to say anything and everything they wish without ever having to pay a price or defend their views because they have been able to hide behind the skirt of the nonjudgmental "all is equally good" mindset not unlike radical Islamists calling for the destruction of the West while at the same time seeking shelter behind the liberal freedoms that it provides. When do we take the gloves off?