I Don’t Mean To Beat On Tom Nichols…

It’s funny, until you realize how tragic and ghastly it really is https://t.co/gxmbmt41Ns

— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) February 25, 2024

... but he really needs to spend a bit more time among people who don’t agree with him. Maybe take a job in a law firm, family law, say, and find out how easily people shift their opinions based on what they want to be true. Or parish ministry and find out people can actually hate you just because of your job. Even as they tell you to your face how much they admire you. Oh, I’m sorry, that’s law, again. Or ministry.

Or any job that requires you to spend your time among people instead of ideas, so reality won’t surprise and upset you so easily.

And no, it’s not cognitive dissonance we’re seeing there. People cling to their ideas (and you ARE “people”) and don’t usually see the contradictions. As Orwell said: “To see what is in front of one's nose needs a constant struggle.” And take it from a failed minister: people never want to engage in that struggle.

If you don’t see that, you’re avoiding the struggle, too. It’s not a judgment. Just a welcome into the human condition.