I'll chime in too, although I generally don't like getting in the middle of political discussions. I kinda disagree with some of that, particularly this:

Is it any wonder that the political left identifies personal responsibility as a dangerous and radical concept?

I consider myself liberal, but I don't agree with that statement at all!! Nor the stuff that followed, about "political correctness":

Hence they have constructed a whole system ("political correctness") to stigmatize and intimidate those who believe that self-esteem must be earned by achievement and is dependent on one's choices and actions

How are these liberal viewpoints?

~~Bonnie




>>Actually, I generally agree, you (the royal "you") are the only one who can save yourself. Now, I also believe another person can buy you some time, can steer you in the right direction,can help you , can even inspire you....but you're right, in the end, it's up to the person themselves.
>>
>>Absolutely! I am a big believer in personal responsibility. If someone else can be one's salvation, they also have the power to be one's destruction. Personally, I would much rather empower myself <s>.
>
>So am I. There are some very interesting views here:
>http://drsanity.blogspot.com/2009/09/personal-responsibility-and-golden-age.html
>
>Snippet:
>
>The idealistic narcissist is invested in utopian fantasies. Their self-esteem is derived from the power they feel in controlling the lives of others, and they desperately need to maintain a constant supply of "victims" they can pretend to champion. In general, they are extremely resistant to taking responsibility for their own behavior or the implementation of their utopian dreams--all of which have been emotionally catastrophic for the individuals in the system. Is it any wonder that the political left identifies personal responsibility as a dangerous and radical concept? In a world where personal responsibility and accountability for one's behavior is expected, they themselves would have to answer to that thing we call "reality."
>
>This they cannot and will not do.
>
>Hence they have constructed a whole system ("political correctness") to stigmatize and intimidate those who believe that self-esteem must be earned by achievement and is dependent on one's choices and actions; that "hope and change" come about not by wishing and lovely rhetoric, but by doing; and that your current bad situation may not be (entirely) your own fault, but by constantly externalizing blame for that situation, you miss opportunities to make necessary changes in your own behavior that keep you down. By taking responsibility for your own life, you stop waiting to be rescued and do what you have to do to rescue yourself. You can stay a "victim" and wallow in "victimhood", but the essence of maturity and adulthood is taking charge of your own life and not letting others dictate who you should be, or what you should do.
>