There was once a man who believed that all ideology was evil, the instrument of foul policy. ‘It makes people lose sight of substance,’ he would say. ‘It makes them focus too much on theory and too little on outcome. No one should ever be an ideolog. One should be a pragmatist and get things done without too much debate and hassle, focusing solely on the end result.’
He went on to campaign against ideology — and for pragmatism — across the country.
‘Down with ideology,’ he would shout. ‘Down with organized evil, with blinkered, partial points of view. We want results.’
Soon he had a following twenty million strong, and growing.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, there was a woman who saw the man for the wily speaker that he was. Resentful of his trickery, she decided to expose him. She launched a campaign of her own, urging people to beware of this man’s tactics. ‘The fear of ideology is an ideology in itself,’ was her motto. ‘Beware of ideologs preaching against ideology. They’re the worst kind of demagogues.’
She took her campaign around the country, countering the man’s tour. She printed her message on flyers, manuals and billboards, and paid for it to be broadcasted on TV and over the Internet.
Soon she had a following twenty million strong, and rising.
See how it goes?
Careful my friend. Be very careful when defending your beliefs against dogmatists and tyrants and all kinds of doctrinaire people. Get too carried away, and we may very well and without warning turn into what we fight against, just like that.
From your allegory-loving Spin Doctor,
Eyes open, mind sharp.