I know of no way to describe this 2009 essay in The Guardian other than “sick.” (I just learned of this essay.) The essay’s author, Bruni de la Motte, laments the 1989 demise of the East German state. Apparently the author was serious when she wrote this:
Since the demise of the GDR, many have come to recognise and regret that the genuine “social achievements” they enjoyed were dismantled: social and gender equality, full employment and lack of existential fears, as well as subsidised rents, public transport, culture and sports facilities.
…..
Serious question: is it possible for classical liberals and libertarians – or, indeed, for the likes of moderate modern Democrats or Labourites – to have a productive conversation about anything other than the weather with a person such as Ms. de la Motte? The priors and presumptions and mind-set of such a person are so completely different from any that I can imagine myself having.
This reality is sad. Because of it, we must all be especially careful never to lose our civility, open-mindedness, and liberality.
