By Paul Weiser
One of the strongest tendencies in human development is emulation - copying traits, manners, and practices from someone else. Emulation helps form the character of every living person - not least, his politics. Frequently, bad politics result from emulation gone wrong.
There are at least two ways emulation can produce bad outcomes. The more obvious results when the example is evil and the process of emulation faithfully reproduces it. Mao emulates Lenin; Pol Pot copies Mao. The boy whose father deserts his mother emulates the father and scatters bastards hither and yon; the girl whose unwed mother was deserted becomes unchaste herself. This is the bad example uncritically followed.
A second way is more complex and twisted: it comes about when the emulator copies what he hates about his model. The abused child becomes a molester; the feminist copies attributes and practices of her stereotyped male that she most hates. In politics, hating the conspiracies and hidden violence he believes the government of his youth practiced, the grown politician conspires and, given power, abuses police and intelligence agencies to punish, even kill those he dislikes.
This second form of emulation characterizes leftist rather than conservative politicians due to its basis in power rather than simple patterning, in rebellious judgement that the model is evil - but useful. It strives against tradition with what it believes are the traditionalist's weapons; it always anticipates they will turn in its hands and rend it. Leftists, never legitimate, constantly fear the real authorities will arrive to arrest them.
Conservatives, whatever their other failings are, escape this. The will not copy what they judge is evil, nor do they fear the real authorities will come to arrest them (and, fearing, lash out). For where there are true conservatives, the real and legitimate authorities are already among them.
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