Political Cortex: Brain Food for the Body Politic

The Patriots - as they have called themselves - have been riled to action as of late. All throughout the colonies, these malcontents have been raising havoc against the Crown. And certainly, they've had no shortage of complaints against the king - the dissolution of experimental Representative Houses, the stationing of soldiers throughout the colonies, the imprisoning of agitators without trials, the careful regulation of trade which has been called excessive - and they have not kept their outrage quiet.

Perhaps their outrage has been stirred by a new pamphlet that has been making the rounds as of late. Common Sense, the ironically titled work by known radical Thomas Paine, has been stirring up interest in rebellion among the colonists. Those of you who are familiar with the works of Paine's ilk can probably wager a guess as to the content. I'm sad to say, however, that this new pamphlet is far more intemperate and shrill than any work to date.

Paine does not mince words. Upon opening the pamphlet, one is immediately struck by his anger. "Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one" he writes. "Government, like dress, is the badge of lost innocence; the palaces of kings are built on the ruins of the bowers of paradise." Here, just two paragraphs in, it should be abundantly clear that we are not dealing with a sensible man, but a wild-eyed fanatic driven by irrational King-hatred.

As is the case in many Patriot pamphlets, Common Sense casts aside debate and reason in favor of simple, petty attacks. The throne is referred to alternately as a "monarchical tyranny" and an "aristocratical tyranny", and Paine rails constantly against what he calls "the evil of monarchy." Clearly, Paine is willfully ignorant of King George's numerous attempts to institute commoner-driven governing bodies. (That King George was forced to disband these houses after they failed to act responsibly cannot truly be considered a mark against the throne) Referring to the heritage of kingship, he calls ancient kings "the principal ruffian[s] of some restless gang"; he calls hereditary rule (what else?) "evil"; and likens the King to a worm and, later, to Satan. I find it hard to believe that anyone - Loyalist or Patriot - could consider these hateful attacks as anything but the last gasps of a crazy man.

Much of Paine's hatred is directed, not toward the Loyalists, but toward the moderates (among whom I number myself, incidentally). He refers to reconciliation between the colonies and the Crown as "an agreeable dream, [which] hath passed away and left us as we were", and then follows with a sharp rebuke for any who DARE fall out of lockstep with the Patriots. "Though I would carefully avoid giving unnecessary offence" - a statement I scarcely believe, having waded through this screed - "yet I am inclined to believe, that all those who espouse the doctrine of reconciliation, may be included within the following descriptions. Interested men, who are not to be trusted; weak men, who cannot see; prejudiced men, who will not see; and a certain set of moderate men, who think better of the European world than it deserves..."
So, in Paine's warped view, anyone who challenges the authority of the Patriots must be corrupt, stupid, ideologically impure, or one of the countless fools who (God forbid!) still maintain some connection for their homeland.

Even when Paine actually attempts to make an argument, he can't seem to make it without resorting to attacks and foolishness. Case in point, the following passage from the third section of Common Sense: "Small islands not capable of protecting themselves, are the proper objects for kingdoms to take under their care; but there is something very absurd, in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island." Not only is this a poor argument, but notice that Paine could not even finish it without referring to his opponents as "absurd"!

Sadly, Paine's observations are emblematic of the revolutionary movement. Far too many of these young malcontents have given themselves over to a radical point of view, one that does not even attempt to acknowledge the good that King George III has done for us. While I agree that his methods have been heavy-handed and perhaps poorly thought out, I don't see why this means that I must hate him. But every day, I see the radicals about, screaming angrily about the government and working to purge the discourse of all reason-tempered voices. This mean-spiritedness is the road to destruction for the Patriots; as long as they allow themselves to be defined by raving fanatics like Thomas Paine, I do not believe that they will ever succeed.

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Endnote: The full text of Common Sense can be found here. It's well worth a read - if the "sensible centrists" think modern political writing is shrill, I'm here to say that they ain't seen nothing like this.