"Roger's Rules," part of the Pajamas Media blog site. does a quick but insightful survey of the atmosphere of despair that has overtaken conservatives. An excerpt:
"Conservatives also tend to enjoy a more active and enabling sense of humor. The English essayist Walter Bagehot once observed that 'the essence of Toryism is enjoyment.' What he meant, I think, was summed up by the author of Genesis when that sage observed that 'God made the world and saw that it was good.' Conservatives differ from progressives in many ways, but one important way is in the quota of cheerfulness and humor they deploy. Not that their assessment of their fellows is more sanguine. On the contrary. Conservatives tend to be cheerful because they do not regard imperfection as a personal moral affront. Being realistic about mankind’s susceptibility to improvement, they are as suspicious of utopian schemes as they are appreciative of present blessings. This is why the miasmic gloominess emanating from many conservative circles today is so dispiriting...." - Roger Kimball
"Conservatives also tend to enjoy a more active and enabling sense of humor. The English essayist Walter Bagehot once observed that 'the essence of Toryism is enjoyment.' What he meant, I think, was summed up by the author of Genesis when that sage observed that 'God made the world and saw that it was good.' Conservatives differ from progressives in many ways, but one important way is in the quota of cheerfulness and humor they deploy. Not that their assessment of their fellows is more sanguine. On the contrary. Conservatives tend to be cheerful because they do not regard imperfection as a personal moral affront. Being realistic about mankind’s susceptibility to improvement, they are as suspicious of utopian schemes as they are appreciative of present blessings. This is why the miasmic gloominess emanating from many conservative circles today is so dispiriting...." - Roger Kimball
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