The curious case of Dr. Dao and leftist individualism

Sean Harshey About | Email | Archive
 

“No man is an island.” We have all heard the phrase and understand it to refer to the interconnectedness of mankind. It is a common theme that crops up frequently in American culture. “Six degrees of separation,” Frank Capra’s iconic film “It’s a Wonderful Life” and the “butterfly effect” of chaos theory are examples. Our actions have an effect on the community around us. It is a truism understood by civilized men and the principle around which cultures are built. Even in societies with the greatest freedom, commonly agreed upon basic standards of conduct are necessary to avoid devolving into chaos..........

The question remains, however: What should police have done instead? The doctor was forcibly removed from the aircraft because he would not stand up and walk out. The screaming, fighting and lying on the floor were all Dao’s choices. If someone believes a law is dumb, should he be allowed to violate that law if he resists hard enough?

The situation with Dr. Dao and the police is another step toward the chaos liberals are urging in every corner of our culture. As much as we sympathize with his situation, we should resist joining in the calls for people to assert themselves as individual islands or sovereign nations in any and every situation at the cost of confusion and turmoil in our society...........Read more

My Take - I've said this before and I say it again - Dao got what he deserved.....and so did United Airlines for having such an outrageous overbooking policy.  But we need to stop bleeding all over ourselves for someone who acted like an insane screaming wild animal.  That was - as the author points out - was his choice.