This is the first in a series of short, hopefully pithy remarks, many of which were posted on the DailyKos (liberal) website in the comments section of reader diaries. In this case, the topic was one Richard Cohen of the Washington Post, self-proclaimed liberal and accused self-hater, whose articles often undermine his own alleged poltical affiliation. As is ash's tendency, the focus is on Cohen's psychological motivations, manifested in attacking fellow liberals and the Democratic party, as gleaned through the article itself, which declared satirist Steven Colbert "not funny":
Actually, your article is about you and how you give yourself away. To adopt your faux sophistication, to wit:
It's called a defense mechanism.
We all have them. They are psychological barriers we erect to prevent us from realizing what would threaten our self-image if not our very existence. Cohen, as a public figure, has unknowingly telegraphed that he is too old and mature to continue to identify with the hippies from whence he came. As a member of the establishment, he earns his keep by making nice with the enemy while berating his own.
Simple as that, I think. Which means we will never break through to him. No matter what. He's got too much invested in not discovering the truth about himself.