It’s Probably Not About What They Say It’s About

Survival in Tough Times: Go ahead and criticize me as insensitive and uncaring, because I’d rather be called cynical than gullible

Dr. Bruce Smith

Family | March 5, 2023

T here’s a terrific comedian who has a routine where every setup line is followed by the same phrase: ‘. . . then you might be a redneck.’ It’s brilliant, and he can go on for hours with every line getting a laugh. I could never be half as funny as this person is, but I’d like to borrow the technique.

In the last years we have heard many justifications for taking away our constitutional freedoms, for giving unwarranted power to politicians, bureaucrats, globalists, and the intelligence community, and for reinventing the country in various ways. Every time I hear one of these justifications, I think to myself,

“It’s probably not about what they say it’s about,” or a variation of that idea. Here are some examples.

When people call the Constitution a “living document” to justify ignoring what it says, they probably have something else in mind

Woodrow Wilson said we must make the world safe for democracy, but that’s probably not what it was all about. He had other motivations, we now know.

When people want to radically transform the country, they might have something else in mind.

When people want power for themselves but for not for the rest of us, they might have something else in mind.

When people won’t tolerate an actual discussion and say ‘we’re canceling you because what you’re saying is offensive,’ it’s probably not about what they say it’s about.

When people can’t explain something because it’s ‘really complicated,’ they just don’t want to have to explain it. There’s something else behind it.

When people think it’s unnecessary to justify what they say because everybody already agrees with them, it’s probably not about what they say it’s about.

When people want to ‘save the world’ without considering the people who live in it, it’s probably about something else.

When people project their faults onto you, it’s probably about something else they want to take from you.

When people don’t want to be questioned, and say things like “I AM the science,” it’s probably about something else.

When people try to justify forcing everyone to do what they won’t do voluntarily, it’s probably about something else.

When people call the Constitution a “living document” to justify ignoring what it says, they probably have something else in mind.

When people say the US was founded in 1619 on slavery instead of in 1787 on Enlightenment principles of freedom, inalienable rights, and self-governance, it’s probably not about what they say it’s about

When people say the US was founded in 1619 on slavery instead of in 1787 on Enlightenment principles of freedom, inalienable rights, and self-governance, it’s probably not about what they say it’s about.

When people say that Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass were racists who based their principles on taking land from earlier immigrants, it’s probably not about what they say it’s about.

When people say that racism is why their candidate lost an election, it’s probably not about what they say it’s about.

When people say we must take down historic statues of people with whom they disagree, but can’t explain how this helps anyone, it’s probably about something else.

When people say we must pass the bill to find out what’s in it, they probably don’t want to have to justify what they’re doing. It’s definitely about something else, like power for them.

When people say their proposal will be “fair” for reasons that don’t seem fair at all, it’s probably not about what they say it’s about.

When people justify wrecking the First Amendment because other people might spread head colds, you can bet that it’s about something else, like power for them.

When people justify wrecking the First Amendment by saying that people who cite the First Amendment are scary and ignorant and don’t care about public health, it’s probably not about what they say it’s about.

It’s time to stop taking those who hate Western Civilization at their word

When anyone thinks it’s fine to keep counting undocumented ballots until their side wins, it’s definitely about something else, like winning at all cost

When anyone thinks that voting should go on for weeks before and after election day, it’s probably not about what they say it’s about.

When some people insist that everyone reduce their “carbon footprint” but don’t reduce their own because what they’re doing is ‘very important,’ it’s probably not about what they say it’s about.

When people talk about carbon dioxide like it’s a poison gas, but never mention banning soft drinks or beer, then it’s probably not about what they say it’s about.

When people exercising their First Amendment rights are called a ‘threat to our democracy,’ it’s probably not about what they say it’s about.

It’s time to stop taking those who hate Western Civilization at their word. They’re using our sense of fairness and fair play against us. Question them every time. Make them support their assertions with proof, if they have any.

Go ahead and criticize me as insensitive and uncaring, because I’d rather be called cynical than gullible.

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Dr. Bruce Smith——Bio and Archives Dr. Bruce Smith (Inkwell, Hearth and Plow) is a retired professor of history and a lifelong observer of politics and world events. He holds degrees from Indiana University and the University of Notre Dame. In addition to writing, he works as a caretaker and handyman. His non-fiction book The War Comes to Plum Street, about daily life in the 1930s and during World War II, may be ordered from Indiana University Press.