Oh, That Irrational Left!

If there is one thing people on the left generally know how to do, it is making protests signs. That talent is being threatened by their own irrationality:

100,000 protest plans to cut welfare in Germany

About 100,000 people took to the streets of Berlin yesterday to demonstrate against Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's plans to trim Germany's generous welfare state, the biggest show of public opposition to his drive to revive Europe's largest economy. Answering the call of labor unions and left-wing groups, a huge column of marchers snaked through downtown Berlin, chanting slogans against the government's plans and carrying banners such as "Poverty for all" and "Why take from the rich while we've still got the poor?"

The first sign, "Poverty for all," sounds like a pretty shitty rallying cry to me. I simply can't figure out the second one (maybe I'm just not smart enough to crave poverty...).

Leftists in all countries are fond of their slogans, even when they make no sense (i.e. "Violence solves nothing.") But usually they have a surface appeal (gee, wouldn't it be great if there were no violence?).

"Poverty for all" lacks any appeal.

Is this some kind of German oddity? Was something lost is translation?

Or has the left slipped off into a world of post-modern irrational thought? If so, they'll get the votes of most of the nation's English professors for sure.

Lucky them.


- posted by total @ 11/03/2003 12:07:00 PM .