右翼、左翼、そしてシバキ上げ主義者

●Tyler Cowen, “Move on -- this isn't true here”（Marginal Revolution, July 26, 2008 ）

I have a simple model of how some people -- but by no means all -- process political issues. Occasionally the real force behind a political ideology is the subconsciously held desire that a certain group of people should not be allowed to rise in relative status.

Take the so-called "right wing." I believe that some people on the right do not like those they perceive as "whiners." They do not want these whiners to rise in relative status. That means they must argue against the whining and also they must argue against the presuppositions behind the whining.

Take the so-called "left wing." Some of these people favor a kind of meritocracy. They feel it is unfair that money so determines access in capitalist society and they do not want the monied class to rise in relative status, certainly not above the status of the smart people and the virtuous people. It is important to fight for the principle that the desires of this monied class have a relatively low priority in the social ranking. Egalitarianism is the rhetoric of the day, and readjusting the status of other Americans to the status of this monied class often receives more attention than elevating the very poorest in the world to a higher absolute level.

Some on the right wing will stress "individual responsibility" as a value when it lowers the status of the whiners (why whine when it was the victim's own fault?). Some on the left wing will stress "individual responsibility" when it is time to punish corporate wrongdoers and thus lower their status. Not everyone applies (or rejects) this value consistently.

右翼が「個人の責任」を強調するのはwhiners（＝不平不満を口にする人）の立場が悪化する（あるいは悪化することが期待される）時であり、左翼が「個人の責任」を強調するのは間違い（あるいはやりすぎ）を犯した金持ち層（例；バブルに踊った銀行etc）が罰せられ、彼ら金持ち層の立場が悪化する（あるいは悪化することが期待される）時である。whinersと金持ち層の立場が同時に悪化する時、右翼も左翼もともに（「個人」ということで誰を想定しているかという違いはあれど）「個人の責任」を強調するシバキ上げ主義者となる！？

（追記）

左翼の心性に関する説明（＝They feel it is unfair that money so determines access in capitalist society and they do not want the monied class to rise in relative status, certainly not above the status of the smart people and the virtuous people）は、（左翼が自らをthe smart people and the virtuous peopleとして理解しているとすればなおさらのこと）「インテリが資本主義を嫌うワケ」で取り上げたノージックの議論と補完的なものとしても解釈できるであろう。