The ungrateful left is whining again

I was quite disappointed to have my enjoyment of the U.S. Women’s National Team’s victory at the World Cup ruined by leftist politics, but it seems that the left simply cannot help itself and must use any and every excuse to voice their grievances.

It made me wonder: why does the left feel it must complain, protest, critique, and whine at every chance they get? Why do athletes, celebrities, and other prominent figures from the right tend to do the opposite?

Think about it. When Megan Rapinoe gets a chance to speak or display her feelings, she generally opts for a negative comment about the president, our country, her pay, etc.

I’m sure she voices gratitude now and again for her family and friends who helped get her and the team where they are, and maybe she even has a nice thing to say about the U.S. now and again. But the overall picture is one of doom and gloom, grievance and gripe. She is the picture of ingratitude for the many blessings life has bestowed on her, whether it be from her parents, her country, or her professional organization.

And of course she is lauded for her “courage” in voicing these complaints. While certain conservative pundits may criticize her comments and actions, on the whole it is verboten to utter anything negative about her criticisms lest one be considered: sexist, homophobic, misogynist, bigoted, insufficiently woke, mean, etc.

On the other hand, when a conservative and/or Christian person achieves some greatness in athletics, what do you see or hear? Thanksgiving, appreciation, humility.

Tim Tebow would kneel and say a quick prayer after making throwing a touchdown while playing in the NFL and get routinely mocked and scorned by the same media pundits who now praise Rapinoe to the skies. He was even accused of pushing his beliefs on people though he didn’t say a word about what anyone “should” or “must” do in regards to his beliefs.

Tebow had an attitude of gratitude, as do most people of a more conservative and religious bent. And those same people tend to use a good amount of their money and time to help the less fortunate to boot.

So, why this contrast between the ungrateful left and the grateful right? I’m no psychologist, but in just observing human behavior and actions for my brief 50 years on earth, it seems to me a simple matter of contentment and comfort with oneself.

Someone who is content with who they are tends to move the focus off themselves and on to others, whether in appreciating others or in helping them.

Someone who is discontented with themselves tends to focus their ire on the faults and failings of others and to seek external solutions rather than focusing on what about themselves might be driving this discontent.

Besides feeling the need to speak out, such people also have a rather self-aggrandizing view of their ability to solve problems, believing they can solve the problems by simply speaking out, that they have the power and influence to change the world!

Perhaps such hubris helps to distract themselves from themselves, and sometimes it is good and necessary to speak out to solve problems in society and the world, but when it becomes an exercise in self-aggrandizement and, to be sure, self-promotion, then we need to think about if such actions are really the noble, “courageous” gestures we pretend them to be.

In closing, I would always try and put gratitude first, being grateful for the people, family, country, community, friends, institutions, and culture that have conspired to allow you to achieve whatever good you have in this world. Ingratitude really has no place or justification, does it? As the good book says, why focus on the splinter in your neighbor’s eye while ignoring the beam in your own….

Trey Hoffman

Peachtree City, Ga.