Ah, the mob. The vainglorious and angry mob has once again set upon DailyKos filled with vitriol and vituperation. The utterances of this angry mob basically boil down to a base of "WE'RE AN ANGRY MOB! RAWR! LET IT ALL BURN! RAWR!" Let the banks fail, let AIG fail, let the automakers fail, fire Geithner, fire Summers, Impeach Obama!
Every time (by which I mean, every five minutes, when a new one appears) I read one of those "Let 'Em Fail! Let 'Em Die!" Diaries I am a bit amazed at how little consideration is given to the question of, "If you do that, what happens next?" by these diarist.
There is None. No thought given to the dire consequences that would follow such a policy decision, no attention paid to how the "LET 'EM FAIL!" approach would effect them and the people around them. They just, to quote a wise man (Alfred the Butler) want to see the World Burn.
As I waded through my daily quotient of Frothy Foam on DKos today that quote from "The Dark Knight" kept running through my head in a neat little circle. Since the disaster at Lehman Brothers I have noticed quite a few would be Jokers on both the Left and the Right that, whether earnestly or cynically, seem to be advocating a solution that sinks the world into utter chaos. But these same Lil' Jokers really don't have The Stuff or the Follow Through to live on Chaos. These people would be lost in a world without an economy. No jobs, no money, no grocery stores, no trappings of modern life whatsoever.
When someone rages and says, "LET 'EM FAIL!" they have a very big caveat in the back of their heads, "Let 'Em Fail But ..." But I still want a job. But I still want healthcare. But I still want a "living wage". But I still want a car. But I still want a certain degree of Stuff. But I still want a House, or at least a roof over my head. But I still ... Fill in the Blank.
In short, people talk like the Joker but they still want to live like Bruce Wayne. And this is why I tend to just roll my eyes when DailyKos gets flooded occasionally by the River of Rage. You really don't want to live in a world where you have to live with the consequences of the "Let 'Em Fail!" agenda. You just reserve the right to scream, and bitch, and fuss, and get angry at things that make you mad.
If you've hung with me this far and are waiting for me to make some profound point, eh, sorry. I don't have one. I am just riffing on a concept. If I did have a point I guess it would sound something like, the next time you just want to scream, LET 'EM FAIL! think about the consequences. That's not what you really want.