Though conservatism is traditionally associated with fear, social justice ideology also embodies anxieties. Open and ambiguous accounts of the world, such as liberalism, may be being squeezed.
Excellent, Thomas. I feel like I've been banging this drum for years (oops -- I was recently informed that "banging the drum" is now verboten -- a friend who is a curator at a celebrated museum here in the U.S. was told the other day that she couldn't use that phrase anymore, apparently because it's offensive to Native Americans -- not that the twit who told her that is of that heritage, of course; no, it was just another crusading know-nothing, totally ignorant of language and history, let alone music. Also off the table: "harvest", "brown bag lunch", and "master").
People are literally losing their jobs over this crap, which too many of my comrades on the left refuse to acknowledge. My philosophy is still: Don't buckle under to bullies. Don't bow to p.c. pieties. Political correctness is one of the most pernicious forms of censorship, because it couches itself as "inclusive" and "sensitive" and "caring." Just because it comes from the ostensible Left doesn't make it good.
The answer to speech you don't like, people, is MORE speech, not less!
Anyway, I feel like a broken record. Here's something I wrote about it a few years ago, with an embedded link to the op-ed I wrote for the Baltimore Sun (they won't take my op-eds anymore; I'm not p.c. enough for them):
I shall be far more concise than Lisa (who also articulates herself very well) by saying that there are two motivators of human beings. These are, broadly, fear and greed.
Both these motivators can leave us as social animals keen to protect what we have - to conserve it, if you will - and to look with green eyes at others. This gives rise to the zero-sum politics of envy!
Likewise, as those with more tend to want to keep it and grow it, they can invest some of their wealth in ‘influence’ of policy decisions...
How else do so many elected representatives end up with significant Non-Executive Directorships?!
Excellent, Thomas. I feel like I've been banging this drum for years (oops -- I was recently informed that "banging the drum" is now verboten -- a friend who is a curator at a celebrated museum here in the U.S. was told the other day that she couldn't use that phrase anymore, apparently because it's offensive to Native Americans -- not that the twit who told her that is of that heritage, of course; no, it was just another crusading know-nothing, totally ignorant of language and history, let alone music. Also off the table: "harvest", "brown bag lunch", and "master").
People are literally losing their jobs over this crap, which too many of my comrades on the left refuse to acknowledge. My philosophy is still: Don't buckle under to bullies. Don't bow to p.c. pieties. Political correctness is one of the most pernicious forms of censorship, because it couches itself as "inclusive" and "sensitive" and "caring." Just because it comes from the ostensible Left doesn't make it good.
The answer to speech you don't like, people, is MORE speech, not less!
Anyway, I feel like a broken record. Here's something I wrote about it a few years ago, with an embedded link to the op-ed I wrote for the Baltimore Sun (they won't take my op-eds anymore; I'm not p.c. enough for them):
Wokerati, or the Lunacy of the Left
http://abombazine.blogspot.com/2019/07/wokerati-or-lunacy-of-left.html
Thanks Lisa! Hope you're well :-) I'm going to read your article!
An interesting read, as always Tom!
I shall be far more concise than Lisa (who also articulates herself very well) by saying that there are two motivators of human beings. These are, broadly, fear and greed.
Both these motivators can leave us as social animals keen to protect what we have - to conserve it, if you will - and to look with green eyes at others. This gives rise to the zero-sum politics of envy!
Likewise, as those with more tend to want to keep it and grow it, they can invest some of their wealth in ‘influence’ of policy decisions...
How else do so many elected representatives end up with significant Non-Executive Directorships?!
Thanks Mike! Yes, fear and greed are perennial! It's depressing, but at least humans have better qualities!
Human beings can be reduced to become human doings though.