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| Silverfiddle Rant! |
Salvation from totalitarian progressivism will not come from the Republican Party, nor will it come from the right. It will come from the liberal left and non-aligned allies, including the Intellectual Dark Web .
Many good liberals are getting stomped as well (Bret Weinstein and Anna Khachiyan for example), and are fighting back.
Contrary to popular opinion, Sandy Cortez is not the future of American leftism; she is the last baby bubble burp of the old socialism of that shabby communist Bernie Sanders.
Tune in Thursday!
I don't know how many people are in Sandy and Grandpa Bernie's neo-bolshevik camp versus how many are in the anti-totalitarian camp, but I know there is a substantial number of people on the left who are fed up with all this warmed-over 20th century totalitarian bullshit.
Scholars of color like Glenn Loury and John McWhorter are blatantly calling Ibrahim Khendi, Robin DiAngelo and Nikole Hannah Jones frauds. Professors at Cambridge have pushed back recently on minor issues involving speech, and have won.
That has happened in other universities as well, and it is left liberals within the institution, speaking the institutional language and appealing to the foundational principles of the institution. That is how freedom wins. We can join in by stating our values clearly in a non-inflammatory way while respecting the considered views of others. And it will have to happen everywhere: Hollywood, social media, the press, government, and private business. And I think it can.
We are not alone. There is a whole world of thought and speech out there pushing back against the progressive totalitarians. They seriously analyze, joyfully mock and openly flout totalitarian progressive orthodoxy and speech codes. Many are self-described leftists and liberals, some are libertarians, but they all share a love of truth and liberty that transcends boundaries and labels.
I commend to you the following individuals, web sites and podcasts in no particular order. You won't always agree, but you will be educated and entertained.
In no particular order...
* Matt Taibbi - Astute observer, brilliant liberal journalist taking down progressive totalitarianism
* Glenn Greenwald - solid gold journalism
* Spiked Podcast (Brendan O'Neill) and Website
* Quillette podcast and website - IDW Flagship - Always excellent discussions
* Glenn Loury podcast - Wise professor who shares lessons learned
* Bret Weinstein podcast - Scholarly discussion
* Eric Weinstein podcast - Scholarly discussion
* Making Sense podcast (Sam Harris) - He will probably make you mad, but he is a great example of how to properly characterize the point of view you disagree with and then civilly argue against it, while conceding points and empathizing with those who you disagree with
* Joe Rogan - Trenchant discussion. He brings on smart people and asks questions everyday people would ask.
* The Fifth Column - Raucous, rambling discussion of current events. Irreverent and often vulgar, traditional conservatives would not like it.
* Blocked and Reported (vapid sounding lefty gurls busting on political correctness). Also probably not for traditional conservatives
* Red Scare (Anna Khachiyan and and Dasha Nekrasova)
I don't expect Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Donald Trump or certainly any "liberal" intellectual to save me.
ReplyDeleteI expect an alliance of citizens to save themselves, politically.
I expect an awakened populace to stand up and do their job and not rely on others.
If they don't, so be it.
You are not alone. Liberty lovers have friends and allies in unexpected places.
DeleteGreat post SF. I've long been a fan of Taibbi and Greenwald.
ReplyDeleteIf more Citizens decide to shrug off the river of lies and grift that has marked our political landscape, and become Civil Libertarians....the Republic "may" still have a chance.
SF,
ReplyDeleteContrary to popular opinion, Sandy Cortez is not the future of American leftism; she is the last baby bubble burp of the old socialism of that shabby communist Bernie Sanders.
I hope that you're right about that. I know many young people (all college grads) who think that the sun rises and sets in AOC and Bernie.
Silver wrote... "We can join in by stating our values clearly in a non-inflammatory way while respecting the considered views of others."
ReplyDeleteTruer words may have never been spoken. Those that lean to the right have seen values that would be accepted by many on the left rejected because of the way those ideas have been expressed. This, in a way, is part of the "PC" problem.
I get that it's maddening to feel like you have to think about your language, and the words one uses when communicating, but if the goal is real communication and persuasion, and that thoughtfulness would help you get there, why would someone choose otherwise?
Silver, I'd also add Andrew Sullivan to your list. He's a man who has been strongly critical of the cancel culture and other issues at pandemic levels in the current political left.
Dave, both sides are inflammatory. The press's trust level is in the dirt, even among Democrats, and they fail to learn any lessons.
DeleteI like Andrew Sullivan. He's another good essaying that got chased off his gig for speaking the truth and now he's on Substack as well, which seems to be the last refuge for the truth-tellers.
Dave, still, I agree with your larger point. You don't bring people to your side by gratuitously insulting them.
DeleteSilver... yep... and yep.
DeleteWhy is it "maddening" to "think about your language, and the words one uses when communicating" under any circumstances? Language, words and tone of voice ARE communication. Your statement is like saying that a quarterback should not have to think about foot position, arm motion or the manner in which his hand grips the ball when he throws a pass.
DeleteJayhawk... Yes, it is all communication. I was speaking of people who, if they are thinking about the words they use, are openly choosing language that often offends, demeans, belittles and inflames others.
DeleteThe point being, that if people use language that does that, then they are choosing to do so, hardly a path to Silver's way of "stating values in a noninflammatory way" that respects the considered views of others.
My experience is that many who decry PC frequently don't consider, or care how their words and language are understood by others. Or they are and are choosing to disregard the feelings of others.
Dave,
DeletePublic discourse also suffers a horrible and profound lack of charity. Everybody jumps to read the absolute worst into anything said by an opponent.
Silver... isn't the opposite of above to then consider people with differing ideas an opponent, not en enemy?
DeleteIf people in BLM, OWS, Antifa and all the protest groups on the right ever realized they shared a common enemy and they all suffered the same root to the problems they are protesting, Government officials and corporate elites would be in grave danger.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteIf only.....