Economist Tyler Cowen has taken an interesting perspective on political correctness and identity politics:
The reality is that many Americans already think that the Democrats talk too much about identity. Warren would have done better to drop the topic altogether, as both right-wing and left-wing critics agree. Instead, she has kept the identity issue in the limelight, and reminded Americans that elite, mostly Democratic-leaning institutions, such as Harvard, like to pat themselves on the back for their diversity in ways which seem phony to most of the rest of us.
So if you are a right-wing, conservative, or perhaps libertarian thinker, and you consider yourself an opponent of political correctness, I have a message: Political correctness, as a movement, is a winning issue for you. It is disabling some of the ideas you don’t like. You might want to celebrate in secret, but celebrate you should.
Here’s the thing though, the mindless NPC drones of the Left don’t appear capable of rewriting their scripts so the reprogramming will need to come down from on high, from the leaders of the M.A.D. coalition. But have they yet realized that the tried & true approach of calling people racists, bigots, homophobes, xenophobes, islamophobes, haters, and nazis isn’t working any longer?
That is the thing about the leaders of the NPCs… they’re just NPCs too. There is no on capable of thought that any of them would listen to.
They are fully committed to the programming that Marx wrote, and it hasn’t changed since he wrote it.
There have been no new ideas on the left for 400 years; I don’t think they will start now.
I am not so sure that the leaders of the Left are NPC’ish. I believe they’re evil but not necessarily mindless drones.
I agree. To achieve power the leaders of the left know perfectly well what they are doing and make use of the mass of the mindless drones who can’t think for themselves with promises of some socialist utopia. This has been the method of operation for over a hundred years.
The left already had a name for NPCs: useful idiots.
Trump has given people the opportunity to speak fearlessly and confidently, to stand up, criticize and mock stupidity in all its forms. I am especially gratified to see how people have risen up, criticized and mocked the media everywhere be it on twitter, newspaper article comments and wherever they show up for live coverage. It is the media that is the form of conveyance for stupidity of all kinds not just political correctness and we are attacking and destroying it. Just look at Postmedia investor reports to get an idea of the deaths spiral these clowns are in. Or look at the accelerating rate of cord cutting as people ditch mainstream TV along with their useless news coverage. Oh how I revel in their pain!
No, it hasn’t. People will die before it runs it’s course.
I agree. Canada is lost already, and in the US the fight may be gaining momentum, but the anti-PC people are fighting from behind. The right realized too late what was happening.
History is replete with examples of failed civilizations. Empires have collapsed due to moral turpitude as though the plebes had a death wish. The Roman Empire is a prime example. Just when it had a reached a pinnacle in science and technology, the citizens destroyed society from within. What followed were centuries of dark ages where life was short and brutal. Society regressed to a primitive state where the law of the jungle prevailed. All of Rome’s achievements were lost.
We are well on our way to a similar fate and it’s not because Russia and China are better places. They are inferior societies much like the barbarians in Roman times. But that does not matter when we are actively destroying ourselves.
Of note, that when the Roman Empire fell, all the knowledge was not lost in some great fire or destruction. It was sequestered away in the catacombs of Rome. Deliberately hidden from the public save for a few knowledgeable ones. When the Renaissance began, it was more about allowing some public members access to it’s libraries, than people suddenly discovering they were smart again. When you can read a book that has already done a lot of the difficult groundwork for your subject, you’re able to advance quite quickly. Leonardo had very good relations with the Vatican. When the Holy Roman Empire was losing ground, it’s of no surprise that “the painter” was enlisted to build military weapons, as he had long been granted access to knowledge.
Jane, I have a feeling you are too optimistic. For one thing, we are not using paper books or magazines any more; everything is electronic. And electronic knowledge is being centralized by a corrupt cartel of left-leaning billionaires. Does one think Marl Zuckerberg is going to change his ultra-pc views? As we are discussing this, he is giving out orders to silence Republicans on Facebook.
The author of the Bloomberg article is also too optimistic. The M.A.D. establishment is too powerful. They are single-mindedly rigging the November elections, and will make sure Trump loses in 2020. Political correctness is everywhere. It’s stupid, but it is here to stay.
But most PC types are ill-suited to the rigors of a protracted and brutal civiil war ….
We sat by and watched, didn’t clue in as the Socialist creep became influential, we slept as our kids were brainwashed from kindergarten to the halls of higher learning. It got so far entrenched we are left with decades of deprogramming , assuming we elect the right people at all levels of government. Otherwise we have the scum on a steaming slop pail taking over every facet of our lives. Remembering how our Prime Minister said he admires Communist China and was a friend of Dictator Castro, called him “Uncle Fidel” …..how much closer can we get to Communism in a democracy?
There were alternatives to education that most anyone could have availed themselves to. For the most part people are more interested in having more stuff than financially investing in an alternative to publicly funded education system. They whine about the system but don’t want to give up a Caribbean vacation or granite countertop to pay for private schooling or homeschooling.
People love living in a bubble.
You kill a snake by cutting off its head. Once the leaders of the MAD coalition are in hell, prison or exile, the NPC’s will no longer be a threat to anybody.
They’ll find out what it is now fashionable to think, and start thinking that too, openly denying even under oath that they thought any differently. White genocide? Destroy Israel? All a joke. Who ever supported that?
Unfortunately for them, the Internet is forever, so their social media records will still be usable as evidence against them in court if their criminal indictment is thought appropriate.
The left will not give up identity politics until they come up with a new ideology that serves the same purpose : shameless virtue signaling as a status marker amongst their peers, a tool to bludgeon their opponents (political, ideological, economic and religious opponents of wokeness), a means to differentiate themselves from the contemptible, unsophisticated bourgeoisie masses.
Using environmental issues is a close second to identity politics but it poses a big problem because they’d find it difficult to follow the modest, low impact lifestyle that they demand of others. You’ll notice the woke left are not shaming the lifestyles of the rich and famous. No demands of luxury CO2 taxes on mansions, multiple homes, jet setting, yachts, etc. There’s no calls for banning expensive oceanfront homes along hurricane paths or areas where sea level rise will supposedly cause havoc. Nope, all of the solutions will predominantly harm the poor (energy poverty) and the working and middle class (resource, pipeline, manufacturing, industrial and agricultural industries). Funny how it’s essential that rich countries must sacrifice to show global leadership, regardless of any measurable impact, but rich people within those countries do not.
Anecdotally, teenagers in my area relentlessly mock identity politics and political correctness. Teenage boys mock it directly with a crudeness and provocative zeal that you’d expect of teenage boys. Teenage girls are less aggressive but just as unimpressed. Girls say things like “stop bullying me”, “that’s racist/sexist” or “don’t assume my X” with complete insincerity followed by an eye roll.. Identity politics and PC are nothing but a joke to the younger generation. Granted these are rural kids with farming, blue collar parents living a middle class lifestyle. Are white collar, upper class kids mocking identity politics and political correctness too? If they are then wokeness will be over – a moralizing, self-righteous cult can’t survive outright ridicule.
S.E.B’s will always walk amongst us,they are part of human nature.
And they make life “interesting”.
Their characteristics are there for all to see.
Stupid unwilling or unable to forsee the results of their actions.
Evil,as they can see what they want and will take it from others if they are able.
Bastards.. most are disowned by their families as they betray them often and early.
The idea that wealth can be built, expanded and shared is impossible for SEBs to understand, they must control every other person and all assets or their world will fall.
Naturally if your world view is small enough,you will attempt to control every aspect of it.
Kleptocracy is the logical result of allowing fools and bandits power over the public .
and in the near future the left will tell us “Joe Stalin was a nice guy”, “Mao was a wonderful kind man”