Post-modernism is a weird place to be. There is no real truth anymore, only narrative. Each person can have their own truth and who are we to judge? Exceptions are now the rule so the sky cannot be blue because some colorblind person does not see it that way so none of us are allowed to declare it blue. It is oppressive and maddening.
Into post-modernism has crept a new matrix for power called intersectionalism. It is derived from Marxism, which views the whole world in terms of power dynamics. Intersectionalism maps out those power dynamics based on race, ethnicity, sex, gender (embracing the trans pathology), sexuality, ability, religion, education, and more. The class that has the most power is that disfavored class. The class with the most moral authority is the favored class.
For progressives of the left, a white, male, heterosexual, cis-gendered (that is, not trans), Christian, with no disability is the height of oppression. A black, female, transgendered, lesbian, Muslim who is missing a leg is the height of moral authority. The post-modern Marxist seeks to subvert the oppressor class by silencing and dismantling their “dominant discourse,” which is the truth claims of the supposed oppressor. As theologian Tim Keller once wrote, “Language does not merely describe reality—it constructs or creates it. Power structures mask themselves behind the language of rationality and truth.” Because Marxists believe words actually create our reality, speech must be controlled.
People on the right fool themselves into thinking progressives only exist on the left. There is a growing progressive movement on the right that just subverts the left’s power template. As a result, these frequently race obsessed people on the right presume that the left’s most oppressed class is actually the oppressor and the white, Christian, male is the most oppressed. Given how progressively left much of the media is, they point to attacks on dads in commercial media, disparities of coverage of black and white crimes in the news, etc.
The progressives on the left and right both reject absolute truth claims and focus on “narratives.” In fact, as we have moved more and more into postmodernity, people spend more time talking about narratives than the truth because, in postmodernity, there is no truth, just the stories we tell ourselves. This comes from the progressive left and right embracing another hallmark of Marxist philosophy—deconstructionism, a concept derived from French philosopher Jacques Derrida.
Deconstructionism is all the rage these days, with people “deconstructing” their faith, history, etc. Essentially, they take their own biases, break apart the components of historical fact or faith, and repackage them in their own image and worldview. One should note that Derrida himself never adequately defined deconstructionism, and it has been embraced by a wide variety of post-modern worldviews, from feminist theory to queer theory to white nationalists. Each of them retells a story or even basic facts through a lens made of their own biases.
On the progressive left, those stories frequently involve Jews and their power or white conservatives. The Nazis, who were socialist kissing cousins of the communists, became members of the right after World War II. The communists largely got a pass or sympathy as the ideological vanguard of Marxist post-modernity.
On the progressive right, ironically, their stories too frequently involve the Jews and their power. Both the progressive right and left are deeply antisemitic. But the progressive right is also Nazi obsessed. Instead of villains, they are actually the misanthropic anti-heroes of World War II. Thus, Russian propagandist Tucker Carlson can host an amateur historian Carlson declares as the “most honest” historian who, in turn, can rewrite the narrative of World War II to make Winston Churchill the villain and Hitler the victim.
The end goal of the progressive left and progressive right is the same — deconstructing and dismantling the moral truth claim that the United States is a force for good in the world. They must do so because progressives actually reject the idea of individual rights and identity, a key foundation of American identity. Some of the progressive right want a Christian nationalism imposed on everyone that is deeply nationalist but not very Christian. All must conform to their image. The progressive left wants a Marxist America where the outcome is equal instead of opportunity. Both despise individuals who must work for a collective defined by the ideological enterprise of each side. The progressive left and right are just two sides of a single pathetic coin.
Conservatives should reject the progressive right. As William F. Buckley threw out the John Birch Society, it is incumbent on the right to speak clearly against Nazi apologists, racialists, antisemites and the progressive right who would fixate on narratives at the expense of truth. If Christ is “the way, the truth, and the life,” there must be no room on the right for Pontius Pilates asking what truth is.
One of the problems with our schools today is we do not teach students to think for themselves. Our lack of ability to creatively and critically think through problems and issues has lead to an administration (Biden and Harris) that cannot function effectively on the world stage. This has resulted in a world that is less stable with more lawlessness.
If these educated people running our country cannot think through simple problems they surely cannot think through complex ones. The world is complex and we as a nation need to understand this.
I believe that people who spend their entire careers in the public sector do not have the life experience necessary to run our country because they have no understanding of running a business or being in the private workforce. They make policy for these sectors but do not understand how their policies affect them.
Biden and Harris and Walz are prime examples of individuals on the US stage who do not have the experience needed for the job of leading our country. Their one line answers satisfy those itchy ears but are not thought through and result in more problems. Things will only get more complex for our country. We need good leadership.
One of the things that I like about Erick is his attempt to point out that the right has its issues. I find it interesting that there is always one or two on here who will take it that he is being divisive within the conservative ranks. And, sometimes, he is. Pointing out that we are far from perfect on the 'right' is refreshing. In a world where you are told to pick a side, damn the conflicts of your moral compass, it is nice to see someone with a 'voice' be able to say these things that either verify your own concerns or point out things that you may have missed.
I no longer identify myself as a Republican, even though I vote Republican 95%+ at every election. During the Biden administration, it was a straight ticket. Will never be a 'you are with us or against us' individual, with issues within this article touching on some of the reasons why.