Politics has always had two sides to it—social and economic. But today there are three because the social piece has been split. We have the old Whig-liberal agenda pulling away from archaic rules of the church and a new entry called postmodernism, which may be something crazy.
The Bible
Britain and America used to be very Christian countries and the church held great power. And though the separation of church and state occurred a very long time ago, much of Christianity remained within legislative life.
In political terms: conservatives argued to preserve the status quo, while liberals fought to break away. Over time, liberals were successful. They brought us things like:
- Sunday shopping
- Elimination of school prayer
- Elimination of censorship in music, movies, and TV
- The elimination of capital punishment
- Porn sites and dirty magazines
- How late bars are allowed to stay open
- Ease of divorce (a big deal in Ireland)
So when they say the governments of China and Iran are conservative, they’re not talking about economics. They’re talking about this kind of stuff—social rules. And though we’re abound with social freedoms here in CanAmerica, in many countries they are not.
Postmodernism A
Western Civilization was built during the 16-19th centuries based on the ideals of capitalism, democracy, and the values of Christianity. This philosophy was called modernism and it ruled the day up until around the 1950s. Then a new thinking emerged.
Postmodernism arrived after the establishment of the welfare state and during the glorification of communism. Remember Russia, the Soviet Union, and the Eastern Bloc didn’t totally collapse until 1991. Only then were the dysfunctions and social atrocities observed. Before then, many in the West believed communism was just great and romanticized with the thought.
Liberals and progressive conservatives of the day continued their push away from social restrictions, namely those involving religion—just like the commies said. Add to the list:
- Government sponsored gambling
- Government funded abortion
- Gay marriage
- Doctor-assisted suicide
- Legalization of pot (if you tie it to the prohibition of booze and then its reversal)
Now you see where we’re headed. Religion, specifically Christianity’s, influence over everyday European and North American legislative life is almost done. (And so is the ethic of hard work.)
Christian postmodernists
Much of the communist blame put on religion stemmed from its view that it only caused wars. That due to its arrogance in serving differing gods, religion only led to conflict. And who needs more of that? But some Christians took note and wanted to join in. They liked the balancing out of capitalism through welfare states and dawned a progressive movement of their own. They questioned why Christianity had to be so strict, opposing rules like not being able to dance or drink. And more recently, they embraced followers of other faiths by abandoning the rule that only Christians go to heaven.
New sheriff
Without question, early postmodernism was seen as good. The idea of getting away from Old Testament punishments like hanging and minimum sentencing and hard spanking your kids was greeted with relief. And now even Christians were dancing. But the theory got perverted when a new sheriff came to town. This sheriff brought with it a new interpretation of the ideal. One you could call post-postmodernism. Its mission is threefold:
- The further elimination of religion by crushing the Bible, promoting atheism instead
- Forced political correctness, uneducated social justice, and limiting freedom of speech
- A “take no prisoners” attitude towards adversaries
This new crew has no patience for faith and is in a hurry to make change. And no one is allowed to disagree. Opponents are quickly shouted down and labelled as Nazi, fascist, misogynist, or racist, while the left-wing fan base naively plays along. Not only are these warriors relentless they hold positions of power, which shows one hundred people really can change the world. How? While dummies like us are out working this groupthink has overtaken government, the education system, and the judiciary, providing the influence they need to implement their agenda—the new liberalism.
Freedom
So here’s the complicated part. Originally, liberals fought for social freedom—away from the Bible, and now conservatives are fighting for freedom—away from political correctness / social justice / limitations on free speech. So now everyone’s a freedom fighter, albeit for different causes.
What’s funny is that political correctness will soon be re-implementing censorship into music, TV, and the rest of the arts. The same censorship that liberals fought to oust (which puts new meaning on Eminem’s song, White America—where he lashes out at Dick Cheney for criticizing lyrics). And what’s worse is that both sides are now playing dirty—there are no more good guys. For years, liberals were psychologically comforted by believing they were nice. But today there is no blind nice. This new group is just as dirty and intolerable as the far right.
Summary
There has always been two sides to politics and now there are three. When it comes to taxes and money, economists keep changing their minds so no one really knows who’s right. Social factors play a much larger role in life.
Postmodernism was initially good, for why not try to make society better. And truth be told, religion did need a good swift kick in the pants. But it’s a far cry from criticizing religion to eliminating it, and I don’t think we’re ready for a world without God. I don’t think it’s psychologically healthy, and even if it is, I feel it’s all coming too fast. (Nobody is taking into consideration the risks.)
The problem then intensifies as voters get sucked into identifying with brand-based politics. Shouting “I’m a liberal or I’m a con” is exactly what extremists want because they know they’ll eventually get their chance. That’s when they implement their far-winged dream. And even if you’re a lefty, you should never agree with the tact. The freedom to disagree is a tenant to our social system. Nothing works without it.
This new drive for social control has more to come and to be honest, it scares me. I believe it will be successful because Canadians aren’t the type to jump up and fight. We’d rather keep things simple and get back to sleep—living under the guise of being nice. But remember, when you tire of this new social order, it all started with your soul.
Note: Here’s an explanation by U of T professor Stephen Hicks.