We live in a culture where the only thing which can be ruled out is the idea that anything can be ruled out.
The problem with so-called progressives is that the very term they use to describe themselves begs a question that they can never answer – progress towards what?
The answer “towards more progress” is hardly adequate, since there can be no progress without direction, and there can be no direction without a fixed point.
But progressives are so inclusive that they have done away with fixed points.
Objective truth does not exist in their brave new world where fuzzy notions of “my truth” and “lived experience” mean that the only thing which can be ruled out is the idea that anything can be ruled out.
A love of novelty, a penchant for sentimentality, and an unnatural fear of hard thinking have combined to produce a culture of juvenile free-thinkers.
Having insisted there was no difference between God and ourselves, we have enlarged our broadmindedness into a sweeping synthesis that says reality is whatever we declare it to be.
We have become like sailors who, having agreed to ignore the stars, have hung our lamp on the ship’s mast and agreed to navigate by it.
The port we arrive at will be whatever rock we hit right after the last one we crashed into.
And so, progressivism has no endpoint. Every time we think we have finally arrived at the woke nonsense terminal, another passage opens up.
First, we redefined marriage because of diversity.
Then, we redefined women because of inclusivity.
And our national broadcaster has already toyed with redefining paedophilia, because sensitivity.
Well, why not?
Euphemisms
Back in 2021, journalists at the ABC were told to “avoid” referring to child sex abusers as paedophiles, so as to not marginalise people who, though clinically diagnosed with paedophilia, had not acted on their impulses.
A report in the Australian said ABC staff had been told:
“Instead, use serial sexual offender / predator, or a sexual abuser of children and young people.”
Whatever. Just as long as we don’t stigmatise people who dream of having sex with minors.
In January of that same year, the ABC referred to violent street crimes and home invasions committed by teenage gangs marauding through Melbourne suburbs as “youth network offending”.
It is only a matter of time before we are urged to stop calling criminals “criminals”, for fear of creating a stigma around those who wish to commit crime.
Perhaps it is time we stopped calling ABC journalists “journalists” and instead referred to them as activists. But I digress.
The edict to not call paedophiles “paedophiles”, lest we marginalise paedophiles, ignores the fact that some people need to be marginalised.
And it begs another question for progressives. Just how long does it take to go from “Don’t marginalise paedophiles” to “paedophiles are just part of the wonderful tapestry of human diversity”?
Think that won’t happen?
Just like you a week ago, you never thought you’d see bearded ladies, naked Smurfs and a dozen drag queens, one with exposed testicles, featuring in the opening ceremony of an Olympic Games.
Insisting on ‘progress’ while, at the same time, insisting that no-one is allowed to consult a compass, just becomes wild meandering.
That’s Western culture right now. A wildly meandering hot mess.
___
Republished with thanks to The James Macpherson Report.
Subscribe to his Substack here for daily witty commentary.
The Trouble with Progressives
2 August 2024
2.2 MINS
We live in a culture where the only thing which can be ruled out is the idea that anything can be ruled out.
The problem with so-called progressives is that the very term they use to describe themselves begs a question that they can never answer – progress towards what?
The answer “towards more progress” is hardly adequate, since there can be no progress without direction, and there can be no direction without a fixed point.
But progressives are so inclusive that they have done away with fixed points.
Objective truth does not exist in their brave new world where fuzzy notions of “my truth” and “lived experience” mean that the only thing which can be ruled out is the idea that anything can be ruled out.
A love of novelty, a penchant for sentimentality, and an unnatural fear of hard thinking have combined to produce a culture of juvenile free-thinkers.
Having insisted there was no difference between God and ourselves, we have enlarged our broadmindedness into a sweeping synthesis that says reality is whatever we declare it to be.
We have become like sailors who, having agreed to ignore the stars, have hung our lamp on the ship’s mast and agreed to navigate by it.
The port we arrive at will be whatever rock we hit right after the last one we crashed into.
And so, progressivism has no endpoint. Every time we think we have finally arrived at the woke nonsense terminal, another passage opens up.
First, we redefined marriage because of diversity.
Then, we redefined women because of inclusivity.
And our national broadcaster has already toyed with redefining paedophilia, because sensitivity.
Well, why not?
Euphemisms
Back in 2021, journalists at the ABC were told to “avoid” referring to child sex abusers as paedophiles, so as to not marginalise people who, though clinically diagnosed with paedophilia, had not acted on their impulses.
A report in the Australian said ABC staff had been told:
Whatever. Just as long as we don’t stigmatise people who dream of having sex with minors.
In January of that same year, the ABC referred to violent street crimes and home invasions committed by teenage gangs marauding through Melbourne suburbs as “youth network offending”.
It is only a matter of time before we are urged to stop calling criminals “criminals”, for fear of creating a stigma around those who wish to commit crime.
Perhaps it is time we stopped calling ABC journalists “journalists” and instead referred to them as activists. But I digress.
The edict to not call paedophiles “paedophiles”, lest we marginalise paedophiles, ignores the fact that some people need to be marginalised.
And it begs another question for progressives. Just how long does it take to go from “Don’t marginalise paedophiles” to “paedophiles are just part of the wonderful tapestry of human diversity”?
Think that won’t happen?
Just like you a week ago, you never thought you’d see bearded ladies, naked Smurfs and a dozen drag queens, one with exposed testicles, featuring in the opening ceremony of an Olympic Games.
Insisting on ‘progress’ while, at the same time, insisting that no-one is allowed to consult a compass, just becomes wild meandering.
That’s Western culture right now. A wildly meandering hot mess.
___
Republished with thanks to The James Macpherson Report.
Subscribe to his Substack here for daily witty commentary.
About the Author: James Macpherson
COMMENTARY / Identity Politics / Sexual Integrity / World
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