Bari, you may be interested in reading C.S. Lewis's "Screwtape Proposes a Toast," which I believe is included in later editions of "The Screwtape Letters," circa >1960. He does a fabulous job of describing, from the Devil's perspective, exactly what the SJWs are doing now, and why. Worth reflecting upon. Keep up God's work.
I believe a new enlightenment is on the cusp of evening. A rediscovery of basic truths of human existence and social interaction and rediscovering anew the beauty of God and creation. The illumination of minds and hearts to the true meaning of love.
Deeper than courage is love.
When one is held back by fear one must ask, what do I love that I fear I will loose?
When a person has a deep connectedness to God (or sense of a greater reality of a spiritual beyond), and to family, and to their community (neighbor), are they not rich beyond measure?
Will not their safety net already be in place to prudently step forward with courage knowing deep within they have the fortitude to stand tall in the midst of suffering because they are loved and in turn deeply love?
The quote, “The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.”, is not actually from Orwell, and this is noted as a misattribution in the Wikipedia entry for George Orwell. The quote first appeared in this opinion piece: http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/duke/090506
No writer has influenced me more deeply than George Orwell, for it was he who first intimated to me, via “Nineteen Eighty-four,” that literature serves purposes above and beyond entertainment. So I’m always glad to see him referenced, as he is here. And who better to remind us of the issues at stake in this battle with illiberal Woke progressivism? More than seventy years ago, he spotted and described the early warning signs of the malign ideology that afflicts us today. What is Woke progressivism but Ingsoc? What is its mode of discourse but Newspeak? What is the essence of its mentality but doublethink?
Back in our 1984, I recall reading articles congratulating America and the world for dodging the Orwellian bullet. The grim future he’d envisioned had not come to pass and Mr. Orwell stood revealed as a false prophet, no longer needed. But it turns out that we do need the man who once wrote that if freedom of speech means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.
Moreover, human beings are imperfect. Much of what we take for granted (e.g., presumed innocence, human dignity, individual sovereignty and free will) are derivative of the cornerstones of Judeo-Christian teaching. We are also taught, in light of our shared failings, the promise of forgiveness.
Instead, we all face the faceless: anonymous mobs of pseudonyms who terrorize from behind Twitter handles and Comment boards or influence their employers to suppress speech and uphold new belief systems that bear little intellectual coherency.
Please stop saying that America is imperfect. No mortal being is perfect, and we need to find a better defense for our outrage at the post-modern, post-gender, and anti-racist mobs tearing apart our country.
Let’s start by asking the cancellers to respectfully debate those with whom they find fault, rather than hiding behind technology and using the threat of character assassination by tweet.
You first, Bari. Admit that much of what is going wrong is the inevitable consequence of ideology you still cling to. We'll never escape the consequences of left-wing politics if we keep them around.
I gave You a heart, M. Free, because it's an interesting question. Thing is, MOST Dems are like I was a year ago. Too busy scraping BY to have TIME to worry about terrorists hiding out in the bushes. Most STILL don't.
And here's the thing: THe Repubs haven't come up with any DECENT alternative yet. So what's a person to do... ?
It's hard to have courage when this woke ideology is waiting to pounce on you for having the wrong thought or words. I think we should continue to self educate ourselves with books and look at multiple points of view to determine our conclusions. We definitely need to have strong minds in this day and age. We can't react emotionally.
Disappointed Bari that you were on Brian's show because if anything, it is NOT reliable sources, but I do understand wny. What a pleasure to listen to an actual intelligent conversation you and Ben Shapio engaged in. My husband and I are going to listen again because it was that good. I agree it takes courage to speak out, but I also think about those who have jobs they can't afford to sacrifice. I can imagine how scary it is for them, however, I now see workers in Seattle who are choosing to leave their jobs in order to have a free choice abuot the vaccine. It's also good to know those same people have been invited to other states where their type of work is plentiful. It can be done and as you say, it can only be done with courage. So glad I joined you on Substack.
Excellent Commentary article and description here, Bari.
You name a few examples of the courageous people among us.
We’re seeing thousands more come out daily: from Parents at school boards, airline pilots, police & nurses (who I mention together because they -among others- showed heroic status throughout the worst phase of COVID) and plain old real people who know wrong when they see it.
I can tell you that the courageous types outnumber the power hungry charlatans although we have less control right now. We just have to peacefully take it back. This movement will grow and take this country back but yes it will take much more.
If the self described “elite” class (many of whom couldn’t change a light bulb) aren’t fervently protecting your civil liberties, OBJECT and vote them out. And stop feeding their Facebook, Hollywood, and Twitter coffers. They and the Network Media want absolute control over all information solely to have full power over us.
I see some politicians (like DeSantis et. al) step up. And you can tell the pushback is underway when you see comedians take their trade back (watch Chapelle’s “The Closer” - very rough hewn but on point and a Courage smiley to Netflix for standing up).
This is a Federalist Republic. It was designed to be governed at the local level and THAT is where the course corrections start. It starts with us.
Yes we are a nation of spectators and participants. Spectators via their nature are risk averse. The pay to watch the participants take all the tusk in the arena. We carry that same behavior into the public arena where most of us just stand idly by and watch. Thanks to the courageous who are the real change agents.
Bari is SO right.....Today's incivility and intolerance actually hatched with the fall out of the Viet Nam war as student protests on campuses exposed Dancing Bear syndrome. As she notes, those dancing bears now head academia and are the supreme monarchs of cowardice.
You talk of incivility and intolerance. Would you call killing people intolerant and uncivil for exercising speech? Bari talks about the betrayal of liberalism because Prof. Dorian Abbot's lecture was canceled. Let us contrast that with the May 4 massacre, a genuine betrayal of liberalism. To put Bari's lament into perspective!
I'm glad that the excess of the left are being called out. Without a functioning 2 party system, where moderates can vote across party lines thereby marginalizing the radicals in each party, it is up to the political party to censor the radicals. The Democrats, including myself, are now in the process of doing that. We're calling out the ultra woke, who've gone overboard and the cowards who have enabled them.
I wish the same could be said for the GOP. Despite around 60 court cases of election fraud being thrown out for lack of evidence, despite many Trump appointees in key positions saying there was no evidence of fraud, despite Republican Secretary of States certifying the election, most Republicans believe that Donald Trump won the election and there was massive voter fraud.
It is good and right that Bari Weiss is calling out the illiberal left, but does she have the courage to call out her now ardent supporters, the current Republican Party that insist that Donald Trump is the rightful President.
Phew! You SAID it, M. Reagan. I only disagree with one teeny-tiny point. I'm not sure the radicals on the left CAN be marginalized. Yah, Bari and a few are censoring the radicals. Some few here. But if You think BIDEN is gonna censor them...? Well, on that "I'm from Missouri" the show-me state.
Dunno who CAN do it on the right other than Evan Mc-somebody. I may look it up later...
I think the radicals on the left are slowly meeting resistance. I still read the NYT, there is some good stuff amongst the bad. I put my 2 cents worth in as well. I'm seeing some pushback in the readers comments as well.
I think the liberal media outlets are having a hard time generating the high intensity anxiety which captures eyeballs. Is the same true on the right? or are they having a great time fighting all Democrats?
I did enjoy that manifesto and fully agree with it. I remember reading an article about LDS women who were organizing in opposition to the divisive rhetoric that had become so prevalent in the GOP. Their principals were much the same as this.
I hope that this movement will lead the GOP away from where they appear to be now. I would love to see a repudiation of the illiberal left, and the radical right.
What concerns me about the GOP is not their support for policies that I disagree with, such as the Texas ban on abortion past six weeks, not even the changes to voting rules in some states that may make it harder for some to vote. What frightens me the most is that a majority of Republican voters, when polled, believe that there was widespread voter fraud and Trump won the election.
To me Donald Trump's behavior after the election, and the acceptance of his beliefs and behavior by a majority of the GOP, frightens me.
Can this movement in the GOP get any traction from FOX? Will right wing media allow them to speak?
"We are living through an epidemic of cowardice. The antidote is courage." I couldn't agree more -- and I loved the piece. But you could write a 1000 more just like it, and it wouldn't make a dent.
As M. Scott Peck perfectly put it: "[W]e must accept responsibility for a problem before we can solve it."
"Courage means, first off, the unqualified rejection of lies. Do not speak untruths, either about yourself or anyone else, no matter the comfort offered by the mob. And do not genially accept the lies told to you. If possible, be vocal in rejecting claims you know to be false. Courage can be contagious, and your example may serve as a means of transmission."
Above all else, THAT should be the basis of debate as to what's wrong with America (with "woke" being just one dimension of that discussion).
-- unqualified rejection of lies
-- do not speak untruths, either about yourself or anyone else, no matter the comfort offered by the mob.
-- do not genially accept the lies told to you
-- be vocal in rejecting claims you know to be false
How many of you applauding this article could demonstrably prove that you have a consistent record of the above (regardless of the party in question)?
I could. When warranted, I will defend those I despise and call out those I like.
When it comes to ascertaining the truth, I don’t care what your cause is, who’s in the White House, who controls Congress or the courts.
I learned early on in life that what you want gets in the way of what you see.
It should be self-evident that there is a reciprocal relationship between the Left and the Right -- which means that how you conduct yourselves in objecting to others' conduct, exacerbates the very problem you're trying to solve.
Look around -- and take a good look in the mirror while you're at it.
At times, the Right is justifiably infuriated by the Left, and vice versa — and my site illustrates their systematic efforts to derail debate:
If you wanna make the opposition look bad, try looking good. If you wanna have the moral high ground, try earning it:
"The moral high ground, in ethical or political parlance, refers to the status of being respected for remaining moral, and adhering to and upholding a universally recognized standard of justice or goodness."
Bari, you may be interested in reading C.S. Lewis's "Screwtape Proposes a Toast," which I believe is included in later editions of "The Screwtape Letters," circa >1960. He does a fabulous job of describing, from the Devil's perspective, exactly what the SJWs are doing now, and why. Worth reflecting upon. Keep up God's work.
Brilliant and quite necessary, thank you. I wonder when CNN will be inviting you on again?
Thank you. Keep going. There are more of us. We're just sleeping at the wheel.
I believe a new enlightenment is on the cusp of evening. A rediscovery of basic truths of human existence and social interaction and rediscovering anew the beauty of God and creation. The illumination of minds and hearts to the true meaning of love.
Deeper than courage is love.
When one is held back by fear one must ask, what do I love that I fear I will loose?
When a person has a deep connectedness to God (or sense of a greater reality of a spiritual beyond), and to family, and to their community (neighbor), are they not rich beyond measure?
Will not their safety net already be in place to prudently step forward with courage knowing deep within they have the fortitude to stand tall in the midst of suffering because they are loved and in turn deeply love?
The quote, “The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.”, is not actually from Orwell, and this is noted as a misattribution in the Wikipedia entry for George Orwell. The quote first appeared in this opinion piece: http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/duke/090506
No writer has influenced me more deeply than George Orwell, for it was he who first intimated to me, via “Nineteen Eighty-four,” that literature serves purposes above and beyond entertainment. So I’m always glad to see him referenced, as he is here. And who better to remind us of the issues at stake in this battle with illiberal Woke progressivism? More than seventy years ago, he spotted and described the early warning signs of the malign ideology that afflicts us today. What is Woke progressivism but Ingsoc? What is its mode of discourse but Newspeak? What is the essence of its mentality but doublethink?
Back in our 1984, I recall reading articles congratulating America and the world for dodging the Orwellian bullet. The grim future he’d envisioned had not come to pass and Mr. Orwell stood revealed as a false prophet, no longer needed. But it turns out that we do need the man who once wrote that if freedom of speech means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.
“America is imperfect.”
Moreover, human beings are imperfect. Much of what we take for granted (e.g., presumed innocence, human dignity, individual sovereignty and free will) are derivative of the cornerstones of Judeo-Christian teaching. We are also taught, in light of our shared failings, the promise of forgiveness.
Instead, we all face the faceless: anonymous mobs of pseudonyms who terrorize from behind Twitter handles and Comment boards or influence their employers to suppress speech and uphold new belief systems that bear little intellectual coherency.
Please stop saying that America is imperfect. No mortal being is perfect, and we need to find a better defense for our outrage at the post-modern, post-gender, and anti-racist mobs tearing apart our country.
Let’s start by asking the cancellers to respectfully debate those with whom they find fault, rather than hiding behind technology and using the threat of character assassination by tweet.
You first, Bari. Admit that much of what is going wrong is the inevitable consequence of ideology you still cling to. We'll never escape the consequences of left-wing politics if we keep them around.
I gave You a heart, M. Free, because it's an interesting question. Thing is, MOST Dems are like I was a year ago. Too busy scraping BY to have TIME to worry about terrorists hiding out in the bushes. Most STILL don't.
And here's the thing: THe Repubs haven't come up with any DECENT alternative yet. So what's a person to do... ?
It's hard to have courage when this woke ideology is waiting to pounce on you for having the wrong thought or words. I think we should continue to self educate ourselves with books and look at multiple points of view to determine our conclusions. We definitely need to have strong minds in this day and age. We can't react emotionally.
Disappointed Bari that you were on Brian's show because if anything, it is NOT reliable sources, but I do understand wny. What a pleasure to listen to an actual intelligent conversation you and Ben Shapio engaged in. My husband and I are going to listen again because it was that good. I agree it takes courage to speak out, but I also think about those who have jobs they can't afford to sacrifice. I can imagine how scary it is for them, however, I now see workers in Seattle who are choosing to leave their jobs in order to have a free choice abuot the vaccine. It's also good to know those same people have been invited to other states where their type of work is plentiful. It can be done and as you say, it can only be done with courage. So glad I joined you on Substack.
Apologies for the misspelling - Ben Shapiro.
Excellent Commentary article and description here, Bari.
You name a few examples of the courageous people among us.
We’re seeing thousands more come out daily: from Parents at school boards, airline pilots, police & nurses (who I mention together because they -among others- showed heroic status throughout the worst phase of COVID) and plain old real people who know wrong when they see it.
I can tell you that the courageous types outnumber the power hungry charlatans although we have less control right now. We just have to peacefully take it back. This movement will grow and take this country back but yes it will take much more.
If the self described “elite” class (many of whom couldn’t change a light bulb) aren’t fervently protecting your civil liberties, OBJECT and vote them out. And stop feeding their Facebook, Hollywood, and Twitter coffers. They and the Network Media want absolute control over all information solely to have full power over us.
I see some politicians (like DeSantis et. al) step up. And you can tell the pushback is underway when you see comedians take their trade back (watch Chapelle’s “The Closer” - very rough hewn but on point and a Courage smiley to Netflix for standing up).
This is a Federalist Republic. It was designed to be governed at the local level and THAT is where the course corrections start. It starts with us.
Yes we are a nation of spectators and participants. Spectators via their nature are risk averse. The pay to watch the participants take all the tusk in the arena. We carry that same behavior into the public arena where most of us just stand idly by and watch. Thanks to the courageous who are the real change agents.
https://apple.news/AojYutRdkTye_UmNGZ30wzw
Bari is SO right.....Today's incivility and intolerance actually hatched with the fall out of the Viet Nam war as student protests on campuses exposed Dancing Bear syndrome. As she notes, those dancing bears now head academia and are the supreme monarchs of cowardice.
You talk of incivility and intolerance. Would you call killing people intolerant and uncivil for exercising speech? Bari talks about the betrayal of liberalism because Prof. Dorian Abbot's lecture was canceled. Let us contrast that with the May 4 massacre, a genuine betrayal of liberalism. To put Bari's lament into perspective!
I'm glad that the excess of the left are being called out. Without a functioning 2 party system, where moderates can vote across party lines thereby marginalizing the radicals in each party, it is up to the political party to censor the radicals. The Democrats, including myself, are now in the process of doing that. We're calling out the ultra woke, who've gone overboard and the cowards who have enabled them.
I wish the same could be said for the GOP. Despite around 60 court cases of election fraud being thrown out for lack of evidence, despite many Trump appointees in key positions saying there was no evidence of fraud, despite Republican Secretary of States certifying the election, most Republicans believe that Donald Trump won the election and there was massive voter fraud.
It is good and right that Bari Weiss is calling out the illiberal left, but does she have the courage to call out her now ardent supporters, the current Republican Party that insist that Donald Trump is the rightful President.
Phew! You SAID it, M. Reagan. I only disagree with one teeny-tiny point. I'm not sure the radicals on the left CAN be marginalized. Yah, Bari and a few are censoring the radicals. Some few here. But if You think BIDEN is gonna censor them...? Well, on that "I'm from Missouri" the show-me state.
Dunno who CAN do it on the right other than Evan Mc-somebody. I may look it up later...
But, yah, TYTY (thank You).
I think the radicals on the left are slowly meeting resistance. I still read the NYT, there is some good stuff amongst the bad. I put my 2 cents worth in as well. I'm seeing some pushback in the readers comments as well.
I think the liberal media outlets are having a hard time generating the high intensity anxiety which captures eyeballs. Is the same true on the right? or are they having a great time fighting all Democrats?
You might enjoy this manifesto, M. Reagan: https://www.deseret.com/opinion/2021/5/13/22432664/republicans-third-party-trump-threaten-to-split-from-gop-evan-mcmullin-miles-taylor-liz-cheney
May hafta go back and read some more NYT. I'd given up on reading newspapers a while back...
I did enjoy that manifesto and fully agree with it. I remember reading an article about LDS women who were organizing in opposition to the divisive rhetoric that had become so prevalent in the GOP. Their principals were much the same as this.
I hope that this movement will lead the GOP away from where they appear to be now. I would love to see a repudiation of the illiberal left, and the radical right.
What concerns me about the GOP is not their support for policies that I disagree with, such as the Texas ban on abortion past six weeks, not even the changes to voting rules in some states that may make it harder for some to vote. What frightens me the most is that a majority of Republican voters, when polled, believe that there was widespread voter fraud and Trump won the election.
To me Donald Trump's behavior after the election, and the acceptance of his beliefs and behavior by a majority of the GOP, frightens me.
Can this movement in the GOP get any traction from FOX? Will right wing media allow them to speak?
Ah. GOOD questions. I dunno but am not sanguine. And what frightens You frightens me, too. ):
"We are living through an epidemic of cowardice. The antidote is courage." I couldn't agree more -- and I loved the piece. But you could write a 1000 more just like it, and it wouldn't make a dent.
As M. Scott Peck perfectly put it: "[W]e must accept responsibility for a problem before we can solve it."
"Courage means, first off, the unqualified rejection of lies. Do not speak untruths, either about yourself or anyone else, no matter the comfort offered by the mob. And do not genially accept the lies told to you. If possible, be vocal in rejecting claims you know to be false. Courage can be contagious, and your example may serve as a means of transmission."
Above all else, THAT should be the basis of debate as to what's wrong with America (with "woke" being just one dimension of that discussion).
-- unqualified rejection of lies
-- do not speak untruths, either about yourself or anyone else, no matter the comfort offered by the mob.
-- do not genially accept the lies told to you
-- be vocal in rejecting claims you know to be false
How many of you applauding this article could demonstrably prove that you have a consistent record of the above (regardless of the party in question)?
I could. When warranted, I will defend those I despise and call out those I like.
When it comes to ascertaining the truth, I don’t care what your cause is, who’s in the White House, who controls Congress or the courts.
I learned early on in life that what you want gets in the way of what you see.
It should be self-evident that there is a reciprocal relationship between the Left and the Right -- which means that how you conduct yourselves in objecting to others' conduct, exacerbates the very problem you're trying to solve.
Look around -- and take a good look in the mirror while you're at it.
At times, the Right is justifiably infuriated by the Left, and vice versa — and my site illustrates their systematic efforts to derail debate:
https://onevoicebecametwo.life/
https://onevoicebecametwo.life/2021/05/18/two-sides-of-the-same-counterfeit-coin-part-1/
If you wanna make the opposition look bad, try looking good. If you wanna have the moral high ground, try earning it:
"The moral high ground, in ethical or political parlance, refers to the status of being respected for remaining moral, and adhering to and upholding a universally recognized standard of justice or goodness."
https://onevoicebecametwo.life/2021/08/03/without-passion-or-prejudice/
https://onevoicebecametwo.life/2021/08/01/safety-dance-of-self-delusion/