Thursday, June 25, 2015
Political Correctness and the Decline of the West
Reader Maya M. has taken me to task over my post on Tim Hunt & political correctness. You can read the discussion in the comments of the post, and I've extended the offer to Maya to do a guest post or two if she wishes. I hope she will.
Meanwhile, I've come across a couple of pieces I think relevant to the discussion of political correctness. In the first, from the Foundation for Economic Education's FEE Daily Aaron Tao documents and discusses how leftwing political correctness is shutting down free speech in both the U.K. and the United States. It's an excellent and thoughtful piece, very well documented with chilling examples (read his hyperlinks). I think he is right that this PC war on freedom of thought and speech is a result of post-modernism.
The second is an essay by Brendan O'Neill in Spiked (OK, OK, it's actually sp!ked) on "Feminism and the Turn Against Enlightenment." O'Neill argues that lying behind the rise of what I have called radical feminism (or gender feminism) is the post-modernist rebellion against the Enlightenment and its universal values of reason, truth and freedom. I don't fully agree with everything in the essay, but I think his main point is on target. My differences? For one thing, I am skeptical that radical feminism is the only manifestation of the left that has any popular currency in high places -- what about crazy ideas on race & privilege, or the supremacy of "the environment" over rights and interests of human beings, or leftist kow-towing to "the other" when "the other" happens to be fundamentalist Islam?)
Both of these are worth reading.
Meanwhile, I've come across a couple of pieces I think relevant to the discussion of political correctness. In the first, from the Foundation for Economic Education's FEE Daily Aaron Tao documents and discusses how leftwing political correctness is shutting down free speech in both the U.K. and the United States. It's an excellent and thoughtful piece, very well documented with chilling examples (read his hyperlinks). I think he is right that this PC war on freedom of thought and speech is a result of post-modernism.
The second is an essay by Brendan O'Neill in Spiked (OK, OK, it's actually sp!ked) on "Feminism and the Turn Against Enlightenment." O'Neill argues that lying behind the rise of what I have called radical feminism (or gender feminism) is the post-modernist rebellion against the Enlightenment and its universal values of reason, truth and freedom. I don't fully agree with everything in the essay, but I think his main point is on target. My differences? For one thing, I am skeptical that radical feminism is the only manifestation of the left that has any popular currency in high places -- what about crazy ideas on race & privilege, or the supremacy of "the environment" over rights and interests of human beings, or leftist kow-towing to "the other" when "the other" happens to be fundamentalist Islam?)
Both of these are worth reading.
Comments:
<< Home
Hi Dr. Steele,
You may find this link interesting. A former NYU student gives a very detailed and well-considered explanation of the current 'Social Justice Warrior' movement. It is a very good commentary on the balkanization of the Millennial generation.
https://medium.com/@aristoNYC/social-justice-bullies-the-authoritarianism-of-millennial-social-justice-6bdb5ad3c9d3
You may find this link interesting. A former NYU student gives a very detailed and well-considered explanation of the current 'Social Justice Warrior' movement. It is a very good commentary on the balkanization of the Millennial generation.
https://medium.com/@aristoNYC/social-justice-bullies-the-authoritarianism-of-millennial-social-justice-6bdb5ad3c9d3
# posted by 
: 15:25
: 15:25
Wow, that was excellent. This was one of the pieces quoted in Aaron Tao's essay, but I only read his quotes. Thanks, Greg!
It's hard to believe but since the title of your blog is Unforeseen Contingencies, I wonder how many FDR supporters actually realize just how much he did to set up the "Decline of the West" due to his selling out U.S. interests to Saudi Arabia and Saudi Arabia's use of the U.S. as a force for the spreading of their vile version of Islam, Wahhabism, but this documentary shows just how forward thinking the kings were while the U.S. presidents were nothing more than their pawns thanks to U.S. dependence on oil. Here is 'Bitter Lake" - part 1. It has great reviews, but I found it extremely disjointed and hard to continue watching at times.
"Bitter Lake" - part 2
"Bitter Lake" - part 3
Sadly, this is not fiction and people are still dying to this day because of this while Saudi Arabia sits on all its piles of cash and oil reserves while using the United States as its instrument to continue spreading their vile Islamic religion, Wahhabism.
"Bitter Lake" - part 2
"Bitter Lake" - part 3
Sadly, this is not fiction and people are still dying to this day because of this while Saudi Arabia sits on all its piles of cash and oil reserves while using the United States as its instrument to continue spreading their vile Islamic religion, Wahhabism.
Ferda, thank you for commenting. Your link goes to what appears to be a news aggregator in India and had nothing I could see about Rachel Dolezal. You'll need to provide a stable URL for links.
John, thanks for your comment. I've not yet watched the video, but I am sure the Saudis and others buy political influence in America. I've seen evidence that people as diverse as Bill and Hillary Clinton, Lew Rockwell, and John McCain accept foreign "donations" in return for support.
Post a Comment
John, thanks for your comment. I've not yet watched the video, but I am sure the Saudis and others buy political influence in America. I've seen evidence that people as diverse as Bill and Hillary Clinton, Lew Rockwell, and John McCain accept foreign "donations" in return for support.
<< Home
