Congrats! This exposure is a huge win. One thing not many people discuss is how many Americans have been virtually unaware of what is going on in this ideological witchhunt. I know that I've had to educate many of my liberal friends and even then, it takes some of them a while to wake up to how pernicious and blatantly unfair this whole …
Congrats! This exposure is a huge win. One thing not many people discuss is how many Americans have been virtually unaware of what is going on in this ideological witchhunt. I know that I've had to educate many of my liberal friends and even then, it takes some of them a while to wake up to how pernicious and blatantly unfair this whole thing is.
It's a war of language and labels conducted by adults who act like immature 7th graders but who are highly skilled in language arts and rhetoric, well organized and so convicted of their own rightness that they have become zealots. We all know that successive waves of zealots (and wars) destroyed the Library of Alexandria over several centuries. Precious archives of human knowledge lost forever. Not to mention the viciousness of religious wars in Europe which led to the formation of the United States itself. Zealotry has power and can be incredibly destructive.
But, as you suggest, if we calmly and unequivocally state our truth over and over again, it will erode the vengeful spirit that lies behind this rigid ideology. I have encountered increasing numbers of gays and lesbians in particular who are turning away from this extreme ideology. And there are many others.
Sadly, we recently lost a liberal who dedicated his life to practicing the tenets of liberal philosophy: to to encourage and lift up the disadvantaged and work for equal opportunity for all. Richard Bilkszto founded the Toronto chapter of FAIR and was an icon in the education system. He was bullied to death by a rapacious DEI (or should I say DIE) group backed by a weak school board and administration. Here was an iconic liberal - not the enemy by any stretch - who was working toward the goals of justice and equality and pro-humanism - and he was punished and hounded to death simply for having the courage to disagree with the extreme views of these grifters.
They don't care what color or creed anyone is. A few months ago, Tabia Lee, a diversity consultant, was let go by De Anza college in Cupertino for not preaching an extreme version of DEI. She was too "humanist" and wouldn't subscribe to dehumanizing white people. So, they fired her. And she is black. They don't care. They will have their revenge or die trying, even if they take out some of their own.
That said, a civilized society can't support this type of puritanical/witch hunt behavior without some kind of reckoning. I think the only reason that it's lasted so long is they have played a very clever long-game of institutional capture (ref. Paolo Freire) and they haven't made the mistake of leveraging deadly force or political coup, something that would wake people up very quickly. But, pushing heretics to suicide is ok. Destroying people's lives and careers is ok. Fragmenting and sometimes destroying families is okay. Terrorizing and publicly shaming people is ok. Tossing out basic rules of fairness and civility is ok. Introducing the concept of shaming people for the color of their skin into therapy is ok (yes, I'm looking at you APA - how many people will you drive to suicide with this tactic, eh?).
It's a pernicious, underhanded game catalyzed by a seriously toxic set of academic theories masquerading as a quasi-religious quest for justice and spread by a class of human for whom posturing and it's resultant gatekeeping is more important than breathing (the chattering classes/PMC).
Human beings are now and always will be more than our power relations and structures. There is more that motivates most of us than power. Using this lense to describe the world is like experiencing only the tail of the elephant and declaring it the whole. The whole ideology is a giant synecdoche and a solipsism, a chimera. Luckily, the objective world will be their Achilles heel. No matter how they might try, they can't erase reality. They can't change the fundamental nature of the physical universe. They can't make 2 + 2 = 5. No one is going to buy this long term.
It's like that scene in a Wrinkle in Time where the children are on the mountain with Mrs. Whatsit in her Pegasus form, and they watch a blazing star obliterate the black thing that blocks light. She explains to them that this was a star that sacrificed itself to fight the black thing. And that our history was replete with such opposition - Jesus, Rembrandt, Buddha, Bach - luminaries of heart and imagination. Richard Bilkszto was one such courageous human and there have been many others who have sacrificed everything to make a statement against this vengeful creed. Keep the faith and keep pouring that faith into the world. Pro-humanism, love, fair play - they will win - in spite of everything.
Wow, I had not heard about Richard's experience in Toronto! It amazes me that DEI zealots have not yet realized the obvious: when you find it necessary to resort to a scorched earth policy -- silencing everyone who disagrees with you with a blunt club -- you aren't winning; you're losing. Most people know the difference between truth and nonsense, and no amount of cajoling, guilting, shaming, or gaslighting will convince them otherwise.
Your Wrinkle in Time metaphor reminds me of a portion of my presentation at FreedomFest about the power of light.
When we're in a dark room and someone lights a single candle, what happens? The entire room changes. Suddenly, that single point of light allows us to see SO much. That single point of light is able to push back the darkness. And each time we add another candle, the darkness retreats further.
It doesn’t take much light to defeat darkness. That’s how powerful light is. That’s how powerful each and every one of us is 🙏🏾
You are correct. I've already decided I will take a bullet before I will submit. I fought my way out of a shaming, abusive childhood. Not going back into that box for anything.
And also, in spite of not being an Xtian, I love this verse from the bible: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5
*It's a war of language and labels conducted by adults who act like immature 7th graders but who are highly skilled in language arts and rhetoric, well organized and so convicted of their own rightness that they have become zealots.*
Such adult zealots have long helped me make a case for youth liberation, i.e., granting full civil rights to people under 18 and treating them according to their individual merits and the quality of their life experiences, not the mere quantity. This is because many adults do not behave any better than the traits we ascribe to young kids, and in fact, the wave of kids getting involved with the "gender affirmation" nonsense is largely due to adults pushing the trend on them. Let us also not forget the older adults running the corporations and government, who likewise make terrible decisions on a regular basis.
*It's a pernicious, underhanded game catalyzed by a seriously toxic set of academic theories masquerading as a quasi-religious quest for justice and spread by a class of human for whom posturing and it's resultant gatekeeping is more important than breathing (the chattering classes/PMC).*
It's main purpose, by the capitalists who formulate it, is to keep the various groups comprising the working class separated into competing factions who are pissed off at each other. This spurious ideology hoodwinks people with specific personality traits and/or emotional issues by appealing to a dark part of the human psyche: one seeking revenge on others, and a desire to play the righteous moral crusader by doing so. They found a perfect, establishment-approved outlet for their anger and bitterness, much as earlier generations of psychopaths and serial killers did by joining the military or by becoming bounty hunters.
*I think the only reason that it's lasted so long is they have played a very clever long-game of institutional capture (ref. Paolo Freire) and they haven't made the mistake of leveraging deadly force or political coup, something that would wake people up very quickly.*
That, and due to the unfortunate emotional appeal these tenets have to our darker emotional impulses, as described above. Would it truly have gotten this far in the Western world, particularly America, if it did not have so many emotionally unstable people? The capitalist class and the government it controls was well aware that they could harness and focus the pervasive emotional issues caused by their system into tricking elements of the Left into defending its institutions, much as Nazi Germany and the Stalinist Soviet Union did in the past. Brilliant... and sad.
*I have encountered increasing numbers of gays and lesbians in particular who are turning away from this extreme ideology. And there are many others.*
As have I. Emotionally stable LGBTs, those who are relatively well-adjusted and not filled with bitterness over the past, and those lacking the specific personality traits that make "woke" ideology appealing, are all turned off by this mentality, at least eventually. The majority of LGBTs simply want to live their lives in peace and be openly accepted with equal rights by the heteronormative majority. Hence, they are well aware that promoting hatred against, and demanding entitlements from, the heteronormative majority is simply going to result in an equally angry backlash, which is already fueling a resurgence of the Regressive Right. It is also driving an increasing number of angry heteronormative white men who feel alienated & abandoned by the Left, and even many women & LGBTs who resent hatred being promoted in their name, into the ranks of the Right -- and sometimes into its more Extreme manifestations.
The Classical Left succeeded in keeping these traditional bigots at bay and even garnering their tolerance for openly LGBT lifestyles in their midst. But shoving said lifestyles down their nose, pushing it on their kids in schools (where the kids lack their civil rights and are captive audiences for the curricula) to try and create large numbers of synthetic LGBTs, and alienating them from heteronormatives who otherwise would have been their friends and accepted them as people is threatening to reverse many of the the civil rights they earned over a long period of struggle by fighting the fight mostly *the correct way.*
I also extend my condolences over Richard. It is in his name and the name of other brave souls like him that we continue his legacy of fighting for *real* civil liberties and genuine equality for everyone.
You might enjoy this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM4qvDs6Hdc "Diversity is a Ruling Class Ideology There are some very good insights in this video. It's long but worth it.
Loved: “Hence, they are well aware that promoting hatred against, and demanding entitlements from, the heteronormative majority is simply going to result in an equally angry backlash, which is already fueling a resurgence of the Regressive Right. It is also driving an increasing number of angry heteronormative white men who feel alienated & abandoned by the Left, and even many women & LGBTs who resent hatred being promoted in their name, into the ranks of the Right -- and sometimes into its more Extreme manifestations.”
I've noticed this for some time now. The extreme left is creating the extreme right. Just like the extreme right of the Jim Crow era (combined with the puritanical notions of the early 20th century progressive left - eugenics, quest for a perfect society, temperance movement, post-modernist philosophy) fed into the creation of the extreme left. Vicious cycle.
Yes, the suicide of Richard makes me weep. We need more Richards on this planet, not less. I understand the despair that drove him to kill himself. There are days when it is hard to live in this world.
And I can think of no better way to get justice for Richard by using the power of words to take out all of these bullies. They need to be opposed, because they are a toxic, destructive force to democracy, actual progress, and the well-being of decent people.
Congrats! This exposure is a huge win. One thing not many people discuss is how many Americans have been virtually unaware of what is going on in this ideological witchhunt. I know that I've had to educate many of my liberal friends and even then, it takes some of them a while to wake up to how pernicious and blatantly unfair this whole thing is.
It's a war of language and labels conducted by adults who act like immature 7th graders but who are highly skilled in language arts and rhetoric, well organized and so convicted of their own rightness that they have become zealots. We all know that successive waves of zealots (and wars) destroyed the Library of Alexandria over several centuries. Precious archives of human knowledge lost forever. Not to mention the viciousness of religious wars in Europe which led to the formation of the United States itself. Zealotry has power and can be incredibly destructive.
But, as you suggest, if we calmly and unequivocally state our truth over and over again, it will erode the vengeful spirit that lies behind this rigid ideology. I have encountered increasing numbers of gays and lesbians in particular who are turning away from this extreme ideology. And there are many others.
Sadly, we recently lost a liberal who dedicated his life to practicing the tenets of liberal philosophy: to to encourage and lift up the disadvantaged and work for equal opportunity for all. Richard Bilkszto founded the Toronto chapter of FAIR and was an icon in the education system. He was bullied to death by a rapacious DEI (or should I say DIE) group backed by a weak school board and administration. Here was an iconic liberal - not the enemy by any stretch - who was working toward the goals of justice and equality and pro-humanism - and he was punished and hounded to death simply for having the courage to disagree with the extreme views of these grifters.
They don't care what color or creed anyone is. A few months ago, Tabia Lee, a diversity consultant, was let go by De Anza college in Cupertino for not preaching an extreme version of DEI. She was too "humanist" and wouldn't subscribe to dehumanizing white people. So, they fired her. And she is black. They don't care. They will have their revenge or die trying, even if they take out some of their own.
That said, a civilized society can't support this type of puritanical/witch hunt behavior without some kind of reckoning. I think the only reason that it's lasted so long is they have played a very clever long-game of institutional capture (ref. Paolo Freire) and they haven't made the mistake of leveraging deadly force or political coup, something that would wake people up very quickly. But, pushing heretics to suicide is ok. Destroying people's lives and careers is ok. Fragmenting and sometimes destroying families is okay. Terrorizing and publicly shaming people is ok. Tossing out basic rules of fairness and civility is ok. Introducing the concept of shaming people for the color of their skin into therapy is ok (yes, I'm looking at you APA - how many people will you drive to suicide with this tactic, eh?).
It's a pernicious, underhanded game catalyzed by a seriously toxic set of academic theories masquerading as a quasi-religious quest for justice and spread by a class of human for whom posturing and it's resultant gatekeeping is more important than breathing (the chattering classes/PMC).
Human beings are now and always will be more than our power relations and structures. There is more that motivates most of us than power. Using this lense to describe the world is like experiencing only the tail of the elephant and declaring it the whole. The whole ideology is a giant synecdoche and a solipsism, a chimera. Luckily, the objective world will be their Achilles heel. No matter how they might try, they can't erase reality. They can't change the fundamental nature of the physical universe. They can't make 2 + 2 = 5. No one is going to buy this long term.
It's like that scene in a Wrinkle in Time where the children are on the mountain with Mrs. Whatsit in her Pegasus form, and they watch a blazing star obliterate the black thing that blocks light. She explains to them that this was a star that sacrificed itself to fight the black thing. And that our history was replete with such opposition - Jesus, Rembrandt, Buddha, Bach - luminaries of heart and imagination. Richard Bilkszto was one such courageous human and there have been many others who have sacrificed everything to make a statement against this vengeful creed. Keep the faith and keep pouring that faith into the world. Pro-humanism, love, fair play - they will win - in spite of everything.
Wow, I had not heard about Richard's experience in Toronto! It amazes me that DEI zealots have not yet realized the obvious: when you find it necessary to resort to a scorched earth policy -- silencing everyone who disagrees with you with a blunt club -- you aren't winning; you're losing. Most people know the difference between truth and nonsense, and no amount of cajoling, guilting, shaming, or gaslighting will convince them otherwise.
Your Wrinkle in Time metaphor reminds me of a portion of my presentation at FreedomFest about the power of light.
When we're in a dark room and someone lights a single candle, what happens? The entire room changes. Suddenly, that single point of light allows us to see SO much. That single point of light is able to push back the darkness. And each time we add another candle, the darkness retreats further.
It doesn’t take much light to defeat darkness. That’s how powerful light is. That’s how powerful each and every one of us is 🙏🏾
You are correct. I've already decided I will take a bullet before I will submit. I fought my way out of a shaming, abusive childhood. Not going back into that box for anything.
RE: Light - absolutely! Marianne Williamson comes to mind: https://www.personalgrowthcourses.net/stories/williamson.ourdeepestfear.invitation
And also, in spite of not being an Xtian, I love this verse from the bible: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5
You shining an amazing light. Thank you. 🌼
❤️
Well said, Jacob!
*It's a war of language and labels conducted by adults who act like immature 7th graders but who are highly skilled in language arts and rhetoric, well organized and so convicted of their own rightness that they have become zealots.*
Such adult zealots have long helped me make a case for youth liberation, i.e., granting full civil rights to people under 18 and treating them according to their individual merits and the quality of their life experiences, not the mere quantity. This is because many adults do not behave any better than the traits we ascribe to young kids, and in fact, the wave of kids getting involved with the "gender affirmation" nonsense is largely due to adults pushing the trend on them. Let us also not forget the older adults running the corporations and government, who likewise make terrible decisions on a regular basis.
*It's a pernicious, underhanded game catalyzed by a seriously toxic set of academic theories masquerading as a quasi-religious quest for justice and spread by a class of human for whom posturing and it's resultant gatekeeping is more important than breathing (the chattering classes/PMC).*
It's main purpose, by the capitalists who formulate it, is to keep the various groups comprising the working class separated into competing factions who are pissed off at each other. This spurious ideology hoodwinks people with specific personality traits and/or emotional issues by appealing to a dark part of the human psyche: one seeking revenge on others, and a desire to play the righteous moral crusader by doing so. They found a perfect, establishment-approved outlet for their anger and bitterness, much as earlier generations of psychopaths and serial killers did by joining the military or by becoming bounty hunters.
*I think the only reason that it's lasted so long is they have played a very clever long-game of institutional capture (ref. Paolo Freire) and they haven't made the mistake of leveraging deadly force or political coup, something that would wake people up very quickly.*
That, and due to the unfortunate emotional appeal these tenets have to our darker emotional impulses, as described above. Would it truly have gotten this far in the Western world, particularly America, if it did not have so many emotionally unstable people? The capitalist class and the government it controls was well aware that they could harness and focus the pervasive emotional issues caused by their system into tricking elements of the Left into defending its institutions, much as Nazi Germany and the Stalinist Soviet Union did in the past. Brilliant... and sad.
*I have encountered increasing numbers of gays and lesbians in particular who are turning away from this extreme ideology. And there are many others.*
As have I. Emotionally stable LGBTs, those who are relatively well-adjusted and not filled with bitterness over the past, and those lacking the specific personality traits that make "woke" ideology appealing, are all turned off by this mentality, at least eventually. The majority of LGBTs simply want to live their lives in peace and be openly accepted with equal rights by the heteronormative majority. Hence, they are well aware that promoting hatred against, and demanding entitlements from, the heteronormative majority is simply going to result in an equally angry backlash, which is already fueling a resurgence of the Regressive Right. It is also driving an increasing number of angry heteronormative white men who feel alienated & abandoned by the Left, and even many women & LGBTs who resent hatred being promoted in their name, into the ranks of the Right -- and sometimes into its more Extreme manifestations.
The Classical Left succeeded in keeping these traditional bigots at bay and even garnering their tolerance for openly LGBT lifestyles in their midst. But shoving said lifestyles down their nose, pushing it on their kids in schools (where the kids lack their civil rights and are captive audiences for the curricula) to try and create large numbers of synthetic LGBTs, and alienating them from heteronormatives who otherwise would have been their friends and accepted them as people is threatening to reverse many of the the civil rights they earned over a long period of struggle by fighting the fight mostly *the correct way.*
I also extend my condolences over Richard. It is in his name and the name of other brave souls like him that we continue his legacy of fighting for *real* civil liberties and genuine equality for everyone.
It's Lightwing, but thanks!
You might enjoy this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mM4qvDs6Hdc "Diversity is a Ruling Class Ideology There are some very good insights in this video. It's long but worth it.
Loved: “Hence, they are well aware that promoting hatred against, and demanding entitlements from, the heteronormative majority is simply going to result in an equally angry backlash, which is already fueling a resurgence of the Regressive Right. It is also driving an increasing number of angry heteronormative white men who feel alienated & abandoned by the Left, and even many women & LGBTs who resent hatred being promoted in their name, into the ranks of the Right -- and sometimes into its more Extreme manifestations.”
I've noticed this for some time now. The extreme left is creating the extreme right. Just like the extreme right of the Jim Crow era (combined with the puritanical notions of the early 20th century progressive left - eugenics, quest for a perfect society, temperance movement, post-modernist philosophy) fed into the creation of the extreme left. Vicious cycle.
Yes, the suicide of Richard makes me weep. We need more Richards on this planet, not less. I understand the despair that drove him to kill himself. There are days when it is hard to live in this world.
However, lest we descend into despair ourselves, we must always look for hope: https://www.nas.org/blogs/statement/faculty-begin-fight-for-academic-freedom-at-harvard People are rising up to fight back. Awareness is growing.
And I can think of no better way to get justice for Richard by using the power of words to take out all of these bullies. They need to be opposed, because they are a toxic, destructive force to democracy, actual progress, and the well-being of decent people.
We need to get you in on this collab article too, Lightwing :-)
Wow! Powerful words! Thank you!