Positive Dehumanization

Perhaps an interesting factor in society is what could be called “positive dehumanization”. This occurs when we dehumanize people by elevating them to a status beyond humanity. This occurs most often with authority figures, particularly judges and scientists, but can also occur on a group basis as well. This is dangerous as it creates a blind trust in a group of individuals, who may often become anonymized.

It is probably standard procedure to immediately accept any political outcome regardless of its logicality as long as it benefits your side. This is, of course, bad thinking. But it gets dangerous when it applies to judges. When a court issues a decision, do we look at the logic behind it? Do we look at any criticisms? When we fail to analyze decisions critically, we unintentionally give a veneer of superiority to the judge. There can be no such thing as an incorrect ruling! Judges can’t be biased! We should thank the judges for damaging our political opponents (and nothing more. And we wonder why our society is so politicized.) What about the fact that the judge in question was a classmate of Obama’s and was in his area a few days before the ruling? Alt-Right conspiracy theory! There is totally no way a judge could be corrupt!

This puts the commentary on Trump’s “so-called judge” comments in an interesting place. First, as a basis, this means that attacking the judiciary (while holding any position) is wrong. Placing judges on a pedestal does not bode well for the future. Not being able to criticize judges on any basis, for childish reasons or not, sets a dangerous environment where criticizing any judge becomes a social taboo. Judges are supposed to recuse themselves on any possible conflict of interest or if there could be any source of bias. This, admittedly, would include race or ethnicity. Perhaps Trump should have pointed to his involvement in La Raza, but race and ethnicity are also important factors. Why do we complain when black defendants get an all white jury? Every factor must be taken into consideration when ensuring a fair trial.

Scientists are also another key example of this trend. We often see articles about “experts” declaring something. We do not usually care how many agree or disagree, and don’t look into their credentials (unless their name is Sebastian Gorka). What university are they related to? Who peer reviewed their papers? Was the paper well received? Was the paper paid for or endorsed by a third party? Was the method correct? It doesn’t matter as they are “scientists” who can do no wrong.

By taking a series of “experts” as an anonymized group, one places blind trust in a group of individuals. It is important to be skeptical of everything, even from so-called authority figures. One can not attach a term to a group or individual and suddenly exempt them from criticism because “they know better”. Placing them in a larger group masks any issues such as agendas or flawed logic or studies hidden. All this does is block needed queries.

#DemocratsAreOverParty

Here is a somewhat bold prediction: the Democratic party will be done by 2020. We will have to see how 2018 turns out, but the parallel Labour party in the UK isn’t doing so hot either. The reason for this prediction is multifaceted, but breaks down to age, the inability of the Democrats to successfully find a wide political market, and the ideological extremities of its members.

The Age Problem

…what?… #JointAddress pic.twitter.com/GbkThNxqSc

— Justin Wood (@iamJTWood) March 1, 2017

The Democrats are an aging party. Hillary Clinton is 69 years old. Joe Biden is 74 years old. Elizabeth Warren is 67 years old. Feinstein is 83 and Pelosi is 76. There is minimal new blood in the party (part of this is due to the branding problem). Age and health was a concern in this election and will continue to be an issue. Some prominent Democrats do not wish to run. There is a very limited pool of selectable candidates. This is also a big issue connecting to the youth who feel disconnected from older, more elite candidates.

The Marketing Problem

The marketing or branding problem is one of the many reasons the Democrats lost the 2016 election. To win a presidential election, one must appeal to a broad range of individuals (in our current system. Yes, you can spam the “Trump lost the popular vote!” meme all you want. It doesn’t change the fact that’s not how our elections work, or the fact the entirety of the lead came from California.). The Democrats have not figured out this balancing act. They had no positive message to rally around. The policies were the same as or extensions of Obama’s, which the electorate did not want. There were also issues within the party as well, exemplified in the conflict between the Sanders and Clinton camps. The Sanders camp were mostly younger individuals who might have just gotten started in politics. They were a strong group interested in wage reform, college reform, and generally anti-war. This is in stark contrast to the Clinton camp on every level. The Clinton camp was mainly the elite who had no interest in any of Sander’s policies. One of the key unfoldings is the election of Tom Perez as DNC chair, continuing the line of Clinton-ite leaders who many feel snubbed Bernie from receiving the nomination. These individuals will forever be lost by the Democratic party on that basis alone. The true globalists who do not hold political affiliations (or are just concerned about raw power) have learned that the Democratic party is done. This is why Milo Yiannopoulos got smeared and why McCain and Graham are being trotted out by the media on a regular basis. Without this influence, the Clinton camp will collapse and fade into obscurity.

Ideological Purity & Extremity

The final core issue is the purity and extremism of the Democratic party. They have been known to purge candidates for holding different viewpoints or endorsing other candidates. There is a strong urge to dismiss dissenters. This is disastrous for the party. They will destroy intellectual diversity in the same vain as in colleges. There is also rumor and prediction that the Democrats will try and reduce the number of Whites running in their party. This reduces the number of voices in planning, leading to the branding problem. One can say all parties would be concerned with dissenters, but to be concerned to such a degree that endorsing the wrong candidate (in your own party), or agreeing with only 90% of the issues is a large issue.

The Democrats are falling apart. The only pity is that the viable 3rd parties will surely not take advantage.

Why the left is scared

Nations, like stars, are entitled to eclipse. All is well, provided the light returns and the eclipse does not become endless night.

– Victor Hugo

One of course notices the left freaking out about our fascist, authoritarian, Nazi dictator disguised as the president. It is all very interesting. They are interested in defending the constitution, an oppressive document. They now adore American values that are part of the white supremacist capitalist patriarchy. They suddenly go from attacking our country to defending our country (or their botched idea of our country).

I will not go into whether Trump is authoritarian or not, but it is clear to any objective individual concerned with liberty that the left is far more authoritarian. They want to implement hate speech laws, force job hiring quotas, infringe on our 2nd amendment rights, and some want to do a massive redistribution of wealth. They would adore a leader ignoring the constitution to implement their agenda. It would certainly help if the leader were on their side, but the base principles are the same.

So what is the left scared of? First and foremost, Trump’s very election has dealt a strong blow to the mechanics of the radical left. Taking quotes out of context does not work anymore. Smearing individuals does not work anymore. Calling people the usual leftist buzzwords does not work anymore. Making false accusations do not work anymore. Hillary Clinton winning the election would have given the radical left a mandate. It would have proven that the leftist tactics worked. It didn’t. Gamergate happened. Trump happened. Brexit happened. Their tactics have failed on a global scale. They have suffered a political defeat that, in my opinion, has not been seen since the fall of the Nazis.

They also fear Trump’s agenda. Mainly because he has destroyed or will destroy the three pillars of the left: academia, the media, and Hollywood.
The public’s trust in the media is at an all time low. CNN’s ratings have plummeted while Fox remains king. Breitbart is the most popular political website. Tucker Carlson gets higher ratings in every demographic than the Daily Show. The left has no more media outlets that are trustworthy. It is also key that they are losing moderate leftists over unfair coverage. Their plan to call websites ‘Fake News’ has failed (note the intense projection in the fifth paragraph). Without control over the media, the left has failed to create a compliant citizenry.

Academia has yet to be touched. This will change once DeVos is confirmed (and it is of critical importance that she is). DeVos has donated to FIRE, which means she is at least sympathetic to the ideas they provide. School choice is critical. This means that competition will be created amongst non-college education. If a parent does not want to send their student to Social Justice High School, they can easily attend another school. We know social justice can not compete in the market place. Trump has also advocated for vocational training. This creates competition among universities. They will no longer receive a constant flow of students. They can simply train for 2 years to become a mechanic or plumber. This means that universities will be forced to compete as well. They may offer their own programs, or expand their STEM research. This will thin out sociology and gender studies departments.

The true reason the left is scared is because they know their time is up. They know that in 2 or 3 years, their ideas will be laughed at and ignored. Generation Z favors Trump over Hillary by 15%. Trump’s approval rating is 57%. 47% of Americans approve of the way the country is heading, the highest it has been in 12 years. 57% of voters approve of the recent executive order to freeze certain immigration for 90 days. Those who oppose him are in a vocal minority.

As for the recent trend of political violence, we have not reached the tipping point yet. The violence is not coming from leftists. It is mainly coming from the radical marxists / communists LARPing as revolutionaries. They see this time period as the last chance they have. Most people approving of violence are just people trying to act tough on the internet. We are not there yet, but we might soon be…

Argumentative Labelling

No day passes without a Democratic politician, a left-wing commentator, or, if I may be excused a redundancy, a left-wing academic labeling Republicans and conservatives racist.
– Dennis Prager

Ideologies pose a danger in that they not only limit their members, but outsiders as well. You obviously have to call your movement something. This is where things fall apart. All too often, the name of the ideology is used as a defense for it. Don’t approve of Black Lives Matter? You’re a racist! Don’t approve of a feminist idea? You must be a sexist! It is the ultimate non-argument, because it literally avoids any possible argument.

This is very important in opposing ideologies. For example, if you attack Democratic ideas, you must be a Republican. If you’re for Democratic ideas, you must be left-wing. This leaves the idea out of the question. You can’t debate the idea for what the idea is worth. You have to line yourself up with a particular ideology in order to debate it.

Another very important issue is “guilt by association” or just simple smearing. On Buzzfeed or other typical leftist sites, Republicans or conservatives are racist, sexist, bigots etc. So, if you are a Republican (or echo a conservative idea) you must be racist. The same thing happens to the alt-right and men’s rights activists. Yes, there are problems with these groups, but they do not give a true sense of the movement or ideas, as they are selected examples (new law: when media posts an article about trolls / “harassment” on the internet, and tweets are embedded, the tweets more often than not have 20 retweets/favorites or less). Of course, it still is ignoring the basis of the ideas. If the idea itself is bigoted, then why do you need to connect it to a movement? If the idea is so helpful and virtuous, can it not stand on its own?

It also leads to endless ad-hominems. “You are not a true conservative” or “you don’t understand the movement” is again ignoring the core idea. Why should I have to know everything about an ideology to criticize an idea that affects broad society? Of course, the person who claims to be a “true” part or that understands the movement, is the other person. It is a position that can not be argued against – because it is not an argument.

Outsiders are crucial , as the entire purpose of a movement or ideology is to attract those not in the movement, and create a positive perception (or so it would seem to an outsider). If someone not in your movement finds something off or generally does not agree, it can be used as a tool of recruitment. One can explain why their argument is flawed, or the movement could gain new insight for a problem. Of course, any internal or external disagreements lead to the collapse of an ideology, hence this behavior and the need for ideological preservation.

Ideological Preservation Part 2: Ignorance and Dismissal

The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend.

– Robertson Davies

One of the most basic mechanisms of ideological preservation is simple ignorance. If conflicting facts are not presented, then there is no need to explain them. This is primarily done in classrooms and academia because it is extremely simple to do so: just don’t mention it. Of course, the purpose of a university (in theory…) is to present multiple views on a subject to encourage critical thought. However, at least in my experience, this has not occurred. In my sociology classes throughout the year, it took until nearly the end of the last quarter to bring up any criticism of Marxism. If students do not seek out criticisms, whether they do not want to or do not know where to look, then the ideas in the classrooms are presented as a singular entity. One of my professors said “If you don’t think Thomas Kuhn is correct, then you’re just wrong!” I suppose Alan Sokal is just wrong then…

Media of course plays easily into this role as well. I already went into detail about how social media ruins any critical thought. Obviously, the media is in control of the narrative. They for example, won’t make headlines stating that Obama banned all Venezuelan immigrants (as of the time of writing the search “obama venezuela immigration” only returns Reddit results). This is because they want to keep the narrative that Trump banning entire countries from immigrating is unacceptable. It is also why feminist websites will never post about Hillary Clinton’s foundation pay gap.

When these facts are brought to light, the next step is dismissal. The easiest way, at least in academia, is to simply say that they are wrong. The source is unreliable or ill-argued. This is done from a position of power and nothing else. We are trusting that the professors be unbiased, and take their word for it. They do not need to justify any complaints that something is wrong. The classic way to dismiss is to simply label the work. Saying that a work is “outdated” or even conservative (God forbid that someone has a different belief system!) is another simple method of dismissal which requires no substantive explanation or defense of one’s own ideology (Kimball, Roger – Tenured Radicals pg 20). When you’re out of ideas, one can fall back on the good-old fashioned tried and true method of comparing things you don’t like to Hitler (Tenured Radicals pg 5).

Feminism gains far more power by accusing something of being racist or sexist. These are simple yet powerful words. They still hold no meaning, especially in academia. Stating that something is sexist does not necessarily make it so. In my opinion, only the intent matters in acts. The problem is that otherwise, such terms become nebulous and tricky to define. Does one person calling a view sexist make it so? Does it have to be two or more? Does it have to be every female professor? If one person does not find the view sexist, is it enough to cancel it out? If a female professor agrees that it is not sexist, does that cancel it out? There is no way to determine if something is sexist or racist. There is no definable objective test as to whether a view is sexist or not, it can only be subjective in nature. As such, it is ripe for abuse, as one can then simply claim any view they don’t like is sexist or racist (Tenured Radicals pg 20).

Ignorance is bliss. By ignoring conflicting facts and reason, the ideology preserves itself quite well. Marxism and feminism are, in universities, presented as the only correct view. This also applies to other current paradigms such as postmodernism or critical theory. This is dangerous, as it means no other interpretations are considered. Putting all the problems in these paradigms aside, all of these ideologies are just one method of interpreting the world. Encouraging and implanting one world view is detrimental to the university experience as well as in real life. Of course, the ideologues are far more concerned with the upkeep of their ideology, rather than considering other points of view.

Dismissal is also dangerous to individuals as well. When something is dismissed, it is done through a position of power. Power is then used as the justification. When a professor says a view is incorrect or wrong, they do so with presumed authority. Of course, this does not mean that professors can’t correct an incorrect presumption or view, they just have to do it factually and rationally. Simply saying it is wrong is not enough. Referencing their own ideological positions are not enough either, especially when such ideology is also easily debunked. The classic feminist line is “educate yourself and check your privilege!”. This is also done from a position of power, as it is presuming that the one using the line is more informed about the subject. The main issue is that it increases animosity towards other points of view. If you’re view is right, why should you have to explain it? You’re clearly the more informed one. Anyone who brings out criticisms must not know what they are talking about! In that regard, dismissal then plays multiple roles. It preserves the ideology by giving a simple, inarguable reason to get rid of opposing views. It also functions as a recruiting tool, as dismissing from a position of power, especially when they are a professor, makes one want to learn the “right” way of thinking. When ignorance and dismissal fails, that’s when the reshaping process begins…

Big Media and Critical Thought

“The devil gave humans critical thinking, which God didn’t want us to have.”

– Unknown

Big media has ruined critical thought both intentionally and unintentionally. The notion that the internet is truly open is misguided in practice. Firstly, one chooses what to see. Subreddits and Youtube channels are subscribed to, Facebook pages are liked, friend requests are approved, and who you follow on Twitter are all selected. You get to choose your own environment. This is obviously not an issue on its own. However, one still only gets views that one approves of. This is highly dangerous as one view is usually stated over and over, even if this view can easily be proven factually incorrect. It also labels enemies quite easily. If someone if your group posts something that is not approved of by that group, it is fiercely attacked, even if it shows factual basis. People are more likely to respond harshly online as opposed to in-person. This creates a dangerous atmosphere where people might be afraid to post due to fear of backlash. It is also extremely easy to unfollow / unfriend someone, making it easy to simply hide different points of view or posts rather than confront them.

This issue goes farther when sites are catered to one’s preferences, or just outright censors. In 2011, Facebook implemented an algorithm to tailor user’s main pages based on the links that they clicked. This means that content that did not “interest you” (i.e. you didn’t click the links) would be filtered out. Not only can one tailor social media themselves, the companies can do it for you. One now only has a guaranteed singular perspective. There have been reports of Twitter and Facebook silently censoring views or posts that they do not agree with. It is of course up to the company to decide what is acceptable or not, but they primarily censor conservative views, or any hashtags or posts critical of feminism. This brings the ability to hide views up to the highest level. Now even if people want to see opposing views, they do not have the ability to do so.

This leaves us with an illusion that the internet is truly a free flowing area of information. The main point to take away from this, are the effects in real life. If one spends all of their time on Facebook, they are glued to the views that they hold. When someone comes and challenges that view in person, the view is held on to. You have seen many posts and articles about it, it must be true! Even when presented with factual evidence, the articles have trained you to disregard it, because what you have seen can not possibly be wrong, everyone has said it! It does not help when these views are also parroted by mainstream media, and sites such as Buzzfeed. Big media also prevents considering other points of view by using the usual buzzwords. A great example is the phenomenon known as “gamedropping”, where in a completely irrelevant article, Gamergate is mentioned for no reason. This also frequently occurs in any mention of MRAs (men’s rights activists), whom the media frequently paints as “misogynistic manbabies”, while associating them with shooter Elliot Rodger (who was never even related to MRAs in the first place. Nor is it right to blame the actions of one on a few, unless we already hate that group). Big media truly controls what we see, whether we like to or not. It is extremely dangerous, and has been the root of the formation of ideologies such as feminism and the #NeverTrump movement.

The Media is Sometimes Right (When They Agree With Me)

In fact, however, the supporters of the welfare state are utterly anti-social and intolerant zealots. For their ideology tacitly implies that the government will exactly execute what they themselves deem right and beneficial. They entirely disregard the possibility that there could arise disagreement with regard to the question of what is right and expedient and what is not.

– Ludwig von Mises

Trump and Sanders are often two sides of the same coin. One labelled “fascist” and the other labelled “progressive”. This is not about their views, but mainly about their treatment by the media, and the public’s reaction to such claims. When the Washington post posted 16 anti-Sanders articles in under 16 hours, it demonstrates a very clear media bias. When anti-Trump article after anti-Trump article is posted, it’s certainly fine because clearly any sane individual would be against Trump (except for losers like Caitlyn Jenner).

When Trump and his supporters get shut down, beat up, and silenced for supposed racism, this is an amazing act of progressive bravery. When Sanders was shut down by BlackLivesMatter for supposed racism, this was the clear result of overly entitled idealogues. When Trump is considered fascist for retweeting a Mussolini quote (because the first thing we do in school is memorize a list of Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini quotes so we can avoid saying them. Also, authoritarian / fascist / nazi / communist leaders have to be great leaders. Otherwise, they would be shot) this is great evidence to not support Trump. When Sanders is implicated for sexism for defending himself against interruptions by Clinton, this only serves as a ridiculous, horribly incorrect outlook.

When people call Sanders a socialist or a communist bent on infiltrating and destroying the country, this is just a dumb, extremist outlook on him. Nevermind that he is surely supported by some hardcore socialists. But when Trump is called a white supremacist, this is obviously a clear assessment of the facts. After all, he is supported by the Ku Klux Klan! Nevermind that the KKK has been irrelevant for years.

One of the things that has really removed me from the left is this sort of minority fetishism. No woman, person of color, or hispanic can do any wrong. When a woman makes a false rape claim, it’s alright! She was just starting a conversation and probably ruined someone else’s life! But with Trump specifically, he is sometimes only labelled a racist because the media says so. His famous quote on immigrants uses the word some. Not all, not most, some. Yes, some illegal immigrants do bring crime, drugs, gun, and are rapists. Some. Yes, some immigrants use the system for their personal advantage, learn English, and send their kids to college. Why is it so xenophobic or racist to tell the truth? Some people abuse the system, some people use the system to their advantage. Why can’t we fix the system to keep the bad guys out and the hard workers in? I don’t think the wall is the best solution, but it sure is better than anyone else’s. Trump is not completely against immigration. He wants to reform the system to cut down on illegal immigration.

Dangerous Thoughts

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