Below is a brief guest-essay from our Pennsylvania correspondent Brad Lena.
The Conundrum: Progressivism and Islam
by Brad Lena
In America, particularly in the Academy, history and culture are taught as understood by Progressive ideology.
In general, law, politics, economics, gender, race, sexuality and religion are constructs imposed by those with sufficient will to power. The United States being a case in point; just ask them.
Progressives, understanding that the human being is compliant and malleable, seek to address this by the concept of “white privilege” The idea being that once white people come to understand that their white privilege is centuries old and deeply implanted in the white worldview, they will assume a more just, fair, inclusive and loving understanding of their crimes against humanity.
The question is will Islam be subject to the same ideological and most likely legal sanctions? Or will Progressives make the argument that only White Americans are the perpetrators of privilege? It is self-evident that Islamic values are the antithetical to Progressive values. Islamic culture and values have been particularly resistant to the Progressive nuanced understanding of human action.
In the modern era, ideology — supported by technology, infrastructure, reliability and access — is impervious to conflicting evidence. Unfortunately for Progressives, evidence that Islam is in conflict with every value they hold dear is stark and abundant. Where are the celebrity pledges of solidarity with the women, homosexuals, transgendered, atheists, and animal rights advocates who are being suppressed or slaughtered (remember, Christians don’t count)?
Where are academics and editorialists demanding that Muslims in America must accommodate to Progressive modernism or face sanction, legal prosecution, insults and condemnation similar to those brought to bear against the plague of white privilege?
Where are the protests? Why hasn’t ESPN weighted in on this issue? Now that The Donald has broken the PC taboo, Progressives will be confronted on their silence, duplicity and betrayal of the people who believe them here and abroad. If not, the 50%+ of American Muslims who desire Sharia Law will remind them.
The first mistake is confusing “Progressive” ideology, which is fascist, with classical liberal ideology. Progressive ideology stems from utopianism, which pictures the perfect society of cooperating units. Those units (individuals) who don’t conform are defective and need to be weeded out.
“Classical liberal” describes a structure of society giving the broadest possible scope for individual differences, consistent with an ordered environment.
I don’t know how progressivism managed to co-opt the mantle of standing for individuals persecuted for being different, but the least examination of the philosophy will show that “progressivism” tolerates only those ideas with which it agrees.
The huge mistake was not in allowing “progressive” ideas to be discussed, but in giving proponents of “progressivism” authority over students in schools. Students were victimized by having fanatic ideologues not only present material, but affect their grades and careers. Schools should be able to determine which instructor is only responsible for supplying material and presentation, and which are suited for influencing students. Otherwise, a school gives its implicit approval to “experts” in fields of study such as critical feminist theory to actually shape students careers.
Progressives, once they discard the disguises they often assume, always attempt to shut down debate rather than encourage it. Once the discussions the author of his article describes, take place, the “progressives” have lost almost by definition, as their claims cannot hold up to rational scrutiny.
Yes, Progressives won’t debate and they are also hypocrites in that they champion pet causes and denounce opponents as intolerant or racist. But they themselves are completely intolerant of any view that differs from them. They talk of “diversity”, but don’t you dare include diversity of thought. They talk about “rights” but those rights extend only to those they deem deserving. They talk about “lives matter” as long as they are black and not unborn.
As cancerous ideologies go, Progressives are up their with Islam.
There are two ways I can think of in which “progressives” have managed to sell themselves as “liberal”:
1) the deal: in exchange for all of your money, you will be allowed to do whatever you want. Ex: as much sexual promiscuity as you want, little to no criminal punishment for crimes, marry anyone you want, etc. just give us all your money and there will be no laws restricting “victimless immoral” behavior.
2) once you give us all your money the state will take care of everything for you meaning that you no longer need to worry about responsibility such as having a job, etc. therefore you will be free to do whatever you feel like without being weighed down by responsibilities.
It’s all very Orwellian. Slavery is Freedom, etc. And many fools have bought into it the same reason people buy snake oil: not because there’s any reason to believe it works but only because the promised results are so amazing that it must be worth a try.
This article (very good) takes me back to the gnawing question: who is behind this?
I don’t think I’ve ever been one of those secret conspiracy theorists, but this situation, with the invasion of Europe, the sex scandals in (formerly) Great Britain, the white-washing of Muslims here in US — what is going on? Are any Muslims moving to Mexico or South America, btw?
Even 15 years ago, people would have been questioning all of this, but one hears nothing, other than from the few and the brave willing to speak up and then be attacked mercilessly for daring to speak the truth as they see it. Freedom of speech is all but dead — it’s very dead in Europa but I’m not sure they ever really had it.
So Tommy Robinson, Geert Wilders, others who speak are vilified. Everyone is supposed to drink the koolaid. And if not, keep your mouth shut or your life will be ruined.
P.S. forgot to mentioni Pamela Geller.
Eric Sevareid: You know what the problem is? Solutions. That’s the problem.
Dr. J Bond: Progress – the opiate of the masses.