Posted by
Green Faerie on Wednesday, November 01, 2006 7:01:12 PM
I finished reading Bill O'Reilly's latest book, "Culture Warrior," a couple of weeks ago. Whatever you might think of Bill O, it was actually pretty good. He explains in simple terms what's really at stake in the U.S. of A. politically and socially. He narrows it down the culture war to traditionalists who view America and its traditions as forces of good in the world, versus the "secular progressives" who think that America is at best deeply-flawed and at worst, an evil empire, and believe its traditions get in the way of changing that. He offers a dossier on the leaders of the SP movement, a Cliffs Notes of David Horowitz's Discover the Network site.
What the book doesn't do though is explain why anyone would want hop on the SP bus and why the SPs regard traditionalists with great love and affection...not. Bill O admits the shrill hatred the SPs has for traditionalists (whether they are liberal or conservative) outmatches any "bomb-throwing" from the traditionalist side. But I'll explain the hows and whys in a couple of short paragraphs, based on years of "field research," i.e. knowing many liberals and even some far lefties.
Secular progressivism appeals the most to those who feel like outsiders or misfits. No matter how fair, just, and prosperous America may be compared to most if not all other nations on Earth, there are always going to be those who believe they just don't fit in. Whether it's an atheist who grew up in a Bible Belt town or a guy whose American dream didn't come true or a feminist who feels men have screwed her over, it's easy for an outsider to blame the culture or society as a whole and wants the society to change so that he or she can feel included. Secular progressivism also appeals to those who cling to an affectation of being an outsider. These folks are adolescent in their worldview, always rebelling against the "status quo" just for the sake of being a cool non-conformist. I think a good chunk of SP entertainers fall into this category. Secular progressivism appeals as well to those souls who think empathizing or sympathizing with the outsider or misfit is some sort of virtue unto itself. White Liberal Guilt is often a sympthom of these kinds of SPs. They are isolated from the effects of SP policies or are too naive to realize how those policies, if they are ever enacted, would adversely affect them. (Some of these SPs aren't so much well-meaning-yet-misguided folks; some are vain types who are just trying to feel good about themselves.) Again, many SP entertainers and many SPs in the media fall into this category. And I will acknowledge there are SPs who grew up with these types of politics, passed down from their parents and grandparents.
There are two reasons why SPs loathe traditionalists and American traditional institutions (Christianity, the military, marriage, etc.). The first reason is obvious...traditionalists stand in the way of the SPs' goals of remaking society in their own image. There's nothing more irritating to would-be/wanna-be revolutionaries than the obstacles that get in the way of their agenda. The second reason is that traditionalists represent everything that make SPs feel like outsiders (or make others feel like outsiders) in the first place. It's the same hatred the unpopular kids have for the cheerleaders and jocks.
Bear in mind, all most SPs want is to not feel like outsiders anymore by eliminating or diluting the institutions they feel ostracize them in the first place. The SPs that really scare me are the ones who want to go one step further and make the traditionalists (that's you and me) the ones who are the outsiders. Or eliminate them completely. Considering most Americans are traditionalist to some degree and the types of leaders these SPs idolize (Mao, Stalin, Castro), it would do us well to keep a wary eye on them.