Yes, good article. The determinism of hyper Calvinism and its modern equivalent – damned young men etc is a helpful insight – in the context of no redemption in identity politics, something Douglas Murray has also mentioned. But I think we forget how recently we were a religious culture and that humans are ineradicably religious anyway. In a culture which is now basically nihilistic, thanks to philosophic materialism and postmodern deconstruction, we find that very hard to live by. We are desperate for existential justification, both to provide meaning and also moral atonement – especially as we embrace a little adultery and abortion and are so well off. So we urgently make up a religion out of the dregs of our dysfunctional liberalism. Political correctness becomes the new piety and wokeness the new finger wagging posture, all the faults of the old region really. Alternatives please. We are grown up.
Yes, a concisely stated analysis with many truths.
gretaaurorahadesz
3 years ago
This was a wonderful read. Thank you!
igsdurham
3 years ago
“The well-meaning stumble towards decency.”That’s a great phrase.
Peter Ashby
3 years ago
I have been comparing the Woke with the Puritans online and on twitter for a while now. It is the b*****d offspring of that with the methods of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. The public shaming, the ‘struggle’ to convert people. The study sessions, the accepting 6 impossible things before breakfast.
Except that the woke do not have the Chinese State Prison/Cadre Schools/universities for an all round milieu which was necessary for it to work in China. Their takeover of the media is incomplete as Unherd is demonstrating (Bravo btw).
Their academic penetration of the science faculties has largely not happened. They have simply hunkered down to wait it out. I’m no longer an academic though so I can speak out without risking being ‘cancelled’.
I’m a member of the Independent for Scotland Party (ISP) which is standing on the List in next May’s Scottish election. It stands for Women’s Rights as well as Scottish Independence. Other polices will be forthcoming, we allow party members to vote on policy, like the governing SNP used to do but has stopped.
I’m sure their cleaving to the woke would not have happened if the membership had been able to vote on GRA, the Hate Crime Bill etc. They have been policy captured by a small coterie of the woke. Their leader Nicola Sturgeon First Minister is a big fan, apparently.
But in reality Govts are scared of being shamed as ‘transphobic’ which is quite something for a govt to be afraid of. All Sturgeon had to do was be staunch for women’s rights as she was prior to the point of policy capture.
Danielle Valjean
3 years ago
Great analogy. What bothers me is how polarizing the concept of privilege is. If someone wants to deny systemic oppression, they are more likely to do so after they hear this rhetoric. The only people who really listen are those that already see that minorities are marginalized and violence against women is endemic. Getting people who care to hate themselves is hardly going to help! No individual is responsible for the system. And shame is not an effective motivator.
I wish empathy were emphasized more. We can’t ever really put ourselves in other’s shoes but we can *listen* and we can empathize.
andyclapham
3 years ago
It’s actually rather a lame idea basing Politics on skin colour, so there needs to be an element of intimidation, to back it up, and this is where today’s Fascism comes in – Regimentation’ of the Mind as it was called in the early 1930’s – control of speech and thought.
Words like oppression privilege structural racist etc.etc. betray it’s Marxist roots. So…what is the point of it all?
Society is like a living tree. Cut its Roots to destroy it -:Family Religion- (replace with the New Puritan Religion of Woke). Education Language, Marginalise previously dominant group in Society. Make employment conditional on holding, expressing the correct opinions (all very Fascist!) All very reminiscent of the Fabian’s/Socialists who said” Do as WE say and you will have a good life (whether you like it or not!) otherwise we may be forced to execute you in a kindly manner – today: Cancel you in a distinctly unkindly manner! All with the aim of destroying our, evil in their view, Western Capitalist Society, from which they have derived so much benefit, as to be able to contemplate it’s Destruction……and what will they put in its place? Perhaps a clue lies in that whereas the West produces BMWs and VWs etc the former Eastern Bloc Countries made Wartburg’s Trabants and Ladas – so that’s something to look forward to!
Yes, good article. The determinism of hyper Calvinism and its modern equivalent – damned young men etc is a helpful insight – in the context of no redemption in identity politics, something Douglas Murray has also mentioned. But I think we forget how recently we were a religious culture and that humans are ineradicably religious anyway. In a culture which is now basically nihilistic, thanks to philosophic materialism and postmodern deconstruction, we find that very hard to live by. We are desperate for existential justification, both to provide meaning and also moral atonement – especially as we embrace a little adultery and abortion and are so well off. So we urgently make up a religion out of the dregs of our dysfunctional liberalism. Political correctness becomes the new piety and wokeness the new finger wagging posture, all the faults of the old region really. Alternatives please. We are grown up.
Yes, a concisely stated analysis with many truths.
This was a wonderful read. Thank you!
“The well-meaning stumble towards decency.”That’s a great phrase.
I have been comparing the Woke with the Puritans online and on twitter for a while now. It is the b*****d offspring of that with the methods of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. The public shaming, the ‘struggle’ to convert people. The study sessions, the accepting 6 impossible things before breakfast.
Except that the woke do not have the Chinese State Prison/Cadre Schools/universities for an all round milieu which was necessary for it to work in China. Their takeover of the media is incomplete as Unherd is demonstrating (Bravo btw).
Their academic penetration of the science faculties has largely not happened. They have simply hunkered down to wait it out. I’m no longer an academic though so I can speak out without risking being ‘cancelled’.
I’m a member of the Independent for Scotland Party (ISP) which is standing on the List in next May’s Scottish election. It stands for Women’s Rights as well as Scottish Independence. Other polices will be forthcoming, we allow party members to vote on policy, like the governing SNP used to do but has stopped.
I’m sure their cleaving to the woke would not have happened if the membership had been able to vote on GRA, the Hate Crime Bill etc. They have been policy captured by a small coterie of the woke. Their leader Nicola Sturgeon First Minister is a big fan, apparently.
But in reality Govts are scared of being shamed as ‘transphobic’ which is quite something for a govt to be afraid of. All Sturgeon had to do was be staunch for women’s rights as she was prior to the point of policy capture.
Great analogy. What bothers me is how polarizing the concept of privilege is. If someone wants to deny systemic oppression, they are more likely to do so after they hear this rhetoric. The only people who really listen are those that already see that minorities are marginalized and violence against women is endemic. Getting people who care to hate themselves is hardly going to help! No individual is responsible for the system. And shame is not an effective motivator.
I wish empathy were emphasized more. We can’t ever really put ourselves in other’s shoes but we can *listen* and we can empathize.
It’s actually rather a lame idea basing Politics on skin colour, so there needs to be an element of intimidation, to back it up, and this is where today’s Fascism comes in – Regimentation’ of the Mind as it was called in the early 1930’s – control of speech and thought.
Words like oppression privilege structural racist etc.etc. betray it’s Marxist roots. So…what is the point of it all?
Society is like a living tree. Cut its Roots to destroy it -:Family Religion- (replace with the New Puritan Religion of Woke). Education Language, Marginalise previously dominant group in Society. Make employment conditional on holding, expressing the correct opinions (all very Fascist!) All very reminiscent of the Fabian’s/Socialists who said” Do as WE say and you will have a good life (whether you like it or not!) otherwise we may be forced to execute you in a kindly manner – today: Cancel you in a distinctly unkindly manner! All with the aim of destroying our, evil in their view, Western Capitalist Society, from which they have derived so much benefit, as to be able to contemplate it’s Destruction……and what will they put in its place? Perhaps a clue lies in that whereas the West produces BMWs and VWs etc the former Eastern Bloc Countries made Wartburg’s Trabants and Ladas – so that’s something to look forward to!