I know this hasn't garnished as much attention as the Tea Party Movement, but it's an ideological movement that's been taking place, and it's probably been taking place even before the TPM got established but just never had any reliable foundation to be built upon. The biggest advocate I know of this as well is David Mamet who talks about the gist of what I'm saying in The Secret Knowledge and The Wicked Son: Anti-Semitism, Self-hatred, and the Jews. He's a former liberal who isn't anymore... because he sees how liberalism's been subverted by conservatives in liberal clothing.
In turn, he advocates this new counter-conservatism to counter this subversion.
The gist of it is conservatism has this reputation of being an ideology about anti-intellectualism that's stuck in its ways. It's about ruggedly individualist work ethic where people conform to norms in order to be practical. They engage in anti-elitist, folk community common sense as an excuse to tolerate abuse, negligence, and blaming of victims to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. That way, conservatives can get away with being fatalist in terms of might makes right power politics where those born into strength can use their strength to manipulate those born outside of it.
Many people are liberals in contrast because they believe in creative thinking, problem solving, idealism, vision, imagination, and rational thought. They believe in universal human rights where people get treated with respect based on who they are as individuals on the inside that counts. They aren't these imposing pragmatists, and they insist on regulatory due process in order to prevent bad things from happening in society...
...so what happened?
What happened is these anti-intellectual conservatives exploited some loopholes in the liberal ideology that deny objective reason. For example, conservative anti-elitism subverted liberal egalitarianism. Conservative folk community common sense subverted liberal moral relativism and social democracy. Conservative rugged individualism that blames the victim subverted liberal denial of retributive justice and personal responsibility. Conservative conformity to norms subverted liberal governmental authority.
In fact, we even see this in different branches of liberalism today. For example, consider third and fourth wave feminism (AKA post-9/11 feminism that accuses those who expect women to be responsible for their actions of being Islamofascists while stereotyping all branches of Abrahamic religion) that endorse women acting out emotions without being held responsible for their actions. Consider multiculturalism which endorses learning through experience instead of thinking before one acts from the school of hard knocks. Consider militant environmentalism which is comparable to conservative conservationism, especially in terms of Social Darwinism. In fact, we even see socially conservative attitudes behind the scenes when it comes to rectifying historical injustices in general. Feminism, multiculturalism, and environmentalism used to care about who people were as individuals on the inside that counts, but today, they engage in subversive stereotyping by refusing to analyze how each individual of a demographic is not necessarily privileged.
In fact, it's not just liberalism which has been subverted, but socialism as well. Socialists will advocate labor theory of value which is comparable to conservative rugged individualism. They'll advocate "From each according to their ability, to each according to their needs" which is comparable to the conservative adage, "If you see something you can do that can be done, then you should do it." Socialists will advocate historical materialism in denying free will which is comparable to the conservative application of work ethic to conform to norms which advocates might makes right fatalism.
The solution to this subversion is the counter-conservatism where those liberals who believed in creative thinking and universal human rights engage the conservative notions of heritage, narrative, story, custom, culture, and tradition. They focus on how conservatives are supposed to remember how grace comes before law. That way, conservatives don't become obsessed with manipulating enforcement for their own self-interests a la legalism. Instead, conservatives remember the values of reliable rules of engagement, discourse ethics, due process, due diligence, procedural justice, and duty of care.
In turn, he advocates this new counter-conservatism to counter this subversion.
The gist of it is conservatism has this reputation of being an ideology about anti-intellectualism that's stuck in its ways. It's about ruggedly individualist work ethic where people conform to norms in order to be practical. They engage in anti-elitist, folk community common sense as an excuse to tolerate abuse, negligence, and blaming of victims to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. That way, conservatives can get away with being fatalist in terms of might makes right power politics where those born into strength can use their strength to manipulate those born outside of it.
Many people are liberals in contrast because they believe in creative thinking, problem solving, idealism, vision, imagination, and rational thought. They believe in universal human rights where people get treated with respect based on who they are as individuals on the inside that counts. They aren't these imposing pragmatists, and they insist on regulatory due process in order to prevent bad things from happening in society...
...so what happened?
What happened is these anti-intellectual conservatives exploited some loopholes in the liberal ideology that deny objective reason. For example, conservative anti-elitism subverted liberal egalitarianism. Conservative folk community common sense subverted liberal moral relativism and social democracy. Conservative rugged individualism that blames the victim subverted liberal denial of retributive justice and personal responsibility. Conservative conformity to norms subverted liberal governmental authority.
In fact, we even see this in different branches of liberalism today. For example, consider third and fourth wave feminism (AKA post-9/11 feminism that accuses those who expect women to be responsible for their actions of being Islamofascists while stereotyping all branches of Abrahamic religion) that endorse women acting out emotions without being held responsible for their actions. Consider multiculturalism which endorses learning through experience instead of thinking before one acts from the school of hard knocks. Consider militant environmentalism which is comparable to conservative conservationism, especially in terms of Social Darwinism. In fact, we even see socially conservative attitudes behind the scenes when it comes to rectifying historical injustices in general. Feminism, multiculturalism, and environmentalism used to care about who people were as individuals on the inside that counts, but today, they engage in subversive stereotyping by refusing to analyze how each individual of a demographic is not necessarily privileged.
In fact, it's not just liberalism which has been subverted, but socialism as well. Socialists will advocate labor theory of value which is comparable to conservative rugged individualism. They'll advocate "From each according to their ability, to each according to their needs" which is comparable to the conservative adage, "If you see something you can do that can be done, then you should do it." Socialists will advocate historical materialism in denying free will which is comparable to the conservative application of work ethic to conform to norms which advocates might makes right fatalism.
The solution to this subversion is the counter-conservatism where those liberals who believed in creative thinking and universal human rights engage the conservative notions of heritage, narrative, story, custom, culture, and tradition. They focus on how conservatives are supposed to remember how grace comes before law. That way, conservatives don't become obsessed with manipulating enforcement for their own self-interests a la legalism. Instead, conservatives remember the values of reliable rules of engagement, discourse ethics, due process, due diligence, procedural justice, and duty of care.
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