Political Walls
I found the below in my scrapped files in the computer. I was looking for an essay I wrote about 10 years ago and got sidetracked by this ditty.
I have been looking for where I got the data and have not been successful.
If anyone knows, please let me know.
Political Correctness is a disease. It is fascism hiding behind a mask of Mr. Rogers. It is the kind of squeamish cowardice which allows despots to come to power. It must not be tolerated. Please do what you can to stamp out this insidious disease.
Take Identity Politics, for example…
From the Right
The political right considers it inappropriate that a minority, in claiming an identity, expects an enumeration of unprecedented rights. The individualist (or libertarian) ideology of the right makes the idea that rights be granted based only on race, religion, gender, se*ual orientation, or culture a non sequitur. Particularly in Enlightenment liberal democratic theory, if a “right” is extended to only a portion of society, it is no longer a right but a privilege. Thus, from the point of view of the political right, identity politics is not demanding rights to which it is actually entitled, but instead is demanding special privileges.
From the Left
Another criticism of identity politics comes from the Radical Left. This sector of the left considers identity politics detrimental to the working class culture they hope to see take the forefront upon revolution to overthrow capitalism. To these critics, identity politics unnecessarily divides the working class against itself. With the development of a political and social consciousness in the United States andEurope that overwhelmingly emphasizes individual liberty as opposed to the collective entitlements of large groups, the overarching socioeconomic problems with capitalism tend to be ignored in identity politics. The result, identities pitted against identities, creates an ideal situation for the ruling class.
According to this view, resources and organizational opportunities for deeply positive change are squandered in the relentless search for specific group identity. The Radical Left would argue that capitalism created the circu*stances of inequality whereby the formation of identities was deemed necessary in the first place. Thus, undertaking identity politics is like taking cough suppressant for a cold: it attacks the symptoms of a problem, but not its cause.
From the Center
Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. discussed identity politics extensively in his book The Disuniting of America. Schlesinger, a strong supporter of the civil rights movement, argues that a liberal democracy requires a common basis for culture and society to function. In his view, basing ones politics on self-identifying as part of a marginalized group perceived to be outside of the mainstream of society causes this common basis to break down, and therefore works against creating real opportunities or ending this marginalization. Schlesinger believes that movements for civil rights should aim toward full acceptance and integration of marginalized groups into the mainstream culture, not perpetuate that marginalization. Another critic of identity politics from the center is formerColorado governor Richard Lamm, who wrote an article in 2005 which was circulated on the Internet [1].
“Could this be False Prospective”
Multiculturalism is yet another disease…
Even a Leading Democrat thinks as so:
Former Colorado governor Richard Lamm delivered a speech on the perils of multiculturalism.
Socialists will “spin” this beyond belief. Why?
Glad you asked, and you will have to read it your own self.
However, here is a teaser…”If you believe that America is too smug, too self-satisfied, too rich, then let’s destroy America. It is not that hard to do. No nation in history has survived the ravages of time. Arnold Toynbee observed that all great civilizations rise and fall and that ‘An autopsy of history would show that all great nations commit suicide.’”
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