The Barbarians Are Inside the Gates

Just when you thought politically correct madness and woke idiocy couldn’t get any worse there’s yet another example that beggars belief. In France a Green, feminist member of parliament, Sandrine Rousseau, argues men gathering around the BBQ is a sign of male virility and inherent sexism.

Throwing a prawn on the hot plate or grilling a steak symbolises the way men dominate women, according to the French eco-warrior and, as a result, she argues “we have to change mentalities so that eating an entrecote steak cooked on a barbeque is no longer a symbol of virility”.

According to Ms Rousseau, in addition to men around the barbeque reinforcing the patriarchy, eating beef also contributes to the end of the world as a result of climate change.  She argues “If you want to resolve the climate crisis, you have to reduce meat consumption, and that’s not going to happen so long as masculinity is constructed around meat.”

This most recent example of going down the rabbit hole where common sense no longer applies and where cultural-left mind control and group think dominates joins a long list of woke examples proving sanity no longer prevails.

Breast feeding is now described as ‘chest feeding’, fathers celebrating the birth of their child are ‘non-gestational parents’ and women, instead of being women, are called ‘bodies with vaginas’ or ‘people who menstruate’.

Anyone, like JK Rowling, who questioned the idiocy of such descriptions are vilified. When she tweeted “People who menstruate. I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?” she was attacked being ‘heteronormative’ and exclusionary.

While woke madness is often laughable and dismissed as unbelievable, it now infects society to such a dangerous degree that even pre-school and kindergarten children are not safe from being indoctrinated with radical, neo-Marxist ideology. A paper informing the review of national standards for kindergartens argues that, because children have “multiple and changing identities”, they should be taught about “identity formation that encompass gender identity and gender expression (with a non-binary dichotomy) and family diversity.”

The children’s Kids Helpline under the heading ‘Sexual, gender and bodily diversity discrimination’ tells children gender and sexuality are fluid and dynamic and they have the right to self-identify as whatever gender best suits them. “There are lots of possible gender identities out there!” the site advises. “People can identify as one of the binary genders, as moving between genders, as no gender or as another gender altogether.” Those who disagree by arguing gender and sexuality are binary as human biology suggests are criticised for promoting hetero-cisnormativity and hetero-cissexism – described as believing “the expectation that being straight is normal”.

As well as being taught there is nothing beneficial or preferable about being male or female children are also indoctrinated with the belief the world is about to end because of man-made global warming. In schools, climate alarmism is commonplace where instead of being impartial or balanced children are taught about the evils of coal and gas and how the only solution is to embrace the brave new world of endless, renewable energy from wind and sun. Ignored is telling students wind and solar power are not always available and cost effective, that nuclear power is a viable alternative and that prematurely closing coal fired power stations and stopping gas exploration is causing financial ruin and ill health to the old and underprivileged.

No wonder at strikes organised by the left-leaning School Strike 4 Climate alarmists young girls are seen distressed and crying because they believe the world is about to end and there is no point in being a mother and having babies. Given the prevailing sense of gloom and despondency, also fed by children being taught Western civilisation and societies like Australia are racist and guilty of genocide and white supremacism, it’s no wonder increasing numbers of children feel anxious and depressed.

The woke narrative reinforces negativity and guilt instead of acknowledging what, for all its sins, is a way of life worth defending and celebrating.  Western civilisation is underpinned by Judeo-Christianity where the teaching is that we are all  made in God’s image deserve liberty, justice and freedom.

It was the West that legislated to ban slavery, give equal rights to women and develop a form of government based on the separation of powers, the rule of law and popular sovereignty.  This helps to explain why so many millions have migrated here since the end of WWII.

Unlike Iran where women are beaten and jailed by the morality police, Russia where opposition figures are either poisoned or imprisoned, China where the Uyghurs are forced into re-education camps, in Australia our rights and liberties are protected.

At least for now.

A shorter version of this essay appeared in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph.  Dr Kevin Donnelly is the author of The Dictionary Of Woke, available at kevindonnelly.com.au