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He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind — Proverbs 11:29
A storm is brewing. A perfect storm motivated by human frustration – which will, if unleashed, swamp everything in its path. The cause of this potential cyclonic change is a simple idea, which is the governing principle in the complex psychological, political and social world in which we live. The principle affects relationships between women and men; the boundaries of democracy and free speech; how we access entertainment and technology – what you can watch, listen to and read; where you travel and go on holidays; how you raise your children (and what they are taught at school); the culture of your job and how you engage with your co-workers and employers – and, in broad terms, the philosophical principles that guide each of our lives. In other words, almost everything that concerns the average human being.
The problem, in brief, is the institutional capture of bureaucracy and how it has affected everything from major international organisations, such as the United Nations, to the impact it has on the laws governing the Human Resources department in your job. The tempest, which will instigate a revolution unless we reform politics, is the inevitable outcome of a philosophy created by a moralistic, hectoring class sitting in communion at a round table in narcissistic self-regard. The issue, in summary, is that ordinary, everyday people are sick of being told what they can say, think and believe; and, in particular, they are tired of being told how (what language they are allowed use), they can articulate their understanding of the world.
This imposed self-censorship – being allowed speak, but not being allowed to use truthful and accurate language, which delimits honesty and gives succour to con men, virtue signallers and ideologues, is the curse of what could be termed postmodern modernity; and it is behind the frustration that led to Brexit, the election of Donald Trump, the growing contempt for intersectional feminism, and the hatred of identity politics in all its forms, whether it manifests as sexual, gay, racial, trans, cultural or political. It underpins the pervasive distrust of elites (the politically correct Establishment, in other words), who lie with the certainty of the elect, and always with the ethics and confidence of a smiling assassin or of a television evangelist. Its most recognisable trait is that of the eternally wagging finger.
The latent, inchoate storm, which could be unleashed at any moment, was created by an earlier perfect storm – the once in a hundred years confluence of disparate philosophies: socialism, environmentalism, feminism and postmodernism, which together have created an intolerant establishment that is anti-democratic in theory and practice.
What the capture of institutions and the policing of language means is that all political, social and philosophical issues are already weighted in favour of progressives, who immediately, when challenged, shout epithets to silence dissent. Their words are protean, endlessly malleable to contemporary circumstances, and revolve around some iteration of the following insults: racist, sexist, homophobic, colonialist and classist. What this top-down language inquisition means, is that critics of progressive ideology are hamstrung before they speak. The dice is weighted in favour of the elites who utter feel-good platitudes instead of engaging in robust debate. The die is cast even further, though, because, if critics of the Establishment use the language of their tormentors, they’ll be accused of ‘dog whistling’. Anyone who strays outside this linguistic convention is attacked and derided as an extremist, or an uneducated and grotesque fool.
This has profound, real-world consequences, because our knowledge of the world is a constantly evolving process. Science is never completely settled and new perspectives on age-old issues should be welcomed. That, though, is not how the equality consensus works. Nothing that undermines the idea that people are equal on every measure is allowed; and every lie or disingenuous untruth to further this mythology is encouraged.
The perfect storm of institutional capture works as follows.
The feminist idea of ‘social construction’ — in essence, that there is no reality outside language — has brought us to the ludicrous position of denying biological reality. Women and men are interchangeable and any differences in political, social or economic outcomes are the result of sexism. Also, men are women and women are men and there is no ‘privileged’ standpoint from which we can determine sex. Scientific evidence is entirely rejected.
Socialists invented political propaganda before the Nazis, and they have been more successful in its implementation to the extent that commonplace socialist lies are uttered everyday by people who do not identify as socialist. The strategy is deliberate. Trotsky argued that lying in the cause of proletarian revolution was not lying; it was justified to overthrow capitalism and liberal democracy. The Frankfurt School in another iteration of the equality consensus introduced the concept of ‘cultural hegemony’, a refinement of Friedrich Engels’ notion of ‘false consciousness’, the idea that no-one understands their own needs and desires, and that people are so naïve that they can be manipulated at will by the puppet masters of capitalism, and not the simple truth that Jack would like to play the guitar or Jill wants to drive a car.
Environmentalists have made so many apocalyptic predictions that haven’t come true it is extraordinary anyone still listens to anything they say. The world has been coming to an end since the first Earth Day in 1970. Miraculously, we’ve survived 53 years past the beginning of Armageddon. While environmentalists may believe they are saving the planet, in real terms, they are attacking the idea of merit and enforcing equality. We can all be miserable together.
The glue that brings the disparate strands of the perfect storm together is the anti-rationalist philosophy of postmodernism, which rejects all notions of truth. The arguments underpinning the ‘colonial oppression’ argument of the Voice’s proposal for constitutional change in Australia, for example, are based on a wholesale rejection of historical evidence. Narrative, mediated through mythology, folklore, and lived experience, is given more credence than reason.
The dominant ideology, in essence, is equality based on self-esteem, and nothing is allowed undermine what has, through constant repetition, assumed mythical status. The difference in physical strength between men and women, the intellectual and technical achievements of Western civilisation versus indigenous cultures, and the comparative difference in wealth between capitalist countries and everyone else, are all examples of claimed systemic oppression, and have nothing to do, according to the equality consensus, with reason, culture, biology or good policy.
All the strands come together in a perfect storm of emotionalism, irrationality and a smug refusal to listen. Instead of raising people up, the ideology, because of its underlying philosophy of self-esteem, drags everyone down to the lowest common level, with the result that we have a mental health crisis among the young who are constantly told that they are neurodiverse, non-binary and could possibly be living in the wrong body. If everyone is disturbed, then no one is disturbed. It’s the self-esteem of no expectations. Recently, Target, Budweiser, Starbucks and other companies lost billions of dollars in market value as a direct consequence of their support of transgender ideology. This is a squall in the coming typhoon. Ordinary people are finally noticing that this enforced, anti-democratic, anti-free speech, anti-truth agenda is impacting negatively on their lives and the lives of their children. And they are breaking free of the constraints of ideologically imposed language.
Another perfect storm is on the horizon.
Batten down the hatches. We’re not in Kansas anymore.
The Left have been ruining the planet since first achieving real power in 1917, so one cannot expect them to stop now. Unfortunately, the commonly-used epithet “Loony Left” implies some sort of buffoonish, cartoonish, laughable rabble whereas in fact they are ultra-organised, relentless in working towards their goals, ruthless at quashing the slightest deviation from the narrative flow, and currently occupy many positions of power and influence locally and globally.
“What is to be Done?” as Lenin so famously wrote? Tricky, since non-Left people don’t have that list of attributes I listed earlier that make the Left so successful. Who wants to beat them by being just like them? I suggest constant vigilance and calling them out for what they are at every opportunity, in private and in public, namely, all the things they pretend they are not: racist, sexist, fascist, intolerant, technophobic, scientifically illiterate, economically destructive for working classes, minorities and the poor, and so on. We have to be prepared to play the long game as well.
A very long game …
Declan M’s “coming storm” is well anticipated by those currently holding power. If this is doubted, simply remember the ease with which various police thugs were organised to smash peaceful dissent during the Covid years. Weaponising these armed forces against the population proved disparagingly easy. That lesson has not been lost on those with powerlust.
The Australian middle class will never violently revolt – and will not be offered any real choice for “elections”. Emerging leaders of dissent will be (are) sneeringly labelled as populist, with every tactic then used to smear and derail them. As an outstanding example of this, Trump could well finish in jail as a very loud and visible warning.
“The issue, in summary, is that ordinary, everyday people are sick of being told what they can say, think and believe; and, in particular, they are tired of being told how (what language they are allowed use), they can articulate their understanding of the world.”
Not a bad rant, taking regard of the fact that its author Declan Mansfield is arguably doing just that. As will be the Editor of this august online journal if this comment of mine is parked forever and a day into the ‘awaiting moderation’ bullshit queue with no indication to the readers kept blissfully ignorant of the fact that such censorship has taken place in this self-proclaimed ‘liberal’ journal.
In other words, hypocrisy all round and galore. What fun.!
Great article Declan, we have an Everest to climb. I would add the most dangerous threat to our freedom is the “Cashless society ” which everyone is embracing to our peril. I try to tell all who’ll listen to pay cash whenever they can but the convenience trumps freedom as they don’t connect the dots. “Those who opt for safety over liberty, well end up with neither ” Feminism has a lot to answer for.
It is now either Woke or anti-Woke. There is no Woke-lite or Woke-neutral. Because Woke is a totalitarian ideology that brooks no dissent.
“These contradictions are not accidental, nor do they result from ordinary hypocrisy; they are deliberate exercises in DOUBLETHINK. For it is only by reconciling contradictions that power can be retained indefinitely. In no other way could the ancient cycle be broken. If human equality is to be for ever averted—if the High, as we have called them, are to keep their places permanently—then the prevailing mental condition must be controlled insanity.”
George Orwell, 1984.
I wish I could share Declan Mansfield’s optimistic belief that the current irrationality or more accurately, madness, of the world will soon be ended, even though it will take a ‘ perfect storm ‘ to do it.
In fact Declan M’s artical shows why this storm will never happen. It describes too well the entrenched forces which would have to be overwhelmed, nullified in fact, for ‘ ordinary people ‘ to escape this crippling state of affairs – if they perceive it as such. Leaving aside who constitute ‘ ordinary people ‘ in a thoroughly multi-cultural country like Australia, to oppose those in power would require a massive degree of organisation, and where is that to come from? The idea of a spontaneous revolt is a mere dream. And in any case, where are ‘ leaders ‘ to be found acceptable to everyone in a multi-cultural society?
These days we do indeed live in a global village, and to use that metaphor the mayor, council, newspaper proprietor, police superintendent, court, teachers, top admin positions etc are held by people intent on holding on to that power by doing their utmost to stifle any views not agreeing with their own ones. Thanks largely to the internet such people are now immeasurably powerful, especially the State, as shown in the covid ‘ crisis ‘.
Two recent articles in Quadrant, ‘ The country that invented counter culture ‘ by Kevin Myers, and
‘ Australia in the unmaking: the new monoculture ‘ by Christopher Joliffe, amply show the huge difficulties faced in any attempt to dislodge the people currently ‘ running the show ‘, Almost insuperable difficulties in reality. An opposition en masse would be required, about as likely as every adult Australian subscribing to Quadrant – in which case we would be living in a very different, and better world!
I agree with you that there is no cause for optimism. What we as citizens are confronting is much bigger than the tip of iceberg we can see. What power, for example, lies behind the recent debanking of Nigel Farage in the UK or Dr. Mercola in the USA? Is there anything to stop us receiving similar treatment? Again, formerly covert Australian government involvement in censoring citizens expressing views on Covid, has been exposed in the Senate. Now we are faced with an official censorship engine in ACMA, which the government will equip with the powers of a Ministry of Truth.
There is a terrible arrogance in those weilding power in Australia these days. However the far-reaching tentacles of multinational corporations are also behind a more sinister push for increasing conformity and a more tightly-controlled socialist society. We know, for example, that the TGA, which exercised considerable de facto power during Covid, is remotely-controlled by Big Pharma. Much that drives what happens to the average citizen is hidden in that way.
When militarised police suddenly emerge firing rubber bullets at defenceles citizens, we realise that we are facing powerful forces which have no respect for our liberty or our persons. But what we do not see is much more intimidating to contemplate. Consider the power of the emerging social credit system (of which debanking is a warning sign). Consider the surveillance infrastructure that is already in place, ominously suggestive of an all-seeing totalitarian state. I don’t think people are likely to stand up to this, even if they feel a little rebellious sometimes. What history shows us is that totalitarianism can emerge in most unexpected ways. Of course we decry the tyranny of Stalinist Russia and Nazi Germany – but that will not stop us heading down the same path if the wrong sort of power gets into the wrong hands – which is what seems to me to be happening today.
Good piece Declan and I agree with all.
To the list of insults we could add, hate speech. It’s becoming one of the go to ones now for all the critical race type theorists or race marxists…..and plain old useful idiots I think.
“hate speech” = anything a leftist dislikes hearing, aka anything that upsets, dissents from or calls out any aspect of prevailing leftist orthodoxies, all of which are fake narratives.
Genesis 2:24 (ESV) “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh”.
From the beginning, God ordained marriage as the basic building block of a healthy society. But this is being destroyed by the likes of wicked progressives in order to destroy what God has ordained. These progressives are sowing wickedness into human relationships. Hosea 8:7 (ESV) says: “For they sow the wind and they shall reap the whirlwind”.
The underlying proposition is, apparently, the march of the left will be halted. I have not ever been one to rely on ‘hope’. It is an orphan without action.; inaction feeds the frenzy. What to do?
Get over blame and into direct action. As a Coalition supporter I have been spectacularly unimpressed for a long time and it includes much of the wasted Howard years. Individual action and advocacy via conservative candidates, bearing in mind the effect of the preferential voting system is how those interested need to act.. Imo, the preference system is democracy unhinged but it’s with us, for now. It’s policy, policy, policy but simply communicated in digestible rhetoric. I thing Dutton’s dive into nuclear is a good start. Albo Labor will be useful, Bowen’s energy claptrap is very likely to implode in a reality check. Chalmers is in way over his head, the waffling and well being nonsense will not pay the mortgages or make housing affordable for many. Then comes 1.5m immigrants in 5 years………..it’s a cocktail that will give the Coalition one shot.
Another insightful piece by Declan.
I would simply add that all four phenomena; Feminism, Socialism, Environmentalism and Postmodernism eschew reason and rationality for emotivism – and this unfortunately has resonated with the easily manipulated younger generations and women especially. Although I’m sensing a notable backlash in the Gen Z and Gen Alpha crowd who appear, in part at least, to be rebelling against the self-righteous sanctimony of the Gen Y & Millenials and being told what to think and feel that gives some pause for hope. Fledgling signs from recent European elections appear to be starting to indicate the very youngest voters beginning to reject left of centre parties. The downside of this backlash may be reflected in the very significant upswing in youth crime currently being observed. Their disillusionment with being told their world is crap blah blah blah and about to end blah blah blah just needs to be channeled against their Progressive- totalitarian overlords.
Declan, I think you are too optimistic regarding the future. Sure there have been encouraging strong reactions against elements of the Orwellian Left agenda — most notably, against Wokeism, the “Cancel Culture”, transgenderism, and other strategies by which the Left has been cowering or silencing opposition. However, these reactions have not been well linked, and have not given rise to sophisticated, far-ranging, organised movements determined and able to take on the cultural Left wherever and however it is operating. The Left’s habitual strategy is to let its opponents, however numerous they might be, kick and scream against whatever atrocities it inflicts on them until they’re hoarse and run out of puff; ignore them; and press on ruthlessly with their programs. In America the Republican Party seems to be becoming the centre of an effective wide-scope counter-movement, but here there’s little sign of any such encouraging development. The L-CP, like the proverbial curate’s egg, is only “good in parts”, and not many parts at that.
Incidentally, although I agree that “social constructionism” is at the very core of Left-Orwellian dogmatics, I don’t think you quite capture the essence of this profoundly anti-human philosophy when you represent that as being linguistic determinism (“that there is no reality outside language” ). Speaking ad hoc, without researching the question, I would rather characterise the fundamental precept of the philosophy as being, that “the individual mind is merely a localised aggregation of social influences”. The practical corollary of the philosophy for the Left is that it permits them to regard rationality as a delusion; reasoning as a squandering of effort; and force or indoctrination as the most effective “social influences” with which to change minds on a mass scale. Gramscian infiltration of the institutions; Communist firing-squads; and Feminist hate-jihads, are all malevolently crafted “social influences” of the kind in question..