Still, I am persuaded by some recent offline conversations that framing it as socialism obscures more than it illuminates. Two points a friend made bring this out:It is related to the idea that you don't have to teach cats to catch mice. Nor does the government have to insist that cats catch mice. Many conservatives are worried about what the government will make us do or allow us to do, and I don't call that negligible. Yet it may be a smaller factor than the cultural change, and ultimately, cultural enforcement.
I find these points to be unanswerable. Maybe you disagree.
- This phenomenon is not driven only by the state (and maybe not even primarily by the state), but by private actors, especially educational institutions and big corporations. How is that socialism?
- If we elected Republicans — members of the supposedly anti-socialist party — from now until forever, and if we left the free market unchanged, that would make no meaningful difference in stopping the progress of this disintegration. So how can we honestly tag this as socialism?
Sunday, March 10, 2019
Beating The Cultural Revolution
Dreher always comes from a different angle from what I am used to. Beating the Cultural Revolution.
"This phenomenon is not driven only by the state (and maybe not even primarily by the state), but by private actors, especially educational institutions and big corporations."
ReplyDeleteMany of the educational institutions *are* state actors...the entire public school system and all state universities...and those that are not are still indirect state actors which owe their societal influence largely to their government funding.
The left often (always?) conceals its true motives.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't any particular ism. It is oligarchy, which is the basis for all isms.
ReplyDeleteLife is about opposing processes: cooperation and competition; Order and chaos; Liberty and licentiousness; self-discipline and be yourself. The allure of the Philosopher King is perennial and relieves us of the demand for self-discipline. Socialism is just a code word for Command and Control. Old fashioned Liberals have given up on the idea that people (the peasants) can be educated and convinced to be better people (all the rage in the 60's) Today's Liberals have decided that force is needed to make people better. Liberty, Individualism, & Morals are not suitable tools to create better people. Command and Control will have to be used. Socialism is a lullaby; Socialism is the bait in the trap of tyranny.
ReplyDelete@JB - I think there's a lot to that. As those who would change us find we are not so easy to change, they resort to sterner methods. Sometimes that is better propaganda and manipulation; sometimes it is incentives; sometimes it is punishment. But the idea that people can be changed as opposed to being led or managed carries great danger in it.
ReplyDelete