It wasn’t until I listened to Alan Dershowitz’s interview with Michael Cohen on the Mea Culpa podcast that I realized I was on the right track in terms of examining extremism on the Left. The problem is it’s much deeper and far more extensive than I realized.
I am now going to publicly admit for the first time ever Cancel Culture is the most perverse, vile and divisive ideas ever made in modern history. That podcast episode opened my eyes to just how extensive Cancel Culture really is as well as all it’s done over the last 14 years to kill and discourage debating people with differing viewpoints or ideologies. That’s the fast track to killing healthy debate and idea exchange in any society. It’s also been proven far more effective than state-imposed thought and information control the Right and the Left accuse the other of wanting to impose.
The way the Left has weaponized Cancel Culture over the last 18 years made the Right going down the fast track of embracing Authoritorianism and Christian Nationalism an eventuality. The warning signs were there for decades but before Cancel Culture became a thing via the internet, those tendancies were mostly kept in check. Dealing with that IS important–it is the immediate threat right now–but we should not ignore what led to it’s rapid rise during the Trump years.
Let’s turn back the clock to 2005: The Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Lesbian couple. That ruling legalized Gay Marriage. Eight years later, the U.S Supreme Court ruled in favor of James Obergafell who used the Massachusetts case as a reference. As a result of that ruling, Gay Marriage was legalized nationwide.
Between those two court rulings, the Dems wasted no time throwing their support behind the Gay Rights Movement. Why? Because many outspoken people on the Right expressed their opposition of Gay Marriage. The Dems decided to embrace the LGBTQ+ community to stick it to the “intolerant Conservatives” not knowing what they were really supporting.
What the GOP has been doing to dissenters since 2016 the Dems did in the mid-2000s: Any Dems who dared to express opposition to Gay Marriage were basically either forced to publicly recant or keep silent publicly. Those who refused to do either were publicly shamed or attacked for their viewpoint. I know many of you know what i’m taking about.
There were ripple effects the Dems clearly didn’t foresee that quickly popped up in Education, Small Businesses, Local Government Offices and Mass Media in particular:
- Most Colleges and Universities wasted no time declaring themselves safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ community. Any student or staff who dared to express anti-LGBTQ+ views were basically treated as pariahs and labeled as intolerant for refusing to go against their moral or religious beliefs.
- In both Primary (K-12) and Secondary Education (College level), students started getting taught the recent history of the Gay Rights movement leading up to Gay Marriage being legalized. Parents of children who opposed Gay Marriage were outraged when they learned their children were being taught these things without their knowledge or consent. In their minds, their children were being indoctrinated and honestly they weren’t wrong to feel that way. More so given the lesson plans were developed at least in part by GLAAD–The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
- Small business owners who held strong religious views were basically forced to either close, compromise or be sued when they were approached by Same Sex couples. GLAAD and the ACLU–the American Civil Liberties Union–backed or in some cases funded class action lawsuits against Small Business owners claiming the Same Sex couples were discriminated against by the business owners. Nevermind the fact the lawsuits were being done to punish mostly people exercising their Freedom of Religion. Churches and Republicans with deep pockets lined up to back the defendants. After the first few lawsuits were beaten, business owners have made it a point to have their religious or moral objections to Same Sex Marriage written in plain view in their business so no one can say in advance they didn’t know.
- County Clerks who opposed Gay Marriage on Religious or Moral grounds were demonized by the vocal minority who accused them of being intolerant for standing their ground, many getting death threats. Some resigned or moved away due to pressure and harassment encouraged to a degree by Democrats. Friends and neighbors who they had a friendly relationship with them became hostile overnight because of this issue.
- In years between Massachusetts legalizing Gay Marriage and then the Supreme Court legalizing it nationally, many well-known public figures such Rosie O’Donnell, Raven Simone and Queen Latifah publicly revealed they were Gay or Lesbian. These announcements came after the generations of actors who came before them had to hide their true sexuality until after their careers ended. Former Olympic Gold Medalst Kyle Jenner famously announced on a primetime TV interview he was going to transition to become a woman. That moment opened the floodgates to TV shows and movies feeling more comfortable featuring Same Sex relationships without advance warning.
Anyone who was 7+ years old 10 years ago probably remembers the public backlash Target got for announcing their restrooms would be unisex to accommodate Transgender persons. Many parents regardless of political and religious views were understandably VERY concerned men with evil intentions would use that as a cover to harass women and girls. Who did Target consult before making that decision? GLAAD, of course.
In response to the backlash against Target for their new bathroom policy, GLAAD basically said they didn’t understand what and why people were upset over what a company was doing to be “inclusive”. At GLAAD’s urging and with the ACLU’s backing, Target stood its ground but later quietly revised its bathroom policy.
In 2015, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) issued a public apology for classifying Homosexuality as a Mental Disorder nearly 60 years earlier. It had already been formally removed as a diagnosed Mental Illness in 1973 though no public apology had been given at that time. Despite the changes in policies, the APA and the Medical World both contend biologically, there are only two genders: Male and Female.
On that note. It wasn’t long before challenges to Gender Identity started coming. Many pastors, evangelists and other Christian charismatics make it a point to remind their audiences no one questioned the differences between a man and a woman until the mid-2000s. The differences are not just physical on that note.
Gender reassignment surgery and hormone treatments don’t completely change everything either. Statistically, more Transgender Men (Female to Male) undergo Gender Reassignment Surgery than Transgender Women (Male to Female).
Some of you may remember the imfamous “Pregnant Man” Oprah interview from 10 years ago. “He” was a woman (married to a woman) who transitioned to identify as a man but elected to not have gender reassignment surgery. “He” underwent estrogen treatments (Female Hormones) to allow “Him” to become pregnant via donor sperm. “His” pregnancy story sparked controversy and outrage from many who were upset over the fact “He” was being allowed to call “Himself” a pregnant “man” despite being biologically female.
On that note. A few years before this story broke, Trans Rights advocates were aggressively working to get churches to compromise–with the support of the Democratic Party to an extent. “God made a mistake”, they reasoned. “I’m supposed to be a Female/Male, not Male/Female.” Common sense and basic logic dictate Feelings alone don’t make a good arguement. Yet, hundreds of churches gave in to pressure to compromise.
By now many of you are probably wondering “Why are you going so hard on the topic every time you talk about it?”. It’s because like Darwin’s theory of evolution, it’s an illogical belief being presented as fact despite contrary evidence that easily disputes the assertions of it. Nevermind the obvious demonization of those who are being demonized and dismissed as “intolerant” simply for refusing to compromise their religious beliefs.
As a reminder, simply saying “There are only two genders”–which is an irrefutable fact–is now considered hate speech to our society. Why? Because those who are Transgender or want to self-identify as “Other”–and want to be legally recognized as such–don’t like it. They want their “truth” but the problem is they demand everyone accept their “Truth”.
They know they have the eyes and ears of the Democratic Party and they’re pulling out all the stops to try to make eveyone acknowledge and accept their “Truth” through laws and “Reeducation”. This is called thought control and indoctrination. They had a headstart in Primary Education but many concerned parents are catching up and fighting back.
To close this part of the article, I want repeat what I said in a past post on the subject: The LGBTQ+ Community is soon going to see a lot of their recent gains reversed. I do think Obergafell will be overturned personally and we won’t have to wait 49 years for it to happen. It is inevitable.
I am starting to see the signs the Democratic Party is distancing itself from GLAAD in particular. Ever since they aligned with GLAAD, the GOP has been making the case “The Democrats don’t believe in God and embrace Homosexuality”. The second part of that was something the Dems prided themselves in but clearly not anymore.
The Dems are finally starting to see what the GOP and most sane people knew all along: The Trans community, Nonbinary community and their allies want to redefine gender identity no one questioned for centuries. More so among those who are devout Christians. More and more Dems are getting sick and tired of having to give lip service to the LGBTQ+ Community and some are leaving the party. In other words, the LGBTQ+ Community is fast becoming a liability for the Dems politically.
All that said, the next few years are sure to be very, VERY interesting.
Stop me if you’ve heard things like this before from both sides: “Only I can solve our nation’s problems. Only I know what’s best to move the country forward and bring people together.” You’ve heard both Democrats and Republicans say variations of this in campaign speeches your whole life I’m sure. Some presidents like Reagan, Clinton, Obama and Trump are more charismatic than others. Multiply that by the hundreds for governors, mayors and congresspeople at the state and federal levels.
During Bush 43’s presidency, the Democrats were basically leaderless. During Obama’s presidency, Republicams were basically leaderless. Right now, both parties are basically leaderless. Why? Because both parties have moved further to the Right or Left at the same time. That’s never happened before.
Both parties are looking for a Hero or Strongman they can unite under. The Democrats are desperately looking for someone to replace Biden and the GOP is looking for someone not as insane as Trump. Culturally, America has has a problem with Hero Worship since the end of World War II. Not just politicians obviously but the U.S. Military, Athletes, Celebrities and other public figures.
The problem is the old saying as shown above: Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. I mentioned the Second Commandment above because of the overt worship of people, fictional characters and manmade constructs that has become prevalent in modern societies. I’ll get to that in a bit but first, let’s focus on Strongman Politics.
The concept of a Strong Man as the head of state in modern society really started with the rise of Adolf Hitler in 1930s Germany. It’s easy to forget it took Hilter three tries to force his way into German politics. Like all autocrats, he manufactured crisises within the country and steadily built support first among Ultra Conservatives who felt threatened by the influences of Liberalism. If not for Hitler, Germany may have become the first country in the world to have legalized Gay Marriage.
While most of Hilter’s suporters in the German government thought he was insane, the reason supported his third run for office was because they foolishly believed he would have been easier to control that way. How wrong they would be proven to be. By the time Hitler became Vice Chancellor, the Nazi Party had already taken over German Parilament. Still, those who saw him as a useful idiot chose to continue backing him because in their minds, it was better than letting their political rivals regain power.
When the Chancellor at the time died suddenly, Hitler got a promotion. He immediately started cleaning house and consolidating power, completing his hostile takover of Germany with almost no resistance. The rest is history. It was this same playbook Trump followed and is also why there were so many comparisons with him. Most especially the fact both were–in the case of Trump, IS–cult leaders. The clear differences Trump had from Hitler is he didn’t have complete control of the government or even the majority of the American people despite his best efforts.
This is to say nothing of the rise of Autocracy and Fascism in longtime Democracies in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia. What is driving this disturbing trend? Growing awareness of the public of Corruption within their governments. Widespread distrust of the government and widespread lack of faith in the government are the openings would-be autocrats like to exploit. “Elect me and I promise you I will get rid of all the corruption.” We’ve been hearing that in America for 60 years. What they really often mean is “Elect me and not only will I be just as corrupt as who I replace but I’ll do everything I can to make sure you don’t hear about it.”
This is to say nothing of the fact autocrats like things to be fast and loose. By design, bueurocracy–referred to in government as “red tape”–slows down processes so that at the very least there is oversign and a vetting process made by two or more people. When one person is running everything, that mostly eliminates the need for beurocratics. The further up the chain and the wider the influence we’re talking about–a medium to high-income country for example–the less important it is for an autocracy.
Trump notably did not fill most of the open cabinet positions when he was president. He explained it wasn’t as efficient as if he handled things himself while also pointing out there were no laws requiring those vacant positions be filled. In reality, he ran the White House the same way he liked to run his companies: Fast and loose. In doing this, he also gave his supporters the impression he was “cleaning house” as he promised. In reality, he just didn’t want to have to personally deal with the additional personnel. Like I said, fast and loose.
This brings me back to the saying I mentioned at the beginning of this section: Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. When this country was founded, it was decided this country would not have a king or a king-like figure. One person wouldn’t be calling all the shots. This is why America has thre branches of government.
The problem is all three branches have problems instigated by both political parties:
- Congress has done very little over the last 26 years in particular. As a result, both the President and Supreme Court have been forced to legislate via executive order or the bench respectively.
- Over the last 30 years in particular, the president is viewed as benevolent or a Dictator depending on their party affiliation. Supreme Court confirmation hearings by Congress are heavily politicized and drawn out when they happen.
- Both parties vie for majority control of the Supreme Court because whichever party controls the Supreme Court is guaranteed to have the advantage for decades due to lifetime appointments.
Autocrats and Authoritorians present themselves as the “answer” to the corruption in government. Their growing popularity speaks to the fact people are sick and tired of not seeing their government working for them and want to see things happening by any means. That and more so in recent decades with the rise of social media, people want instant gratification.
Modern society no longer seems to have the patience for progress that will take time before you will see results. Autocrats know all this and it’s why their popularity is on the rise. They promise fast results and immediate action on every hot-button issue knowing in reality, almost everything takes time to be sorted out like it or not.
That’s how things should be. You should not want or like one person deciding everything while ignoring other viewpoints and opinions. Not in a Democracy you shouldn’t. As a system of government, Democracies have glaring issues. The alternatives are far worse in comparison. The Far Right wants Authoritorianism, the Far Left wants Neo Liberalism and most big Companies want an Oligarthy.
Most Americans just want a government that gets things done when it counts, doesn’t infringe on their personal lives and doesn’t treat some favorably over others based on wealth or popularity. You know, stuff everyone already wants.
Some drastic changes will need to be made for sure but since the Dems and the GOP are fighting to preserve the status quo, that’s all the more both parties need to be forcefully broken up. In reality, most Americans can be fit into 5 to 9 different political idologies. Based on just that, it makes no sense for there to only be two political parties. There should be at least 5 or 6.
This brings me to-you guessed it–the Forward Party. Co-Founded by former Democratic presidental candidate Andrew Yang, the main premise of this new political party is to move beyond the partisan bickering and partisan deadock the other two parties only seem to care about.
The only thing more dangerous than that is the fact the Democratic Party’s open hostility toward the Forward Party since its inception. Why? Because the Dems blame third party candidates for their losing the 2000 (Ralph Nader) and 2016 (Jill Stein) presidential elections. In their minds and in the minds of their pundits and podcast hosts, third party candidates are a liability. They tell the public and themselves third party candidates split the vote and make it easier for Republicans to win elections.
That makes the Democrats as anti-choice as the GOP if not worse. With the rift between “traditional” Dems and “progressive” Dems getting worse, a clean break is inevitable. The establishment Dems know they need the progressives for the time being even though they don’t like them. For now, they’re waiting for the right time. The progressives know that too and it makes sense some like Alexandria Oscario-Cortez are not publicly saying if they will back Biden in 2024 yet. It’s called being smart, not coy.
All that said. The Forward Party and the Progressives are the least of the Dems’ concerns right now. They’re now projected to narrowly hold the House of Representatives but if they want to boost their chances, they are going to have to get something done. They also need to heed the advice of political analysts and talk about something other than Trump and Abortion. The GOP still has a good chance of taking the Senate unless they shift focus.
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