Fear of being labeled a bigot and isolated is the singular driver that enabled censorship and DEI to grow legs at a cultural and corporate level. For every True Believer out there, I believe there's another acting that way to consciously insulate themselves from the mob, and multiples more who are falling in line and "playing the game" t…
Fear of being labeled a bigot and isolated is the singular driver that enabled censorship and DEI to grow legs at a cultural and corporate level. For every True Believer out there, I believe there's another acting that way to consciously insulate themselves from the mob, and multiples more who are falling in line and "playing the game" to keep their heads down.
People don't give up free speech of their own volition. I chafe at the idea any one person gets to dictate what's offensive, that someone deems an idea offensive then it's violence, and if it's violence it should be stifled. The left has backed itself into a corner where everything is okay, except to say that anything is wrong. Both are cheap cover for fear of anyone saying they're a [fill in the blank]-ist.
Going along with the crowd makes many outwardly indistinguishable from the loudest proponents, and in effect doing their work for them. I always wondered how whole societies could fall for the likes of Naziism or the witch trials; it's starting to make more sense... they just didn't want to risk being on the wrong side.
| For every True Believer out there, I believe there's another acting that way to consciously insulate themselves from the mob, and multiples more who are falling in line and "playing the game" to keep their heads down. |
Hasn't this always been true? 1/3 of people have no strong religious preference (or none at all) yet every politician goes out of their way to show their religious bona fides, even Trump who is perhaps one of the most amoral people who ever lived.
People have always been fine with forcing others to conform in certain ways and are only against it now because they're no longer the "in" group. The same conformist crap is being pushed by both the right-wing and left-wing--it's just different crap they're trying to get everyone else to conform to.
To a good degree I agree with you, and yes, this whole episode has made me consider the true driving force behind Puritanism.
I think/expect the distinction is the weight between the fear and the innocuous virtue signaling to seek a benefit.... how much carrot versus how much stick. My gut is that the the overwhelming driving force here is the stick. In your example I believe those politicians are primarily acting to seek the benefits of appearing religious, not fear being shunned/cancelled/excommunicated if they don't.
Fear of being labeled a bigot and isolated is the singular driver that enabled censorship and DEI to grow legs at a cultural and corporate level. For every True Believer out there, I believe there's another acting that way to consciously insulate themselves from the mob, and multiples more who are falling in line and "playing the game" to keep their heads down.
People don't give up free speech of their own volition. I chafe at the idea any one person gets to dictate what's offensive, that someone deems an idea offensive then it's violence, and if it's violence it should be stifled. The left has backed itself into a corner where everything is okay, except to say that anything is wrong. Both are cheap cover for fear of anyone saying they're a [fill in the blank]-ist.
Going along with the crowd makes many outwardly indistinguishable from the loudest proponents, and in effect doing their work for them. I always wondered how whole societies could fall for the likes of Naziism or the witch trials; it's starting to make more sense... they just didn't want to risk being on the wrong side.
Fear, not misplaced idealism, is why we're here.
| For every True Believer out there, I believe there's another acting that way to consciously insulate themselves from the mob, and multiples more who are falling in line and "playing the game" to keep their heads down. |
Hasn't this always been true? 1/3 of people have no strong religious preference (or none at all) yet every politician goes out of their way to show their religious bona fides, even Trump who is perhaps one of the most amoral people who ever lived.
People have always been fine with forcing others to conform in certain ways and are only against it now because they're no longer the "in" group. The same conformist crap is being pushed by both the right-wing and left-wing--it's just different crap they're trying to get everyone else to conform to.
To a good degree I agree with you, and yes, this whole episode has made me consider the true driving force behind Puritanism.
I think/expect the distinction is the weight between the fear and the innocuous virtue signaling to seek a benefit.... how much carrot versus how much stick. My gut is that the the overwhelming driving force here is the stick. In your example I believe those politicians are primarily acting to seek the benefits of appearing religious, not fear being shunned/cancelled/excommunicated if they don't.
fear works