What is progressive activism? What does it mean to be progressive? As I’ve said many times, and as I’m going to say many times, the progressive activists of the early 20th century set out in an extremely conscious and aggressive way to desexualize childhood
Finishing the thought, I return to Ida Auken: It's wonderfully progressive for corporations to own every element of your life, and for you to just pay to access their corporate property.
I doubt I will push this one across the goal line but will try.
Progressives were simpler for me to understand once I realized that, for them, moral superiority trumps logic.
"I am a good person" the progressive thinks to himself. "And all good persons think the same way I do. So, anyone who disagrees with me is not a good person."
May 18, 2022·edited May 18, 2022Liked by Chris Bray
Chris, I welcome your thoughts as to a few theories:
It says here that progressive politics and "woke" are ops. Or at least co-opted into I-C plans.
Just as with Jonestown. Jim Jones reached out to the disaffected.
There is a reason why the CIA put out that comical Woke Recruitment video.
They run all the social media giants. Twitter greatly distorts the Woke. Astroturf. Then it takes hold in academia. (that one is weird).
I believe that The Intercept, and Mother Jones, and TYT are now full on psy ops.
Same way that the Biden Admin. reaches out to Tik Tok influencers to coach them up on Ukraine "right think".
These guys are just really good at mind control. And the tell is that they accuse Russia of doing this through Facebook with the election of 2016. Projection.
These guys get way out in front...they've been working with Nazis in Ukraine going back to the '50's.
When they actually get their wars, they fail like crazy. But munitions manufacturers make a ton of money.
It's possible that I only have one hammer, (it's The Blob!), and thus all looks like a nail.
For evey thesis - truth/morality even science there is an anti thesis. It's not new, just read the book of Ecclesiates as an example. What we are witnessing though is a rate of decline that quite frankly is astonishing. So, one question that will be hard to solve is how to rationally engage irrationality? When people claim men can become women for example where does one start. Bottom line is this, there is no political solution because it is a moral problem. Only turning to the God of the universe, Jesus Christ will there be answers.
When the notion of "progress" is properly understood, you won't be surprised to see it zigzagging... or even going in circles.
Don't just blame the Left, though. Left and Right are reins to go with the omipresent carrots-and-sticks of the State and the Economy. We're hitched to the cart and will pull whichever way they please: that is "progress".
This is a fascinating piece. You shined a light onto a topic I've puzzled about but never saw very clearly. For instance, I'd never heard about early 20th century progressive policies about children and how that contrasts with 21st century progressive policies about children. It seems like things are going in circles.
In addition to policing, California's "progressive" policies in the area of housing may be a rich vein. It seems like opposing evil, greedy real estate developers was the progressive norm in the 20th Century. But today's progressive legislature has empowered people who develop real estate, especially in formerly single family residential areas. Same thing in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It used to be Republicans who wanted more people, land development, nuclear power and environmental degradation. Now it's progressives? I'm not sure anymore.
Progressivism seems to be characterized by rabid enthusiasm for whatever apparently novel idea they think will solve all the world's problems. Apparently novel because as you note: short memories, they don't remember what they themselves were doing or saying yesterday. Once possessed by some shiny new theory, they proceed to implement it, no matter the cost. Like human paperclip maximizers.
What passes for “progressive” in the last 40 plus years not anything useful to Americans. The tepid fealty the so-called liberal pays in lip service to “workers” is insulting to the intelligence. Instead of true reform, the so-called liberal (blue Republican) offers bromides and branding. By focusing on the cheap theatrics of the culture wars, that neither side intends to win, they can then distract their constituents. The fact that neither side does anything about anything doesn’t matter; jobs, the economy, a real wage, education, endless wars (Ukraine is the new Afghanistan, complete with Israel selling arms to Nazis), is lost on their base, looking for the outrage du jour. Whether it’s acknowledging the “sexuality” of a child who just last week believed in the Easter Bunny, or the (fraud) Squad sending nice tweets, the so called liberal will look at these stupid laws and say it’s progress because they said so on CNN. Both sides of the uni-party do this, Fox as well. It’s what a liar does talking out of both sides of his mouth.
Yes, progressivism presents an opportunity for people who grew up with a chip on their shoulders resenting authority figures (Where’s my daddy?) to push back. Honestly, why is the primary parent of these troubled kids always a single, unattractive mother covered in tattoos and facial piercings? It’s attention getting behavior. Sad!
Like I told a co-worker, after I told her there is a solution to global resource pressure a radical deliberate reduction in global population (she doesn't flinch when I say shit like that, replied, so like make some viruses?), what has government done about the opioid crisis? Apparently Minnesota is getting $300 million from the opioid settlement. Which like the tobacco settlement before it, it will go to a lot of non-profit progressives to make flyers and newsletters and tv spots and "outreach" plans, and like the tobacco settlement before that more people will somehow be on opioids after the money runs out.
Nothing tells you that the left has lost the ethical high ground more than the change in their attitudes regarding big corporations. In the 70s and 80s, big business was the enemy of democrats. Environmentalism was about pollution, not about global warming. It's interesting that our enemies hijacked environmentalism and perverted it, taking the ethical core against corporations abusing the earth for profit out of the conversation: https://www.corbettreport.com/interview-1117-jim-steele-on-how-bad-global-warming-science-hurts-the-environmental-movement/
Finishing the thought, I return to Ida Auken: It's wonderfully progressive for corporations to own every element of your life, and for you to just pay to access their corporate property.
https://chrisbray.substack.com/p/empowered-by-feudalism
I doubt I will push this one across the goal line but will try.
Progressives were simpler for me to understand once I realized that, for them, moral superiority trumps logic.
"I am a good person" the progressive thinks to himself. "And all good persons think the same way I do. So, anyone who disagrees with me is not a good person."
Who needs principles when you "think" like that?
Chris, I welcome your thoughts as to a few theories:
It says here that progressive politics and "woke" are ops. Or at least co-opted into I-C plans.
Just as with Jonestown. Jim Jones reached out to the disaffected.
There is a reason why the CIA put out that comical Woke Recruitment video.
They run all the social media giants. Twitter greatly distorts the Woke. Astroturf. Then it takes hold in academia. (that one is weird).
I believe that The Intercept, and Mother Jones, and TYT are now full on psy ops.
Same way that the Biden Admin. reaches out to Tik Tok influencers to coach them up on Ukraine "right think".
These guys are just really good at mind control. And the tell is that they accuse Russia of doing this through Facebook with the election of 2016. Projection.
These guys get way out in front...they've been working with Nazis in Ukraine going back to the '50's.
When they actually get their wars, they fail like crazy. But munitions manufacturers make a ton of money.
It's possible that I only have one hammer, (it's The Blob!), and thus all looks like a nail.
Talk me down off the ledge.
edit to add: see also, Bread Tube
Keep thinking of The Simpsons movie the past 2 years, when the churchgoers and the drunks swap religions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPiQiToZn6s&t=12s
For evey thesis - truth/morality even science there is an anti thesis. It's not new, just read the book of Ecclesiates as an example. What we are witnessing though is a rate of decline that quite frankly is astonishing. So, one question that will be hard to solve is how to rationally engage irrationality? When people claim men can become women for example where does one start. Bottom line is this, there is no political solution because it is a moral problem. Only turning to the God of the universe, Jesus Christ will there be answers.
When the notion of "progress" is properly understood, you won't be surprised to see it zigzagging... or even going in circles.
Don't just blame the Left, though. Left and Right are reins to go with the omipresent carrots-and-sticks of the State and the Economy. We're hitched to the cart and will pull whichever way they please: that is "progress".
Great video for your essay.
This is a fascinating piece. You shined a light onto a topic I've puzzled about but never saw very clearly. For instance, I'd never heard about early 20th century progressive policies about children and how that contrasts with 21st century progressive policies about children. It seems like things are going in circles.
In addition to policing, California's "progressive" policies in the area of housing may be a rich vein. It seems like opposing evil, greedy real estate developers was the progressive norm in the 20th Century. But today's progressive legislature has empowered people who develop real estate, especially in formerly single family residential areas. Same thing in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It used to be Republicans who wanted more people, land development, nuclear power and environmental degradation. Now it's progressives? I'm not sure anymore.
Progressivism seems to be characterized by rabid enthusiasm for whatever apparently novel idea they think will solve all the world's problems. Apparently novel because as you note: short memories, they don't remember what they themselves were doing or saying yesterday. Once possessed by some shiny new theory, they proceed to implement it, no matter the cost. Like human paperclip maximizers.
What passes for “progressive” in the last 40 plus years not anything useful to Americans. The tepid fealty the so-called liberal pays in lip service to “workers” is insulting to the intelligence. Instead of true reform, the so-called liberal (blue Republican) offers bromides and branding. By focusing on the cheap theatrics of the culture wars, that neither side intends to win, they can then distract their constituents. The fact that neither side does anything about anything doesn’t matter; jobs, the economy, a real wage, education, endless wars (Ukraine is the new Afghanistan, complete with Israel selling arms to Nazis), is lost on their base, looking for the outrage du jour. Whether it’s acknowledging the “sexuality” of a child who just last week believed in the Easter Bunny, or the (fraud) Squad sending nice tweets, the so called liberal will look at these stupid laws and say it’s progress because they said so on CNN. Both sides of the uni-party do this, Fox as well. It’s what a liar does talking out of both sides of his mouth.
Yes, progressivism presents an opportunity for people who grew up with a chip on their shoulders resenting authority figures (Where’s my daddy?) to push back. Honestly, why is the primary parent of these troubled kids always a single, unattractive mother covered in tattoos and facial piercings? It’s attention getting behavior. Sad!
A similar case could be made for conservatism. It's all about owning the libs.
Like I told a co-worker, after I told her there is a solution to global resource pressure a radical deliberate reduction in global population (she doesn't flinch when I say shit like that, replied, so like make some viruses?), what has government done about the opioid crisis? Apparently Minnesota is getting $300 million from the opioid settlement. Which like the tobacco settlement before it, it will go to a lot of non-profit progressives to make flyers and newsletters and tv spots and "outreach" plans, and like the tobacco settlement before that more people will somehow be on opioids after the money runs out.
What’s the principle?
The principle is power.
Politics is power and that's all.
Mind you these sort of people were too much for even Stalin and he was a dedicated Communist.
2020 riots and defund the police.
2022 "Law and Order"- more police and be more aggressive.
It's Power playing a game.
As long as we play we'll keep bouncing around like ping pong balls until we're dead.
The end.
Or...perchance...we get new elites.
We shall not talk, blog, vote, tweet, bleat our way to survival or sanity.
Cheers.
Nothing tells you that the left has lost the ethical high ground more than the change in their attitudes regarding big corporations. In the 70s and 80s, big business was the enemy of democrats. Environmentalism was about pollution, not about global warming. It's interesting that our enemies hijacked environmentalism and perverted it, taking the ethical core against corporations abusing the earth for profit out of the conversation: https://www.corbettreport.com/interview-1117-jim-steele-on-how-bad-global-warming-science-hurts-the-environmental-movement/