Liberal Intolerance As An Established Religion

We're used to the idea that liberalism is a civic religion, in that it presents an all embracing worldview. Characteristic of a civic religion is that dissent is rarely tolerated--indeed, public expression of competing views is regularly discouraged and, when possible, persecuted.

The Founding Fathers believed that Americans had enough in the way of shared Christian beliefs or understandings, derived from a common education rooted in Western history and civilization, that free expression and free exercise of religion could safely be guaranteed in the federal Constitution--even while allowing for established religions in the states. In that sense it's possible to say that a generalized Deism, characteristic of that period of English history, was established by the Constitution as a sort of default civic religion. We can see that in the opening passage of the Declaration of Independence.

At this point in history that type of shared understanding--a common philosophical outlook regarding human nature and the place of man in reality--is sorely and quite obviously lacking. That much is clear from the concerted liberal assault on key provisions of the Constitution, which is now attacked as enshrining White Supremacy, rather than regarded as empowering all citizens to a full life of citizenship. What is also obvious is that the adherents of liberalism are increasingly uncomprehending of even the possibility of disagreement with their views. So much so that the calls to "deplatform" or to "cancel" opponents--not so long ago an unthinkable violation of the spirit of the Constitution--are openly voiced in elite educational, cultural, and political circles. And these "calls" to action are being followed up in ever more coercive ways.

A few examples of where we are at this moment follow. Some may seem ridiculous or trivial, yet they are all too indicative of a societal trend.

Don Surber picked this example, and it perfectly expresses the liberal mentality:

ITEM 5: Joy Behar said, "Tucker Carlson needs to be tied up and put in the corner somewhere, so we never hear from him again."

I guess she does not realize you can switch TV stations.

...

Switch stations--what a concept! That's one of those weird tricks that conservatives have been living with for decades, now, but liberals can't seem to wrap their heads around that. they want everyone else to just shut up. Or even to undergo reeducation. Diversity? Ehhhh, not so much any more. How coarse are public square has become.

Last week I was talking about liberal plans for education in Illinois--to be imitated and adopted across the country. The basic idea is not to educate the kids in the Three R's but to turn the kids into woke liberal activists. But let's not pretend it's not already happening--even in Deep Red Ohio.

Well, education is still somewhat local in America, despite the US Department of Education. So it's not exactly a coincidence that this story comes from Hilliard, OH, which is a suburb of Columbus--home of a major government university. By the way, that link is to the "Demographics" section of the Wikipedia page for Hilliard. Allowing for location, it's safe to say that Hilliard is a privileged place in America--certainly in Ohio.

What's up in Hilliard? Check this out: 

An assistant principal at a Hilliard, Ohio high school sent an email to faculty telling teachers to endorse a controversial piece of legislation and encouraged students to do the same.

OK, the email was cleverly worded as a request--the word "please" appears several times--but it doesn't take a lot of imagination to figure out how that works in practice. Teachers who balk will be noted. Their performance appraisals will reflect their unwillingness to be team players, to advance inclusion, etc. Worst of all, they will likely be singled out as racist. Or not anti-racist. Here's what we're talking about, and this is just point one of four points on the agenda:

Happy snow day everyone,

As mentioned in last week’s Friday bulletin, tomorrow (Wednesday, 2/17) and Friday (2/19), we will be running an adjusted bell schedule (see attached) to allot some intentional time to recognize Black History Month on the front end of our 3rd period classes.

For that 22 minute allotted block of time, please follow this agenda:

1) Hilliard City Anti-discrimination bill introduction: (please read) The power of student voice is remarkable and transformational! Last September, Jahari, a Hilliard high school student, contacted Hilliard City Council as to ways in which he could make our community more inclusive and accepting of all people. Two City Council members asked Jahari to leverage the power of student voice to help them expand existing anti-discrimination laws so that our city can protect people who are from communities related to sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, marital status and pregnancy because our current law in Hilliard does not include community members related to those classes. Jahari and other students in the Reaching Out to Cat Kids group got to work!

Now, we need YOU. We need YOU to share with our elected officials in the form of a hard-copy letter why expanding the anti-discrimination legislation is necessary. If you have experienced discrimination because of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, marital status and pregnancy, please share your experiences as well so we can help the people who serve us understand us and understand why we need legislation that protects all people. There is a box where you can turn in your letter in the main office.

We are proud of Jahari, Thomas and the other members of the Reaching Out to Cat Kids group for their inclusive, transformative efforts. Students, now it is your turn to help us bring about a better tomorrow.

Do you have a problem with a better tomorrow? The subtext is that if you have a different concept of what a better tomorrow might look at you should keep it to yourselves. And you're paying for this.

How much of this is actually being absorbed by kids at government schools? Unfortunately, more than you might think. At The Hill today there's a disturbing article about the whole situation. What exactly are uber-woke educators teaching our kids? The examples are largely drawn from Blue areas, but this study--quoted in the article--suggests that we have much to worry about if we want our children and grandchildren to grow up in a non-totalitarian society:

As for free speech, prepare again for the jaw to drop: According to the Knight Foundation, a majority of Gen Z college students say that “shouting down speakers or trying to prevent them from talking” is sometimes or completely fair game. 

Given this astonishing number, one has to wonder what is being taught to kids before they get to college that allows them to mimic Big Tech in censoring or shouting down those with an opinion or perspective different from their own.

Shades of Joy Behar. How appalling!

So, back to the beginning. What was Tucker Carlson saying that made Behar want to consign him to the outer darkness--or at least to corner from which we'd nevermore hear his voice? H/T to Cassander for this Carlson monologue, in which Tucker speaks what should be some very uncomfortable truths. And, not at all coincidentally, he addresses some of the same topics as above:

None of what's going on these days is a recipe for a healthy, happy America--a war of society's elites against the Middle Class and against their normal values has never had a happy ending. Which is why the elite plan for the future--their future--that Tucker describes is unlikely to work out the way they so confidently expect it to. The real question is, How long can this establishment of Woke Religion last before the body politic rejects it?