"Calm Down, Liberal Progressives!" - Are Critics Suffering From Too Much Steak, French Wine, and Quiche?

Peggy Noonan with President Ronald Reagan 

Bill Maher Diagnoses Liberal 'Progressophobia'

Peggy Noonan

June 21, 2021

Bill Maher

I don't share Maher's view presented in Peggy Noonan's piece linked above. That being that ultra liberal progressives are "deeply destructive" as Noonan puts it. They are a nuisance but can only be understood comparatively within the raucous din that is US society.

With the exception of Antifa, liberal progressives are not prone to preemptive violence, gerrymandering, voter suppression, denying that institutional racism exists, and attending rallies bearing Nazi and white supremacist insignia and chanting "you will not replace us". Preserving white privilege and dominance is not on the liberal progressive agenda.

For the most part, ultra liberal progressives can be ignored and out-muscled/out-maneuvered by the Democratic party mainstream. Consider the approaches to governance taken Pelosi and Biden. There is nothing, nothing, on the Right side of the aisle that compares. Look at who the FBI is investigating - white supremacist groups, not the Green New Deal contingent or Black Caucus in Congress. Give me Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over Ted Cruz any, any day! She cares for and acts in the interests of the greatest good for the greatest number. Cruz is an self-serving ideologue who found nothing wrong with the January 6, 2021 insurrection.

As for "progressophobia", surely we can tolerate the liberal progressive's whining that the glass of sociocultural change is half empty. I can abide that far more than I can "Racism? Get over it! We've had the Civil Rights Movement! Stop complaining, we've made progress! Be content with that!"

Maher says "seeing clearly is necessary for actually fixing problems." I agree. But the error of exaggeration liberal progressives make pales in comparison to the anger, hatred, and outrage served up hourly on Fox News and happily consumed by millions of white Americans. We are not blinded by liberal progressive exuberance. It is the disinformation and outright lies of the Right that obscures and delays our way forward in improving US society.

Achieving the Enlightenment project's goals is only furthered by hammering away at obstacles standing in the way. Not laying down the hammer and patting ourselves on the back for the progress we have made. I am willing to grant that more acknowledgement of the progress that has been made may be needed by some on the Left. But in my experience, I have not once heard a liberal progressive leader give a major speech or address the public where s/he did not open by acknowledging that some progress had been made.

Where are the Black Americans asking everyone to calm down, take measure of and show appreciation for the progress we have made? 

I like most of Maher's stuff but I am more and more thinking he is first and foremost a poser, a self-preener who in this case isn't helping the liberal cause. When the lights and cameras are turned off, and Maher's alone with no one laughing at his witticisms and sarcasm, he still ain't Black in America. If/when the shit hits the fan and the US slides into a conservative white-dominated theocracy, we'll see if Maher is still smirking and calling on liberal progressives to reign in their enthusiasm.

I think Noonan, in this piece, suffers from false equivalence:

"Americans are always trying to figure out a way to broaden the number of available lanes to happiness. You can’t do that by mere divisiveness (persons of other colors are bad) or unrelieved bitterness (nothing ever changes)."

The acts of divisiveness and bitterness by the Left are sandbox antics compared to what happened at the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, VA and in DC on January 6, 2021. Give me a horsey, loud progressive over a retrograde conservative any day. The times continue to be a changin'. As humankind adapts and tries new things, a good conservatism is necessary but that lot currently in the US House and Senate and the gaggle in the US population enthralled by Trump ain't it.  

The "transformation and improvement" Noonan refers to in closing her essay never, ever came in the sociocultural evolution of the US without a heaping measure of loud, persistent protest, civil disobedience, and sometimes nasty fights.

Moving the white, Christian US mainstream toward a more pluralistic, inclusive frame of mind has never been a calm, deliberative, incremental, check for progress as we go, process. Changing course on the Titanic did not need a slowed down, deliberative consideration of and appreciation for how nice the cruise had been so far. MLK would not have been nearly as effective in moving the thinking of Americans had it not been for the threats of violence made by Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael and other militants. Republican president Theodore Roosevelt himself said "walk softly but carry a big stick." Most times little change comes about in societies without some stomping and, when necessary, some stick.

Noonan praises "quiet conversions" and "quiet revivals." Hrmph. Me thinks she has become too accustomed to steak, French wine, and quiche. Maher, too.

Counterculture, Part II: Counterculture Futures Revisited - An Owl & Ibis Presentation By Jim Lassiter

Sincere thanks to those who attended my June 27, 2021 Owl & Ibis - A Confluence of Minds Zoom presentation, and for your participation in the far-ranging discussion that followed. The following are links to the slideshow.

MS PowerPoint (contains music, videos, and slide animations):

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AZGFOsPxgmqtzdanWQ_lYHbBv-n-poPz/view?usp=sharing

NOTE: The slideshow works best using MS PowerPoint. See the attached narration, Slides 12 & 13, for when to click on the video images to start them. All other transitions in the slideshow are automated and need not be clicked.

PDF:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JrQvbXhFvF2PAWZMOjxxMLXVoOQerX0S/view?usp=sharing

Narration:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tiFpbVfmyAdK5Nn92OVYlOMOeedLu8ii/view?usp=sharing

Jim

}:> & ~:)

The Role Of Science in Democracies - Should All Truths Be Equally Considered?

Photo: The Hedgehog Review

Scientific Authority and the Democratic Narrative

Jason Blakely

Fall 2020

The Hedgehog Review

The essay above has some merit but I think some of its claims go a bit far. The statement "the various voices that advance various [moral] goods must be given a fair hearing" is one.

Another is "When it comes to the stories informing public policy in a democracy, scientists and nonscientists, experts and laypeople, must be on equal footing.

Batshittery, TV punditry, conspiracy theories, disinformation, intelligent design, theology, medical quackery must all stand on an equal footing with science, reason, and humaneness as learned from history, anthropology, and philosophy in forging the way forward in a democracy?

I think this is a large part of the reason humankind is in the paralyzing dilemma, confusion, and peril it is presently in. The widespread public misinterpretation of cultural relativity and false equivalence are being used by the wealthy and powerful to sow confusion via various media; and in our state of confusion the purveyors of such succeed in commandeering the leadership of society. This is the real power grab that is bringing modernity and the Enlightenment project to an end, not an overreach of science.  The political scientist author of this essay is lending a hand in this degenerative cultural evolution.

They say the best defense is a good offense. Sometimes. These days a good offense is one that confuses you with contradictions and disinformation and has you paralyzed from arguing with yourself and others. In this catatonic state people are more easily controlled and led.

This goes to something I try to address in my book in progress and in my upcoming Owl & Ibis - A Confluence of Minds presentation on Counterculture, Part II - Counterculture Futures Revisited. That being the problem of trying to fix our problems by relying mostly on science, technology, politics, and economics. And the problem of making a better future being impossible without some measures (values) for deciding on what we as living beings want to become other than what we are now, and how we should best treat each other on our way there. More dog-eat-dog, übernationalist, capitalism won't lead us out of our mess.

Some new and improved human relational "oughts" and "shoulds" are needed to guide our science, politics, economics going forward. Debate, engagement, democracy, empathy, pluralism (tolerance) are not enough. Politics, governance, the economy, technology are means, not ends. But they all are hollow and without power if not animated by something cultural. Moral philosophy and social science need to finally up their game; that is, suit up and enter the culture content playing field. In the Ethnosphere there are many "goods" (beliefs, values, practices) we have learned from experience. Again, the so-called "goods" dog-eat-dog, übernationalist libertarian capitalism are not among them. We have proven that these "goods" are ethnocidal and geocidal despite the material progress they have brought humankind. One line in my upcoming O&I presentation describes the problem many in the US do not want to acknowledge: Those who control culture and counterculture, control society. 

The is/ought debate? Out, out damned Hume! Yes, science has a role to play in establishing broad cultural values where members of all societies can find common ground for creating a better future for all. In fact, science may be our only hope of finding solutions amid the din of value confusion, competing ideologies and ideas, and escaping from the determining clutches of the wealthy and powerful. See here.

The future depends on the cultures we create - the ideas, beliefs, values, and ways of behaving we craft now to animate, to humanize our future politics, economics, technology, and social institutions and functions. Leaving the cultural content of the future we envision to the powerful and wealthy, economists, political scientists, theologians, and journalists has led to where we are today - rapidly approaching an economic, ecological dead end.

Pius Health Clinic In Uganda Needs Your Help

 

My wife Immy Rose and I are happy to announce that Pius Health Clinic Uganda Charity, Ltd. was recently approved for 501(c)(3) tax exempt status by the US Internal Revenue Service!

PHCUC is a public charity we started to help support Pius Health Clinic, a not-for-profit health clinic in rural eastern Uganda.

We invite you to join us in financially supporting this charitable effort to bring not-for-profit medical care and health maintenance services to people who have the greatest need.

Pius Health Clinic began fully operating on January 1, 2021. Here is a link to the clinic's website where you can find pictures and a description of the clinic and how we got it up and running:

Pius Health Clinic

If you have the MS PowerPoint app, you can view a brief narrated slide presentation about the clinic that includes a short video here:

Pius Health Clinic Slideshow

Immy Rose and I are the sole administrators of the charity and operate it out of our home. We therefore are the only volunteer staff and have no overhead. This means 100% of your charitable contributions will go directly to supporting the clinic. We provide a quarterly clinic budget and medical operations report and an annual report to all contributors.

Immy Rose and I have so far provided the clinic staff salaries out of our personal finances. So far, contributions for purchasing medicines and supplies for the clinic have come from a few caring, generous friends. Each contribution has ranged from $20-$50 per month or from $200-$500 per year.

Any amount you are able to give will be appreciated and make a big difference in people's lives whose health care needs are greatest.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

All charitable contribution payments should be made using the world’s most secure online fundraising platform, GoFundMe. Click on this link:

Pius Health Clinic Uganda Charity, Ltd.

GoFundMe accepts most major credit cards – Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover.

We are happy to answer any questions you may have about the clinic or the charity that supports it.

Become a member of Pius Health Clinic Team by making a financial contribution today!

Thank you!

Jim & Immy Rose Namutosi Lassiter
Administrators
Pius Health Clinic Uganda Charity, Ltd.

Counterculture, Part I: Past, Present and Future - An Owl & Ibis Presentation by Jim Lassiter

 

My sincere thanks to those who attended the May 29, 2021 Zoom meeting of Owl & Ibis - A Confluence of Minds. For those who were unable to attend, the following links are provided:

Counterculture Part I Narration

Counterculture Part I Slideshow

Counterculture Part I PDF

Here are excerpts from my the narration of my presentation:

Wikipedia defines counterculture as a subculture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society; sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores. Counterculture has the potential to trigger dramatic cultural changes.

Many equate counterculture with social activism, especially the pursuit of greater individualism and less authoritarianism based on a belief in the possibility of personal and social transformation. This is part of what the notion of counterculture represents and what counterculture can lead to. But counterculture is deeper and more fundamental in human nature.  It is a tradition of breaking with culture, a tradition that predates and initiates all other traditions. It is inseparable from culture.

Today I want to take an anthropological, cultural evolutionary approach to help understand counterculture. That is, look at counterculture as a part of culture itself, a driving force that has led to social and cultural change, good and bad but mostly good, throughout human evolution. I also want us to consider counterculture comparatively. To look at counterculture in different social and cultural settings in order to better understand the full range of how it works and how it sometimes fails.

Returning to Dylan’s song [The Times Are A Changin' in the title slide], what did he mean by the times were changing? The German word zeitgeist captures the meaning well.  It refers to the defining spirit or mood of a particular period in history  as revealed by the ideas and beliefs of that time.  Specific ideas and beliefs are the essential elements of culture – the agreed to, malleable, and shared ideas, beliefs, values, and ways of behaving of human individuals living in groups.

But within each society, there have always been outliers. Individuals with ideas and behaviors that did not line up with the popular thinking of the dominant culture of their times. The doubters. The outright deviants. Those who objected to the status quo. Many dared to voice their alternative ideas. More brazenly, there have been some who took action to change the ideas and actions of others, including the majority, to comply with what they thought was a better way of thinking and behaving.  In doing so such intrepid freethinkers, those quirky deviants, coalesced, shared their ideas with others, and together formed countercultures. Counterculture doubters and objectors still exist today.

One of the questions I try to answer in this presentation is:  Will counterculture survive the current populist, nativist push for authoritarian governance around the world, even within traditionally democratic societies?

...

What follows is my point of argumentation.

Counterculture is presently under a severe and determined attack in the US and globally. It is threatened by a multi-method, multi-front assault from nativist populism, authoritarian politicians, fundamentalist religion, and consumer products and convenience technology placation around the world.

Important aspects of the dystopian societies described in the works of Huxley, Orwell, and Atwood are rapidly becoming reality in the US and elsewhere. In addition to what goes on in Russia, China, Turkey, the Philippines, North Korea, and Uganda consider the growing authoritarianism and nativist populism in Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, India, Brazil, and in many other countries around the world.

The humane ideas within what many call the Enlightenment project that provided the foundational rationale for most countercultural movements in the West are now under evermore brutal attack. Counterculture in the West began in 17^th Century Europe with the Levellers. It was also central to the movements that came after: Bohemianism, the Non-Conformists, the Beat Generation, and the hippies and punks.

In the 21^st Century ultra-conservative and nativist populist backlash attacks have forced counterculture to become a multi-front defensive action, a struggle for counterculture’s existence and the survival of efforts to achieve the more humanistic of the Enlightenment ideals. Counterculture is now an effort to preserve and strengthen the possibility of a humane, democratic, progressive type of society; and, hopefully, by extension, a more democratic, pluralistic, and cosmopolitan global civilization.

There are likely to be dark times in the future of the US and the rest of humankind caused by forces leading the attack against counterculture.

My assumptions or premises:

1.         Counterculture is a necessary part of culture.

2.         It is in our human nature to safeguard and ensure individual freedom and egalitarian democratic socialist group governance.

3.         This is our best way for being and remaining human and humane.

4.         Counterculture can be appropriated for harming true countercultures.

5.         Counterculture can be suppressed but never eliminated within human groups.

6.         Those who control culture and counterculture, control society.

Here is my conclusion based on my foregoing assumptions or premises:

Countercultural movements are under increasingly brutal attack. For your personal wellbeing and that of humankind and Earth defend, join, and/or support countercultures if you value individual freedom, equality, and dignity.