Guest Post by Jim Kunstler
The Twitter-incited mob that shut down last week’s Donald Trump rally at the University of Illinois’ Chicago pavilion was the first skirmish in what is shaping up to be a civil war between a political Left that has lost its mind and a political Right that has lost its mind and its soul. The tensions between these two camps are so contorted and dishonest that even trying to unpack the issues puts the un-packer in jeopardy of being branded as one kind of thought-criminal or another.
The Left has lost its mind in a climax of zealotry over the new religion of social justice, with its sacred “victims” (blacks, LBGTQs, etc), its sacred tenets (“diversity,” “inclusion”), and its endless charges of blasphemy (renamed “micro-aggressions”) against heretics (“racists,” “homophobes”) who object to absolutist thought policing. This was nicely described by Jonathan Haidt, social psychologist and Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University in a recent podcast with author Sam Harris. (Skip to 1 hour 30 minutes in the long discussion.)
The religion got started on the campuses, where social science careerists ginned up an elaborate doctrine to justify the self-importance of their new departments in so-called race, gender, and privilege studies — the main point of which was to create new categories of sacred victims suffering spiritual torments (“traumas”) that could never be healed. These crypto-religious “studies” led to a multiplication of demons that had to be exorcized by an equal multiplication of diversity deans and committees aimed at punishing blasphemies — such as arguing against affirmative action (“racist”), or wearing a Mexican sombrero at a tequila party (“cultural appropriation” + “racist”), which happened recently at posh Bowdoin College.
The hysteria incited by the academic diversity corps spread readily and easily into Democratic Party politics, where badly-needed minority votes could be harvested to shore up the dwindling votes of traditional supporters such as labor unions, and make up for (you might say cover up) the Party’s complete surrender to both Wall Street and the war industry.
The religion of the social justice warriors, got a huge boost with the deaths, and subsequent canonization of the new mega-saints, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, and other black youths who were killed under circumstances that were, at least, ambiguous, and, at most, due to their own poor judgment and misbehavior. (Pause for cries of “racist” to subside). The Michael Brown / Ferguson, Mo. incident and subsequent riots led to the “Black Lives Matter” movement, with its now secular (“the street”) and campus branches, and its vote-garnering panders (Hillary) in politics.
Possibly the worst blasphemy — which I will now state — is the idea that the new religion of social justice exists to disguise the vast disappointment over the failure of the civil rights movement to uplift — that is, raise out of poverty, illiteracy, and crime — a substantial part of the black population. In fact, much of the official policy of the civil rights era only made matters worse, especially the well-known failures of the welfare system with all its disincentives to economic striving. So, the well-intentioned people of the Left — a dying breed — are left in dismay and embarrassment, fighting demons, while black America chooses more and more remain an oppositional culture, apart, antagonistic, and increasingly bent on vengeance.
Enter Trump, perhaps the worst figure possible to call bullshit on this vast matrix of dishonesty, with his ugly cohort of “poorly-educated” white yahoo supporters. Why? Because the well-educated non-yahoos of both parties are too cowardly and too corrupt — too busy making money off the war racketeers and the medical racketeers, and the Wall Street racketeers, and the campus racketeers — to take on some of the central lies of our times, which Trump manages to do in the crudest possible ways.
What the politicians and the media and the cringing, pandering intellectuals of this country aren’t figuring is what happens when the political crisis of the moment is amped up by the financial and economic train wreck that is certain to come before the fall elections. The nation has already gone mad with the internal contradictions of its own beliefs. The next step will be when it literally goes to war with itself.
“Enter Trump, perhaps the worst figure possible to call bullshit on this vast matrix of dishonesty, with his ugly cohort of “poorly-educated” white yahoo supporters. ”
Yawn…this pompous ass Obama supporting metro-sexual dick whistler is like a broken record…scratch scratch scratch …boring
Jim did a good job explaining ‘Social Justice’ etc.
Trump is what you get when the government / media / universities pedal lies for the last 40 years.
I’m voting for Trump.
There are two sides and only two sides: There is the Trump and then there is everything else.
Choose your side now or end up having someone else choose it for you in a few months.
As for me?
I’ve joined the Trump, it isn’t perfect but it isn’t the status quo of the progressive leftist agenda and meek “conservative” cooperation with it either..
So Jimbo, did you ever think it might be smart to police your own? Guess not. Now you’ll get what you deserve.
JK’s words don’t reach the ordinary man but Trump’s do. The battle lines were drawn by the Communist and the good White people finally saw it. Trump is the only man of statue to step up to the plate and say lets play ball. This is the big game; winner takes all. If Conservatives lose, it’s the (Zyklon B) showers for us.
Jim
You as well as I that there will be no financial meltdown or even a dry cough
before November. This is not 2008. Look for the DLS to proclaim plunging unemployment
rates and robust job creation along with longer work hours per week and substantial
real wage growth.
Massive Leftist using “leftist” as a pejorative? Priceless.
SJW’s are simply the most zealous of the Progressivist Cult today. This isn’t new, it’s just more of the same shit that’s been going on for 600 years.
Cthulhu only turns left. Trump represents a tiny attempt to turn Right, and the cultists are Full Retard, sharpening their witch-hunter spears.
I guess I’m lucky; As a “post-work” person I can be relatively comfortable speaking the truth about all this. For the record, Jimmy K, I may very well have a higher IQ than do you (and there’s a high probability that I’d kick your ass in a physical confrontation, to boot, even if you were 12 years younger.)
I’m voting (a rare event for me) for Trump tomorrow. I really don’t give a rat’s ass if he will do one iota more than the next politician with regard to implementing his campaign rhetoric. I want to see Cthulhu stop turning left. I want the society in which I live stop normalizing delusions, metal illness and open crime.*
[* As I see it, if we stay on this current course any longer, the LGBTQ-blah-blah-blah will double-down on trying to normalize adult sexual targeting of minors. I really do think that’s a violence-inciting line they wish to cross (the trannies in the girl’s locker-room thing is standing astride that line as is) and I really don’t wish to feel the tug of irrational rage.]
Kunstler does paint a picture with words. He can write, but I have to wonder whether he’s having a change of mind in his political leanings, or if he’s just ruminating in print.
I do appreciate that Jim Quinn posts writings from a wide range of thinkers. There’s no echo chamber here, and that’s a good thing for those of us who are still learning. Thanks, Jim.
JHK manages to write something decent and not even directly mention NASCAR or “cone pone”, although he can’t help an indirect allusion. Bravo!
Anyway…
Before the Chicago mob/riot situation I thought this would merely be an increasingly nasty election year, but it looks like some degree of actual social unrest could be coming. Beyond the slight and sporadic outbreaks of the last few years.
I haven’t supported Trump. I still don’t like him much. But I am likely to vote for him in the general compared to any other realistically likely candidate. (However, if Ron Paul would like to run…)
I’m pissed….
“Enter Trump, perhaps the worst figure possible to call bullshit on this vast matrix of dishonesty, with his ugly cohort of “poorly-educated” white yahoo supporters.”
Who does this guy think he is? Methinks he is a “highly-educated” white bigot.
A vote for Trump is a protest vote!! Ditto for Sanders. So JK thinks the slithery
Cruz, or gay boy Rubio, or the pliant freak Kasich, or Ms. Clinton would be
better spokespeople to “call bullshit on this vast matrix of dishonesty?”
The man’s writing is schizophrenogenic today. Ugly cohorts? Go suck
on a pickle Mr. Kunstler.
Never trust a man who’s last name begins with kunt
Greetings,
Do not be so quick to dismiss Kunstler. He comes at us from the Progressive Left and it is interesting to have a peek into the head of such a person. After all, it must be difficult for Kunstler to watch the Left embrace both War and Wall St. while attempting to pander to all the SJW’s. To him, it looks as if everyone has lost his mind. In reality, it is the Left that has jumped the rails and its Red Guard Maoists now present a very real and very dangerous threat. My only comfort lies in the fact that there are millions of us veterans that would love to show these guys what aggression actually looks like.
I think we’re going to get our chance.
It’s funny, because was a time that the poorly educated white yahoos were championed by the left. Remember the Joads? Of course, the real Joads would have been anti-Semitic, anti-Catholic, and racist. No matter, because the left has never let facts get in the way of a good story. Now, the Joads have been replaced by women and minorities whose lapses from civilized standards are justified as The Grapes of Wrath, while the Joads are derided as superstitious gun nuts.
Obama beguiled the nation with promises that a new day was dawning, one where the lion lay down with the lamb, and the waters subside. What instead happened was billions were added to the countries debt, to the great benefit of banks, Wall Street, and Smith and Wesson, and no one else. It’s probably S & W’s success that keep the elites up at night these days. And as for Trump? If it isn’t him, it will be someone a lot like him. It’s lock and load time.
I live in Ohio, and we are getting BOMBARDED with phone calls about the primary tomorrow.
Just got off the phone with one where the woman asked if Kasich could count on my support.
I replied that I had counted on him for support and he chose to instead support NAFTA and TPP and that my answer to her question was Hell NO.
This system cannot implode fast enough to suit me.
From Wipipedia: Kunstler was born in New York City to Jewish parents,[1] who divorced when he was eight.[2] His family then moved to the suburbs in Long Island. His father was a middleman in the diamond trade.[1]
Enough said. Jews will never support anyone who represents the European people who built and sustain the US and who are seeing their country being destroyed by mass immigration from the third-world and who are being plundered by a cabal of international banksters. I used to wonder why Jews were expelled from over 90 countries but I don’t wonder about that anymore. So Jim, go to hell. BTW, I did not appreciate your slur against the honest working people of America who support Trump and who are being robbed blind by financial-banking parasites (from someone with a Ph.D.).
Good for you Rose. Did you know Bernie Sanders voted against all those “trade deals”. Plus he voted against the Iraq war.
Any time someone is so sure he and his are smarter, and tirelessly lets you know, you can be sure the opposite is the case. I have been working in NYC in the finance and consulting industries for 30 years and I know a lot of extremely smart, hard working, rich people who are going to vote for Trump in spite of seeing his faults.
Sorry, Westcoaster, I don’t feel the Bern.
Even if Bernie is the nicest guy in the world, even if he has the best of intentions and the most honest motives and is all rainbow skittles and lollipops, I couldn’t vote for him because the programs he is supporting give the gov’t an even bigger access point to my already severely plundered wallet.
Bernie himself might not exploit it, but he’d be opening the door for the bastards that will follow him who will not have the same scruples.
Look up how Social Security started and let me know how much that compares to what they steal from our paychecks today.
It is NEVER be enough. It will NEVER be enough to satisfy the rapacious beasts of gov’t, they will suck on our dessicated bones and then crack them open for the marrow and STILL demand more. Gov’t is a black hole of sheer unadulterated greed. Any new program just feeds that beast.
Bernie might be a nice guy, he seems like he at least has some integrity in his convictions, but the rest of DC IS NOT NICE. They will abuse whatever he starts and this poor country cannot afford any more abuse.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions and Bernie is driving an asphalt truck.
“The road to hell is paved with good intentions and Bernie is driving an asphalt truck.”
That would make a good bumper sticker. Well said.
What crisis? I see all time highs in every asset class in America. Where do your writers live? I see all time highs in stocks, gold, housing, & bonds. Please don’t say they will crash… Everybody has been saying that since 2009. It is 2016, you crash seekers have been wrong for 7 years. Be prepared to be wrong for at least 3 more years. Brexit was the crash, and it was a 7% crash that lasted 40 hours, only to be bought back within two days and now has run up and crushed the bears to the tune of 15%! Never forget that everything can go up forever, except cash! If Zimbabwe comes to America, it will not be a crash, it will actually be the opposite of a crash! I suggest buying Alphabet before it is 20k a share, and buy a house before the average home sells for 10 million. Plus, buy gold eagles before they are 100k each. Get rid of your cash and your bank account money quickly before it is useless.