What began as a typical excuse to moralize about China's repressive response to the virus, has turned into the performative meaning of being for overly regulated and hopeless liberal societies that had lost their traditional political and moral authority.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Uprooted from the dense European social context from which it originates, post-structuralist philosophy becomes, in its transmission to North America, a stunted, impoverished ideology, made worse through its alloy to liberal culture.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
COVID-19 has accentuated the split among progressives that began with #ForceTheVote and highlights more fundamental disagreements whose consequences open-up a vast expanse of political ambiguity that requires actual thought rather than the continued application of ideology to respond to.xxxxxxxxxxxx
As COVID-19 endlessly drags on, an uncanny analogy has begun to take shape. And rather than being an extreme ideology restricted to neocons and neoliberals, it now counts a large segment of the progressive left as its most faithful adherents.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
There is indisputably a new pathogen circulating the globe. But the real and lasting damage doesn't come from the virus itself, but the people responding to it.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
A recent headline in the New York Times initially warning shoppers about the risks from unvaccinated workers was subsequently changed and articles extolling shopping on Black Friday were added to the front page.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
It's almost vanished beyond the horizon of acceptable thought now that vast percentages of the Western world have been double or tripple vaxxed. But rejecting gratuitous displays of forced compliance isn't dead just yet.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Moral hypocrisy is fundamental to the sociology of human-being. But nowhere and in no time has it been more pronounced than in the liberal West during COVID-19.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
'Tis but a world to love, madame.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Vegetarianism, like so many liberal virtues, has, today, less to do with the benefits to human-kind and the planet than it does about the mind and culture of vegetarians themselves.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
For a progressive left politics that has any genuine interest in the principles necessary for creating an alternative future, it is important to reflect on the perversity of incentives in our culture and society that are only amplified through Twitter.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Movements, like human relationships, are nearly unfathomable. And while they persist, we need to consider the morality of decisions that may undermine them and alter their relationship with themselves and the world they seek to reshape.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Nader's reasoning for abandoning the 'least worst' mentality has never made more sense. This time, however, the balance sheet is decidedly in progressives' favor.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
With Bernie's profoundly sorrowful and disappointing withdrawal from the primary yesterday, progressives may be thinking of licking their wounds and plotting for a battle another day. However, that would be a mistake.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
After two nights of totally constructed and contrived CNN debates meant to demolish and divide progressives while refining and elevating centrists, its clear that the political landscape of the Left is changing.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The media seems intent on perpetuating a dishonest, obsolete and apolitical understanding on politics that only works to shift the debate to the Right and prevents the real issues—in our democratic structures and in our democracy—from being addressed.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In an interview with Amy Goodman on DemocracyNow!, the mother of Sandra Bland discussed her support for and endorsement of Hillary Clinton, and, in so doing exposed the distorted perspective many people have on what constitutes democracy and the cultural context and vanity necessary to produce it.xx