In late August, the Podcast Movement held its annual convention in Dallas, Texas. Among the many podcasts represented was The Daily Wire whose chief voice is “conservative” Ben Shapiro. The “Wire” was not included at all in the over 150 workshops to be conducted throughout the conference. Nor was Shapiro slated to speak. He was, however, seen to be in the vicinity of The Daily Wire’s booth. This led a female to complain to event organizers that she did not feel safe because he was there. On Thurs., Aug. 25, they posted a heartfelt apology: “Though he was not registered or expected, we take full responsibility for the harm done by his presence.” Among Shapiro’s many “conservative” views, all of which I have found perfectly rational and devoid of “hate,” are various criticisms of the more outrageous aspects of radical feminism and the LGBT community. Apparently such criticisms are no longer allowed in our “progressive” society.
While the grovelling apology has since been deleted, broadcast giant Cumulis Media, The Daily Wire’s advertising rep. since 2016, has severed ties with the Podcast Movement, saying its denunciation of Shapiro represented a pathetic submission to those who would stifle anyone of a “conservative” mindset.
What is most concerning about the increasing power of people given to lashing out at the behest of their “feelings” is both their lack of character and that of those who seek to demonstrate their “enlightened” sensitivity by submitting to their demands. The female who said she felt threatened simply by Shapiro’s presence, simply because he sees the world differently, displayed the maturity of a ten year old. The Podcast Movement’s executives who chose to apologize to her clearly cared more about pandering to the censorious mainstream Left than defending the Principle of Free Speech. A lack of Principles and a lack of Maturity, two of the defining characteristics of our “progressive” culture!
The message of “conservative” psychologists such as Nathaniel Branden and Jordan Peterson is that without rational self-awareness, without a commitment to moral responsibility, the Individual cedes the very essence of his Humanity and becomes but the product of his environment, like a monkey or indeed the tyrannized victims of the Marxist narrative. Yes, real victims do in fact exist, but the knee-jerk tendency of millions here in the West to claim to be victimized simply by dint of their Identity [all but White, heterosexual Males qualify] has resulted in an epidemic of what Existentialists refer to as “inauthenticity,” a juvenile state of mind given to self-indulgence, the tyranny of the emotions and a sense of helplessness typical of a child. Imagine Jennifer Lawrence recently attempting to indict Tucker Carlson by lamenting that he is the villain of many of her nightmares! Is it Carlson who needs to get his act together or the pathetic Ms. Lawrence?
On Aug. 18 the Epoch Times headlined its articles with a quote from the Ancient Greek Stoic Epictetus. It read: “No man is free who is not master of himself.” It is a fundamental principle of what used to be known as Humanism. Epictetus, ironically, was born into a condition of slavery. Clearly, however, he deemed it was Man’s Inner Self that defined him rather than the incidentals of his material condition. From this Humanist perspective, those who are not masters of their inner selves, those who are mere slaves to their “feelings,” are the very last ones who ought to be defining the standards by which we live! I have cited elsewhere “intellectuals” who argue that Feeling rather than Thought ought to be Man’s guiding beacon [i.e., John Ralston Saul in Voltaire’s Bastards]. Not surprisingly, therefore, we live in a world where childish outbursts often garner more respect than measured, rational observations.
Avail yourself to the opinions of Ben Shapiro, Tucker Carlson, Jordan Peterson and the host of other “conservative” commentators to whom I have referred, and you will be regaled preeminently with facts and rational conclusions based upon those facts. Discourse on CNN, M.S.N.B.C. and throughout the Left in general, on the other hand, invariably reeks of an unequivocal sense of righteousness which inevitably morphs into baseless charges of racism, sexism, homophobia, etc.. Should a White Male criticize any opinion of Joy Reid, A.O.C. or Kamala Harris, he will almost certainly be denounced as a Racist or Misogynist with no reference whatsoever to the substance of his argument. I have before me hundreds of examples of this childish tactic, one which reflects the degenerate status of most political discourse today, a ludicrous realm where the hurt feelings of those claiming to be Victims often carry more weight than rational, intelligent thought!