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We Can’t Afford to Cede Ground in the Culture War

Over the weekend I attended a Town Hall meeting with a newly-elected Democrat to the Colorado State House. The meeting was civil and informative, but what struck me most was how thoroughly most of the attendees had already accepted so many Leftist notions as a given.

For example, there was an animated discussion about the need to fund more centers that provide drivers’ licenses to the “undocumented.”  Not one person asked why we have such a flood of illegals who demand drivers’ licenses. The term, “sanctuary city” of course, never came up.

The issue of “safe” injection sites did come up, as I attended the meeting to make sure that it would.  I presented the case for how dangerous this proposal is, not just for any city and surrounding area but for IV drug addicts themselves.

I received predictable push back. A 20’ish young lady made impassioned remarks, the gist of which was that drug addicts are the victims of stigma and prejudice and they are people too.  This position is often presented as more forward-thinking than those old-fashioned ideas of good vs. bad, right vs wrong, or enabling suicidal behavior vs. doing what you can to stop it.

In talking with some on the Left, clarity of communication seemed less important than making sure not to offend them by using the wrong word. I had an interesting conversation with an attorney who identified herself as a Libertarian/Democrat. She took great offense to my use of the word “Democrat” rather than “Democratic” party, and the discussion soon turned to what words are acceptable and not acceptable to use.

I found this fascinating. Aren’t Libertarians usually in favor of more liberty?  Thus the name, Libertarian? Certainly, that doesn’t mean others are required to like how some people choose to express themselves, but the Left of today is working overtime to take the choice out of the matter entirely.  Considering how much they used to elevate choice, it’s quite a paradox.

I began to wonder just how far this “Libertarian” was willing to take her position, so I asked her if she thought it was okay for someone to be fired for not using the “proper” pronoun. She answered by saying how disrespectful she thought it was to refer to a woman as “her” when she wanted to be referred to as “they.” I asked again if she thought someone ought to be punished or fired for using the wrong pronoun. She said, “I haven’t thought that far ahead yet.”

Even those who oppose the Left’s cultural ideology are being co-opted by Leftist language and messaging.  In the case of the Covington Catholic boys, conservative pundits were comfortable using the term, “homophobic” to describe the ugly slurs directed at the kids by “Black Hebrew Israelites.”  The slurs were certainly “anti-Gay,” but using the term homophobic says more than that. It says that if you disagree or dislike a gay person, you are scared of gayness or secretly wish you were gay. The Left is changing our language and our values every day. Currently, they are winning.

Much of what we are fighting is socialism on steroids, but we aren’t just fighting one terrible idea after another. We are fighting a culture war where a host of terrible ideas are first promoted and eventually, demanded. This constitutes no less than the up-ending of traditional values and western culture. We can’t afford to cede any more ground.

 

photo credit: Vernon Barford School Library If You Were a Pronoun via photopin (license)

Karen Kataline

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