I’m beginning to lose interest in this fight.
Back when I chose to become an activist for atheism, critical thought, and truth in advertising, it was a righteous thing. It’s no secret that organized religious institutions are basically fleecing the populace at large and heavily profiting off it. It’s obscene how much they get away with, yet the very government that’s supposed to keep a rein on them doesn’t. They won’t make a move against them because they worry for their souls or some shit. If you ask me, politicians have a lot more to answer for than doing their duty and actually making the churches fall in line with the law. But that’s neither here nor there.
These days, the stars of that grand movement are all but gone. The four horsemen of atheism are but hushed whispers on the Net these days. Hell, in some circles, Dawkins is considered a sexist and misogynist, and Sam Harris is a racist because he hurt Islam’s fee-fees. If Hitchens was still alive, I can only imagine what the regressives would say about him.
But it’s not about religion anymore, is it? It hasn’t been for years, and all the ground we’ve made is slowly being lost.
Everything is politics these days, and not even politics…it’s all sensationalism just to get a rise out of the reactionaries. It’s all anger, fear, and bullying on both sides of the fence. People I once considered icons of our little movement are nothing more than mouthpieces spouting political dogma without realizing that they sound just like religious zealots whom they’ve been mocking for years.
Ah, the blindness of rage.
Our latest entry in the world of Holy CRAP unnerved me a bit when I heard the phrase “Until they vote correct.” That’s the kind of thing an authoritarian would say, and I signed on with this movement to fight against that kind of thinking. Alas, I’m seeing it become more and more prevalent as millenials demand a nanny state because their junk degrees aren’t getting them into the CEO positions they think they deserve because they’re special.
Maybe it’s because I’m not in the thick of it that I’m seeing things more objectively than most. I don’t listen to a lot of content on either side of the fence these days, relying more on neutral positions like those of Tim Pool or even Philip DeFranco. Sure, they have opinions on things, but at least they try to get the facts out there so we can decide for ourselves just what’s the truth. That kind of clarity is sorely needed these days, especially with the amount of emotionally-charged content out there these days.
The latest in this line of ‘BOO!’ stories is Brett Kavanaugh’s appointment to the Supreme Court. Though he now sits there, his life and the lives of his family are in ruins. I see a divorce in his future, and he’ll never see his kids again thanks to this reactionary way of dealing with things. It’s been suggested that people like Flake and the others who voted for him be followed and bullied ‘until they vote correct.’
Do you have any idea what that will do? Spoiler: It won’t get you what you want.
That kind of behavior will spawn a firm heel-digging on the part of those people, and because they’re in a position of power, they’ll start coming after you even harder just to spite you. And in the eyes of those who aren’t reactionaries i.e. the majority of the US population? You will be seen as the villain. Maybe they’re blind to the truth, but hey, they don’t care why you’re acting that way…they’re just reacting to what they see.
The amount of restraint I’ve seen on the part of the right so far has been surprising. I think for them though, it’s been more of a ‘sit back and watch your opponents eat themselves’ kind of scenario. They really don’t have to do anything, because the eternal rage machine that is the extreme left is like a feral animal now, chasing the laser pointer and mauling whomsoever it lands on, be it friend, foe, or ‘ally.’
I understand the emotions, make no mistake. Women all over the US are fearing that the SCOTUS will now start tearing down all they’ve worked for, and making it harder and harder for minorities to be treated with the same respect and acknowledgement as the majority. The Republicans are certainly in a position to pull that trigger now. The question is, will they?
We won’t know until it starts, and even then, with the midterms coming up there’s a chance to pull the teeth out of this beast and basically neuter the machine. That is, if the Democrats have any shreds of credibility left.
I guess we’ll see in November, if the American people is ready to vote their conscience, and if that is the same as ‘voting correct.’