Enabling a Future: Setting Up the Knockout Punch

Two Years Ago, the Fascist Postmoderns Felt Invincible

The Nazis of the left had taken control of universities, big media, the deep state, big foundations, most NGOs and activist groups, and scores of other social institutions from bottom to top. They expected to rule the roost for an indefinite period of time.

But then suddenly, something happened on the way to the grand social utopia of the totalitarians that left them stunned: Donald Trump pushed the designated placeholder du jour aside. The bully pulpit was “stolen” from them.

Knockout Punch
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtEThJDYOuI

A Stunning Blow, but Far from a Knockout Punch

After the election of Trump, the leftist movement to stamp out freedoms of speech, belief, and action was forced out of the White House and onto the streets, onto the internet, throughout the university, the deep state, corporate diversity offices, while permeating an increasingly rabid tabloid media.

The activists of the left — violent in word and deed — soon reached their stride, and settled in for a fight they felt certain they would win. The goal was to rid the US of Trump, and return the universe to its pristine state, returning to them what they believed was their rightful destiny to rule.

But then Another Stunning Blow Fell

Within institutions that the left believed it thoroughly controlled, voices of dissent began to speak more and more loudly — until these voices began to find each other, and a larger audience.

U. of Toronto psychology professor Jordan Peterson gained celebrity by standing up against a fascist Canadian law meant to force individuals to use specific words in ordinary conversation. Canadian radicals quickly rallied to shut Peterson down, but instead they unintentionally made him more famous.

As Peterson’s fame grew, so did his ability to point the public to other thinkers inside and outside of academia who are trying to push back against the neo-totalitarianism of the postmodern left. Peterson pointed to the works of Stephen Hicks, Camille Paglia, Jonathan Haidt, Richard Haier, and many other profound academic thinkers who remain devoted to the pursuit of knowledge and understanding in the face of a brutal onslaught of a quasi-religious politically correct suppression of free inquiry.

Now ordinary people are paying Peterson significant amounts of money just to continue his work and to maintain his public exposure. His latest book has taken up residence at or near the top of Amazon’s bestseller stats, and his public appearances sell out in record times to rival a rock star’s.

Even the Mention of Peterson’s Name Triggers Fear in the Minds of Leftist Inquisitors

When a lowly female graduate student and teaching assistant, Lindsay Shepherd, showed a short video clip to her communications class — of a Canadian public education debate between Jordan Peterson and a postmodern professor of trans-genderism — her faculty supervisor and the department of diversity at her university went into a spasm of near-fatal triggeredness.

Amazingly, out of the attempted crushing of Lindsay Shepherd by her university came a shining new spokesperson for free speech, and the founding of a free speech club on her campus. Suddenly a new voice for free speech hit the internet and Canadian media.

Now Attempts by the Left to Crush Dissent are More Frequently Backfiring and Creating Brand-New Champions of Free Expression and Anti PC

Where once there was a handful of scattered voices willing to speak up against the post-modern inquisition in universities, media, government, and culture — now dozens and hundreds of self-discovered spokespersons are stepping out from the darkweb to oppose the neo-marxian alt.left crusade to crush free thought, speech, and action.

Suddenly Cassie Jaye‘s journey from radical feminism to men’s rights champion was given second wind and a second life. James Damore‘s trek from plain vanilla liberalism to an avenging icon of free speech has been rapid and stunningly exposed to the public to a degree that would not have been possible a couple of years ago.

Damore rides again

Only a few years ago, Damore would have become just one more piece of liberal road kill. But today it is possible to watch hours-long conversations with him that show he isn’t some knuckle-dragging misogynist, but a thoughtful and honest voice trying to explain facts in an age which elevates feelings over facts. The same goes for a growing, increasingly inter-connecting world of people who do not need the mainstream media but who are united in a recognition that ideas and free and fearless debate are indispensable. __ https://life.spectator.co.uk/2018/02/the-intellectual-dark-web/

Stunning, Yes, But Where’s the Knockout Punch?

Triggering the left with a growing number of brave people willing to speak reasonable and rational ideas on campus and on the internet is really only a starting point. As long as postmodernists are winning the larger battles in university, government, media, and culture at large, the long-term war appears to be a long and bloody slog with a dubious outcome.

At the Al Fin Institutes for the Future, we have long felt that only radical technological disruption could possibly jar society and culture strongly and deeply enough to open a path to an abundant and expansive human future.

But now some of the resident thinkers at the Institutes are beginning to consider that important and lasting cultural transformations toward a more rational future can be attained even before the approaching disruptive innovations hit the fan.

The Collapse of Open Minded Institutions, the Church, Freedom of speech, and the Family Led to the Ongoing Decline of Western Societies

Conversations that are emerging on and off campus around Jordan Peterson’s online lectures and around his new celebrity, are a small start to the growing of larger conversations that need to be taking place. And those larger conversations require places where face to face interaction can occur.

Young men and women once met and formed close friendships at church gatherings and at institutions of higher learning — before university became another word for “concentration camps of indoctrination.” In addition, the workplace was once a location where men and women could find common interests and forge longer term goals together.

But university campuses have been re-framed as places of a pretend “rape culture,” and workplaces became hunting grounds for “me-tooism” accusations of sexual impropriety. Suddenly male students were expelled on accusation alone without due process, and male workers were sacked with reputations ruined based upon unsupported claims alone. Cross those places off your list for meeting potential mates.

As more places for forming relationships were closed or perverted to more devious ends, a gaping void emerged in the spaces where an honest meeting of the minds formerly existed. Saloons and taverns are not valid substitutes, nor are most parties — and certainly not hook-ups. But increasingly, such poor substitutes are the only “socially acceptable” games in town for meeting potential partners and mates.

Clearly the west is in need of physical locations where open-minded face to face conversations can take place between intelligent persons who wish to learn, grow, and find companionship.

A Place to Talk Honestly, Without Threat of Ruination

Before men and women can heal their self-inflicted wounds in the great sexual culture wars, they need to be able to hold honest and open conversations with each other — face to face, without threat of false accusations and the ruining of careers and reputations.

Inside and under the thumb of post-modern institutions, such discussions are impossible. Something new — beyond internet conversation — is required.

Where Can Free and Open Exchanges of Ideas Take Place?

Private homes are still largely free and unoccupied by the shock troops of political correctness. Homeschools combined with homeschool associations — where homeschooled students and their families engage in advanced courses, extracurricular activities, and field trips — provide a healthy alternative to factory-style dumbed down government schools of indoctrination.

Homes can also be meeting places for free thinking and free speaking citizens who wish to explore thought-expanding avenues of reason which are forbidden by the alt.left overlords in most public arenas.

Hikes, picnics, boating regatas, and other outdoor get-togethers can take advantage of unregulated public spaces for the sharing of new ideas, new technologies, and new approaches to working through the mazes of modern life.

Meeting rooms can also be rented in hotels, restaurants, churches, theaters, schools, etc. If discussion and skills-building groups become too large for home gatherings, a large range of venues of many different sizes are available for a fee.

Camps, resorts, and retreats are available to rent for weekends and longer workshops and trainings, in various styles and price ranges to suit a wide range of group sizes and tastes.

Finally, there is the possibility of buying or building a location specifically for the purpose of providing meeting grounds for persons whose needs for human interaction are not being met by existing institutions or enterprises.

First a Meeting of Minds, then Who Knows?

It is not likely that institutions such as churches, free and open universities, and other former meeting grounds for persons of common interests and goals, can be created out of whole cloth. After all, societies and cultures — along with their institutions — evolve over time. After these institutions have collapsed or have stopped serving their former purpose, it can be almost impossible to create viable substitutes in time to prevent the entire culture from sinking into aimless decline and nihilism.

Certainly post-modern leftism is as close to aimless decline and nihilism as one can imagine — once you eliminate its unquenchable thirst for power and control over others.

A face to face meeting of the minds comes first, then longer term collaborations and relationships. And it is from those longer term collaborations and relationships between sincere, open-minded, and intelligent people that better institutions and cultures are built.

Knocking Out Politically Correct Nihilism Is a Worthy Goal

The quest for an expansive and abundant human future is the opposite of the goals of the post-modern crusade for totalitarian control of thought, belief, speech, and action. The contrast between openness/expansiveness/abundance and the fascist left which controls most of the western institutions of today, could not be starker.

To knock out such an abhorrent monstrosity, one must start with small stunning blows and build up. There is an up and down momentum in such a fight, which must be attended to and taken advantage of. When the enemy is sufficiently stunned and weakened, a knockout blow can be more successful.

Watch closely, and look for opportunities.

Hope for the Best. Prepare for the Worst

Hope is what tells us that the fight is worth the effort. Preparation for a life or death battle is what keeps us from a fatal overconfidence.

It is never too late for a Dangerous Childhood.

Note: Although it is not religious per se, the deep philosophy and depth psychology of psychologist Jordan Peterson’s lectures and talks is slowly and unexpectedly reviving the spirit and ideas of some conventional Christian churches as well as those of members of other religious faiths and organised secular groups and associations.

This rejuvenation of many moribund and once-dying places for free association, will be another source for the nurturing of new young minds and new partnerships.

More: A thoughtful piece on Jordan Peterson from 20 Sept. 2017, when his fame and notoriety were just beginning to grow.

More faculty members emboldened to speak out