As regular readers will doubtless remember, I have often written about leftist ideology. Paramount in leftist thought—such as it is—is the principle that leftist policies, no matter how idiotic on their face, no matter how spectacularly and often they fail, can never be wrong. They’re not wrong; the people who thought they were wrong were mistaken. This unfortunate tendency to double down on disaster was nowhere in greater evidence of late than at the 17th annual White Privilege Conference held in Philadelphia.
I was not aware that there had been 16 prior conferences, but that omission is no doubt due to my white privilege. And to think: I’ve been missing out on 16 years of self-flagellation for working my buns off my entire life and believing the world owed me nothing at all, despite my general blue-eyed, pale-skinned whiteness.
One would think such a conference would be a safe and diversity-friendly place, however, as John Belushi used to say: “but noooooooooooooo! Consider the horrific reality from participants of the conference, courtesy of heatst.com:
Even at the White Privilege Conference, blatant, brutal racism runs amok! It’s just like Democrat-controlled cities: they’re all cesspools of racism, sexism, and violence. And imagine the horror of this:
Certainly no white person of the same gender and approximately the same size, shape and hair color—brown—has ever been mistaken for another white person. And imagine the unimaginable horror of this:
It’s almost unfathomable. POC and indigenous ppl come to their very own white people bashing conference and find themselves unsafe! Who coulda thunk it? But the horror was just beginning:
The disaster of understanding culminated in the keynote speech, delivered by Jim Loewen, a demonstrably progressive sociologist, respected professor of African American Studies and perhaps the country’s leading expert on racism in the deep south during the Confederacy and beyond. Little did Prof. Loewen know, as he was delivering his speech, that his very act of speaking to the audience was cause for concern.
Imagine the consternation of poor Professor Loewen, a man who doubtless imagined himself an intolerant, politically correct, perpetually outraged progressive, a man ashamed of his own privilege and whiteness, when people at the White Privilege conference, a conference whose premises he unquestionably believed and took to heart, was accused of white supremacy. And for what? Allegedly running over the time allotted for his speech about white supremacy:
But wait a white privileged moment! He didn’t go over his allotted time; so what’s the problem?
Of course. The facts don’t matter. The accused must lay down and accept the death sentence. Aeriel A. Ashlee was completely wrong, but because she’s non-white, she has absolute moral authority and can’t possibly be wrong. The issue is that Professor Loewen is demonstrating his white privilege defensiveness instead of accepting responsibility for what he didn’t do wrong. Progressive ideology cannot possibly be wrong!
But it’s even worse, gentle readers, than we, with our white privilege, can possibly imagine. Professor Loewen used the “N” word!
You see? You see?! He used the “N” word in a historic sense, to ridicule and expose those who actually used it in the process of harming blacks and denying them their rights. It was a quotation used to educate the audience. And what did Professor Loewen do? Once again, white privileged male that he is, he tried to worm his way out of his egregious offense against POC and indigenous, unsafe ppl with facts. Yet again, he demonstrated his white privilege defensiveness instead of accepting responsibility for what he didn’t do wrong. Yet again, Progressive ideology cannot possibly be wrong!
But examples of the imperviousness of Progressive ideology to fact and reality are not limited to white privilege conferences, no. Rick Moran at PJ Media explains:
At Austin Peay University in Tennessee, the campus erupted in outrage when rainbow nooses were discovered hanging from a tree. Social media exploded and every social justice warrior on campus felt the need to express their displeasure.
Well, why shouldn’t they be outraged? Everyone knows that rainbows, symbols of beauty, hope and renewal have been culturally appropriated by gays, perhaps even the entire LGBTQWERTY community, whatever that might be today. What’s that you say, because they’re not specifically white privileged, they can’t be guilty of cultural appropriation? They can appropriate anything they want from white culture? Oh. And I apologize for not taking responsibility. But let’s get back to the point:
But later, it was discovered that the nooses were an art project by a student looking to draw attention to the high number of suicides in the LGBT community.
Ruh-roh Shaggy! One might think that would be the end of it. Rational people would expect the perpetually outraged to admit the cause of their latest outrage was, well, outrageously wrong. But nooooooooo!
‘This is a lesson for everyone about sensitivity and respect for all people and how inclusive and understanding we need to be as a campus community,’ Austin Peay President Alisa White said in a statement. ‘While we support the freedom of expression on our campus, we also have to keep in mind that there are symbols that have very specific and negative meanings to everyone, especially if context is not provided. Therefore the artwork was inappropriate and had to be removed for the safety of our campus.
The rainbow nooses were an attempt to draw attention to what rational progressive people might think a worthy progressive cause, but such good intentions must inevitably give way to more important principle: no leftist idea, assertion or policy can possibly be wrong. Oh, and I might be mistaken about the idea that there is such a thing as a rational progressive person. After all, what the hell do I know? Me with my white privilege and all…
White, the university president, had called the incident ‘deeply disturbing’ and ‘hurtful,’ arguing that regardless of how it was intended, it did not belong at Austin Peay.
‘I am saddened,’ she said in a statement Monday night, ‘and I am sorry for the hurt and offense this has caused and want our students, faculty, and staff to know that it will not be tolerated.
Yet again the differences between Progressives and Conservatives are revealed. When Conservatives lay wounded on the cultural battlefield, their fellows take them up and heal their wounds. When Progressives lay wounded–because they were shot by other progressives–their fellows bayonet them.
There isn’t enough duct tape in the world to keep my head from exploding if I was forced to attend the annual White Privilege Conference.
Dear DNS:
I’ve always thought it would be like a visit to an insane asylum: simultaneously amusing and horrifying. Or perhaps it would be like watching a particularly bloody car wreck in perpetual slow motion: you just can’t rip your eyes away from the carnage. Oh, the humanity!
Mike, great piece, as usual, these “tolerant” types are bullies, nothing more. Their sense of self-importance is so vastly over inflated that they assume moral authority to dictate to everyone else what words they can use. My general response to such bigots consists of two words. Wanna take a stab as to what those two words might be?
Maybe Aeriel Ashlee was too busy taking Gender Studies and Black Studies and Appreciation of Lady Gaga 101, and never studied mathematics or even basic arithmetic, so she doesn’t understand that 53 is less than 60. Or that a full hour contains sixty minutes. Or, maybe it’s simply a case of the white guy is always wrong, and don’t cloud the issue with pesky facts.
Of course, professional race card players demanding that others accept “responsibility” is so crazy that it’s beyond satire. As George Orwell said, some ideas are so absurd that only an intellectual can believe them.
I’ve occasionally been mistaken for someone else, and I’ve been told by different people at various times that I looked like someone or other that they used to know (former classmate, co-worker, etc.). I’ve occasionally been stopped for questioning by cops because I fit the description of a suspect or fugitive. It probably would have happened to me more often if I fit the description of 55% of the muggers and burglars, instead of only 45%.
Dear Tom:
Exactly right. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve been mistaken for Brad Pitt or Ryan Reynolds…
Why should Ms. Ashlee accept that an hour is 60 minutes? Because some dead white guy said so? Check your privilege.
Pingback: Your Must-Read Piece of the Day! – If You're Left
Like the 1st picture, always wondered what happened to Carrot top.
Dear pie slapper:
Heh-heh.
Instead of wondering about the senselessness of it all, perhaps one should supply more bayonets and perhaps a few sharpened trench shovels for when the going gets hard.
Dear Alan Ward:
That would be the progressive thing to do.
I applaud the carnage.
My first thought was that these people are out of their screwy minds but they obviously don’t have minds. As far as I’m concerned they can take my white privilage and shove it up their bleeps!
Dear Styro:
I keep checking my privilege and can’t seem to find it. I’ve worked damned hard my entire life for everything I’ve owned. I live a comfortable middle-class existence because, over time, I’ve developed and maintained the habits that produce positive results in anyone’s life. I’ve never oppressed anyone, treat women as equals, haven’t a racist bone in my body, and leave others alone to succeed or fail on their own efforts, which is all I’ve ever expected of anyone else. Where is the privilege I’m supposed to have?
As you say: bleep it up their bleeps!
I’m surprised that they aren’t campaigning to force President White to change his name to Rainbow. Austin Peay University is obviously not a safe place with his current name. He should rightfully be ashamed.
Pingback: Watcher of Weasels » Our Watcher’s Council Nominations: Secrets To Hide Edition
Pingback: Watchers Council Nominations 4-27-16 – If You're Left
Pingback: Watcher’s Council Nominations For 04-27-16 | Stately McDaniel Manor
Pingback: Our Watcher’s Council Nominations: Secrets To Hide Edition | Nice Deb
Pingback: Our Watcher’s Council Nominations: Secrets To Hide Edition | Virginia Right!
Pingback: Our Watcher’s Council Nominations: Secrets To Hide Edition | NoisyRoom.net
Pingback: Trevor Loudon's New Zeal Blog » Our Watcher’s Council Nominations: Secrets To Hide Edition
Pingback: Our Watcher’s Council Nominations: Secrets to Hide Edition | therightplanet.com
Pingback: Watcher of Weasels » The Council Has Spoken! Our Watcher’s Council Results
Pingback: The Razor » Blog Archive » Council Submissions: April 27, 2016
Pingback: Watcher’s Council Results for 04-29-16 | Stately McDaniel Manor
Pingback: The Council Has Spoken! Our Watcher’s Council Results | Virginia Right!
Pingback: The Council Has Spoken! Our Watcher’s Council Results | Nice Deb
This kind of idiocy reached its pinnacle in the late sixties and caused a backlash that elected Richard Nixon twice.
I think most thinking people are tired of it.
I noticed too in Baltimore Deray Mckeeson got 2.7 % of the vote.
I think even the Afrian American community realizes some of this stuff has went a little far.
The left is making a big push because O has only a few months left. They know Hillary will give lip service but her only loyalty will be to The Clinton’s
Pingback: The Council Has Spoken – If You're Left
Pingback: The Council Has Spoken! Our Watcher’s Council Results – 05/01/16 | NoisyRoom.net
Pingback: Trevor Loudon's New Zeal Blog » The Council Has Spoken! Our Watcher’s Council Results – 05/01/16
Pingback: The Council Has Spoken! Our Watcher’s Council Results | www.independentsentinel.com
Pingback: Two weeks of Watcher’s Council winners
Pingback: The Council Has Spoken! Our Watcher’s Council Results — 05/01/16 | therightplanet.com