Most of us are tired of the abrading effect emitting from political conversation as it quickly turns toxic with people carving each other up with outburst of rage, and recriminations. Is such recalcitrant behavior a result of some psychological disorder or is it simply infantilism? The social deficits permeating society today include but is not limited to, a focus on triviality, absurdity, a cancel culture, policing discourse and with everyone claiming the moral high ground.
One cause is said to be a lack of appreciation of our growing affluence. Pause and consider that today’s definition of poor equates to a 1970’s middle class standard of living today. Another cause often cited is an ineffective and misguided educational agenda. Unfortunately, people have simply become slovenly indifferent, hateful, cold, lacking in self-restraint and focused on de-platforming those who pose a threat to their belief. Ironically, people resorting to this type of savage behavior and of striking insults and intentional humiliations often do so unaware of self-projections.
This is all exacerbated by tabloid media outlets, ignoring the real story, but eager to capitalize and sensationalize on rather boring behavior. Today, it seems so many are not able to readily discern factual circumstances facing them, and readily believe what they are told, read, heard? Is it any wonder why repeating a lie three times so easily becomes a truth (Lynn Hasher, Psychiatrist 1977 study at Temple University)? Is it any wonder that emotional words such as “hate” “destroy” “blame” act as oxygen giving credibility to fatuous story lines?
Today we witness young people filled with fear and despair who won’t take personal responsibility for their acts, or lack thereof and are often enabled by their parents. Seeking safe places, they petition others such as the government to take care of them. Contrast this to the rearing of offspring of the greatest generation who explained reality and the danger of playing the victim and admonished them to learn to get along with others. There was a time when an educational opportunity wasn’t a right but a privilege. There was a time when parents and educators both understood a school’s only obligation was to guide students, to sharpen their minds, strengthen their character, so they would be prepared to lead and govern themselves throughout life making rational decisions along the way, and to understand that rewards had to be earned.
And today, safe spaces aren’t relegated to college campuses alone.
James Hasson, a former U.S. Army officer believes social engineering undertaken during the Obama administration undermined the nation’s military readiness with no regard for the harm it has caused to military readiness and national security. He said, “I think most Americans would be appalled to hear that at the Naval Academy there are safe space signs outside instructors’ doors, military and civilian, saying that the instructors have taken a sensitivity course called Trans 101 that is taught to contractors.
Educators once encouraged people to apply logic and reasoning because it requires one to think and to analyze before responding. Logic, once taught, is the capacity to reason, to separate sense from idle chatter and to discover deception and hence avoid being influenced by it. Rumor, gossip, accusation wild speculation, intentional distractions, fear-mongering and building social justice warriors are not good substitutes. I do not believe most people give credence to “over the top” accusations lamented by politicians or celebrities. Nor do I believe most people desire to be subjected to political indoctrination’s while watching a movie or a sports event. They just want to be entertained.
Those bent on remaking America apply incrementalism and by gradually removing a thing, soon that thing is no longer identifiable as if it never existed. The nefarious manner is to present it as a learning opportunity. These so-called learning opportunities had been inserted into our educational institutes and entertainment outlets for generations under the guise of political correctness education sanitizing it to a point that no one seems to recognize the realities and limits of nature any longer. Fifty years of an educational social justice cultural indoctrination now permeates all our schools, our churches, our corporations and our government. Is it any wonder we can’t or won’t talk to one another in a civil and conversational manner? Vital to sustaining our Republic is the right of freedom of speech and expression, the right to peacefully assemble and to petition the Government for redress of grievance. However, today’s activism dangerously borders on anarchy threatening the sustainability of our Republic. Those participating in this savage behavior ignore that their rights and freedoms were actually not free but came at the cost of considerable blood and treasure by patriots.
Dennis Petrucelli is Village of Bonnybrook resident and frequent contributor to Villages-News.com.
