Thoughts about the current state of Progressivism
This post is part of a deeper conversation presented in my latest book “The Slow Walk to Tiranny”. For more infomration about the book, click here.
As I argued in my previous article, I came to believe that the reason for the current political chaos in the West is due to the imbalance between the progressive and conservative parts of our society. It is a cyclical imbalance that puts society in danger as a whole. These forces are part of a natural process of evolution. It is the balance between both sides, the capacity of each person to hold multiple opinions in various matters, and our capacity as a society to communicate in a healthy manner that normally brings prosperity. At the current stage of our social crisis, it seems most, if not all, of these requirements no longer exist. Our society is polarized in an extreme manner, leaning on general categorization and group thinking. Many hold opinions based on slogans or refuse to consider the other side's validity. Each side retreats into its own group, promoting not only the extremization of opinion but group behaviour led by intolerance and the fear of being an outcast from the group itself. The demand for shutting down other opinions and the use of violence to achieve this purpose are signs of the eradication of free speech, division, and hatred.
If we are to understand the gap currently visible in Western society, a deeper dive into the part of each movement creating the group is required. Let us start with the progressives. After a long thought process, I came to believe that the current progressive movement can be divided into 5 – The boomers, the losers of the current system, the mass immigrants, the ignorant activists, and the immature young adults. These groups each reach the progressive side for different reasons. Creating what seems to be a general movement demanding change or at least holding a deep belief that the right (conservative) should be avoided at any cost. Let us dive into each group separately.
The first group in question comprises a big part of the Boomer generation. To avoid confusion of definitions, the boomers are, for the most part, people above the age of 55. Based on demographic data, this group represents nearly 21% 50 of the population in the USA and Europe. The general leaning of this group toward progressivism and their fear of conservatism is easy to understand. A mixture of several aspects makes them so susceptible to this ideology. Unlike the other groups, this one mainly considers themselves supporters of the left party and does not think in terms of progressivism Vs conservatism. They accept extreme progressivism as part of their general tolerance philosophy. In many aspect, this group is not anti-conservative (what they call right) but pro-progressivism.
To better understand where this generation's political philosophy comes from, a general overview of the life this generation evolved in and who their main educators were is necessary. First, this generation has prospered most of their life mainly due to the enormous progress society achieved in their lifetime. They grew into adulthood in the middle of one of the most prosperous periods in human history. The economic boom, combined with the general improvement in their standard of living due to technological advancement, has given them all the validation needed to believe progress is the right way to go. In their lifetime, change followed them in a positive manner. It is only thanks to their belief in progress and globalization that they prospered and achieved their goals. Secondly, most have been raised by parents who learned the devastating outcome of allowing the right to go too far. Nazism and fascism are a stain that covers all European citizens. For many people, consciously or unconsciously, radical right ideas need to be avoided at any cost. On the other hand, people in western Europe did not live under the USSR, making them ignorant of the terrifying outcome of allowing the left to go too far led by socialism. Leaving many with a big destain towards the right (and the conservatives), fearing ideas of nationalism, religious extremities, and pride in their own culture, while supporting socialist agenda’s that have been proven devastating. Lastly, it seems the approach of this generation toward their children has generally been categorized as protective, nurturing, and accepting. A role that by itself accepts the notion that progress is at the hands of their children as long as security and minimum conflict can be maintained. By doing so, they chose to follow whatever progress will emerge from their children's generation regardless of its absurdity or extreme.
The boomers, on their part, are a big part of the group voting for the left regardless of their failure to deliver a better future for us all in the last 20 years. They are too old to adapt to a world with virtual reality, in which a information explodes with high speed and too comfortable to doubt the conventional media, which became no more than a propaganda tool built and maintained mainly for them. They are a "good citizens" generation. They believe in the system, are afraid of individuality, and cannot fathom the idea that the system that worked so well in their youth no longer serves the people. As the Woke agenda and extreme progressivism use slogans that make us feel nice, they follow alone without taking any leadership as they historically did. Leaving the youngest generation to evolve without any respectable or responsible adult there to insist on the importance of the greatness of our history that should be preserved or restrain the impulsive instinct of the youngsters to demolish it for the sake of it.
The boomers can be seen as an unbalancing force in the needed equilibrium between the need for progress and the conservation of existing culture. As I will show in the next post about conservatism, as people age, have more responsibility, and encounter more unfortunate events, a general move toward conservatism naturally evolves. In many myths, it is the father who represents the tyranny of the old ways and the protector of the existing status quo imposed on the younger wild generation that is fighting to break the stability chain for the sake of creating individuality and a future in their own image. In many cultures, a variation of the old and knowledgeable always existed. Representing the experienced and conservative part of society that counsels the younger generation in the process of creating a better society. Unfortunately, it seems that our current western boomer generation have taken a different path. As most of this group leans toward progressivism (each from one of the different reasons mentioned above), a general lack of positive conservative authoritative power has been created in society. Additionally, it seems that part of this generation is so afraid of the consequences of supporting the right or conservatives due to historical reasons that they will accept themselves to support far-fetched progressive ideas as a lesser evil. This creates a general lack of restraints, which is much needed to keep a healthy balance.
The second group is an obvious one that always leaned toward progress- the losers of the current system. In any big social system, there are those who do not benefit from it. It is an unavoidable part of democracy or any other system that comprises numerous individuals. In many cases, these groups are a minority with conflicting interests that do not collaborate or do not represent a big enough part to be meaningful. Democracy and capitalism, as presented and built many decades ago, benefited most parts of society. Creating a growing middle class that has mixed opinions about which part of the system should be preserved, and which should evolve. The multiplicity of subjects and the capacity of most to hold various opinions on various subjects created a healthy balance reflected in the peaceful change of governments and a general close competition between both political sides. In many accounts, for democracy to function, there is a need for a strong middle class to sustain it. Not because people in the middle class are less likely to lean toward extremism but because it reflects a system that benefits the majority of the local population. By having a strong middle class, democracy promises itself stability since instinctively, most people having security, a good job, a family, and a house will do everything they can to maintain this status quo. In this case, only a small amount of people will not benefit from the system as a whole, making this progressive group small and insignificant. The minorities that do not benefit from this equilibrium will always promote progressive ideas as they have little to lose from a change while facing a definite loss from maintaining the unfavourable reality they are living in.
One of the troubling aspects of Western society in the last 20 years is related to its general economic decline. The general decline created a growing segment of society that does not benefit from the current system and its structure. The devaluation of all Western currency felt like slow inflation, the changes in the job market due to the technological, globalized market and the numerous economic crises that we never really managed to recover from created a reality in which a big part of the middle class became meaningfully poorer hand by hand with the lack of capacity of the youngest generation to create wealth or economic stability. The combination of the factors above has left a meaningful part of the population at a disadvantage and with little hope for the future. By reaching this concerning point, many people who will normally consider themselves moderated have been pushed toward a more extreme view of the political landscape.
The concerning aspect of this recent social development is that many people choose to turn toward progressivism. There are a few reasons for this. First, it is understandable that people who do not manage to create capital will not see the point of capitalism. Secondly, it is easy to understand how, from the point of view of many people, the current system is not worth conserving and should be changed by another system. Unfortunately, many will accept any other alternative as they feel that anything is better than this one. It is part of a general approach people adopt when they see little hope in the current path and future. Making a big part in adopting progressivism for the sake of change. The growing number of people in this category is a real concern that should be addressed.
For many of the people in this group, it is no longer a question of right or left government as in most countries, a healthy mix of changing governments came to power in the last 20 years. Leaving many with a general mistrust of the system and pushing them into what many mainstream media call "populist" parties. This clear trend is seen across many of the Western countries, and their political success is a direct red flag concerning the falling apart of the middle class. As I will show later on, one of the concerning aspects of this group is that they do not hold progressive views because they philosophically believe in them. They just want a change and a better future. One of the risks of the acceleration of the crumbling of our society due to the insanity of the current extreme progressivism is that once the group realizes this movement cannot fulfil their wishes, they will all turn to extreme conservatism. This movement has clearly started to appear in the USA.
The third group is very interesting and unique to our current age; it grew so big and so fast that it became a meaningful part of our current political stage. This group is comprised of immigrants (legal and illegal) flooding the western countries in the last decades and accelerating in recent years. Historically (until 20 years ago), immigrants were mainly educated people who came in small numbers in a very controlled way and somehow integrated into society. While their full integration into society varies by country, their numbers are well documented and did not affect society at its core. Additionally, a big difference exists between the old kind of immigrant and the current wave, affecting their political view in the new country they reached. Until the last wave of uncontrolled mass immigration, the majority of immigrants were accepted based on a certain profession and career. The more educated immigrants, coming from communist or Islamic countries, leaned towards conservatism as they valued the principles of the Western culture, painfully aware of the alternative. The small amount of asylum seekers could be integrated properly into society, making them, in many cases anti-totalitarian and proud citizens of their new country as it was clear to them that it is only by preserving the values of the new country they came to, that they will be able to offer a better future to their children.
It is only in the last two decades that an unprecedented flood of uneducated, mainly illegal or asylum-seeker immigrants started. The capacity of the West to integrate them into their society is close to zero due to their numbers and their intention. After close to 20 years of "successful" mass migration, this group size is estimated to surpass 10% in most western populations. Unlike their predecessors, this group is opposing conservatism as it is exactly this political movement that is fighting to limit their arrival and kick them back to their countries of origin. Moreover, the progressives from their side are more than happy not only to support their arrival but to legislate aggressively for their benefit, diverging a big part of the national taxpayer for their benefit. This wave of mainly male, uneducated, and sometimes illegal immigrants has all the reasons to support the progressives. It is their only hope to stay and benefit from the western welfare system, to which they had never contributed. The migrant crisis cannot be ignored, as it is becoming a social and political problem all over the West. The cost of immigrants welfare and its effect on the social structure and the political landscape are topics many would prefer to avoid. Regardless, it is a conversation we must have if we are to save our crumbling democracies.
The fourth group is the ignorant activists. This group is what I will define as the crowd movement . As I will show, each movement has a crowd component. At its core, it is a group that searches to rally after a cause. Not a lot is needed for this group as they are more about feelings than facts. It is what makes them feel this inner twist that matters. A big part of this group comprises of people who are missing meaning in their lives or just need some action. The easiest way to recognize them is by listening to what they normally shout about. It is always slogans, always extreme, and most of the time very emotionally expressed. Most cannot explain the logic behind the slogan and get offended when presented with facts. They are just not interested in fact, as what they are looking for is a purpose. Something that will make them feel they are part of something bigger than themselves. There is something about the fall of Christianity and the eradication of culture in the West that made this group relatively bigger in the current era. Tomas Sowell famously said - Much of the social history of the Western world, over the past three decades, has been a history of replacing what worked with what sounded good. The current version of extreme progressivism defies in its slogan's logic or intelligence. It is all about what feels right and attracts this group. It gives them the option to follow and a mission that allows them to handle with everything except themselves.
In its current iteration, the progressive ideas tick all the boxes needed for these people to join the party as they cry for justice, acceptance of diversity, inclusion, and equity (meaning equality of outcome and not equality of opportunities). All ideas that, on their surface, feel correct. This group cannot be fought or argued with as it is not about logic but only about feelings. It is a historical, well-known group that helped fuel the fire and create chaos. A small and loud minority that took over social media as they served the purpose of these platforms. They create antagonism and division for the sake of "likes" and followers based on a general victimhood mentality. From the algorithm point of view, these people create engagement. Creating a spiral in which this minority gets more and more exposure while the platforms get more and more engagement.
The fifth and last group is an interesting one. It is the immature young adults. While some of them belong to the fourth group, a large part of them understands exactly what they are asking for and can defend their position. On many accounts, they are the unavoidable outcome of growing around the two first groups. This group is comprised of young adults between the ages of 20-35. Most of them grew up in an over-protected envelope by boomer parents bombarded by a massive propaganda from all fronts that explains them that there is little hope in the future at best or no future at all due to global warming, wars, poor economic outlook etc. In the book "The Cuddling of the American Mind15" by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, a long and profound conversation is developed regarding this generation. In many aspects, they are the outcome of the failure of the Boomer generation, the declining economic outlook, the rise of social media, and what I called in my previous post about “Neo Feminism” the victims of peace. Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt wrote in their book - "teaching kids that failures, insults, and painful experiences will do lasting damage is harmful in and of itself. Human beings need physical and mental challenges and stressors, or we deteriorate." Unfortunately, this generation grew up in an overprotective bubble, allowing them to never mature, tackle life, or believe they should do so in the first place.
This group was never asked to grow up. They were never required to take responsibility. For the biggest part of their life, they have been preached that they can be everything and deserve it all without giving anything in return. It is no wonder that when this group reached young adulthood, they perceived the current system as oppressive, tyrannical, and discriminative. After all, when asked to present what they are or what they achieved, they quickly realized that they had no answer. The progressives from their side gave them everything they needed – the popularization of a victim mentality. One that blames everyone except themselves for their poor state. There is no wonder they adopted it instantly. It allows them to build a logic that justifies not only their failure to approach life but also a basis to never make the necessary step towards adulthood. The general welfare state they grew up in didn't help the process either. From their perspective, this is all they ever knew. A reality in which the state plays the nanny role that will give them the basics of what they need without asking for anything in return. The support of this generation to increase the size and control of the welfare state is understandable, as they feel they deserve it. It is a great solution to their problem, mutually supporting their cause and the progressive political party.
The process of passing from young humans to adulthood is as hard as life is. It requires taking responsibility for one’s life, building something based on capacity, competing in a competitive society, and failing a lot in the process. COVID-19 didn't help as most of these young adults got a free pass and free money for 2 years, followed by an additional grace period. The advance of the internet and the general negative narrative didn't help either. They have been explained that the world is ending due to global warming, that men are violent oppressors, that our history is based on slavery, bigotry, and oppression, and that the world is led by an elite that is there to enslave them. Sounds horrible and demotivating. This group has all the logical arguments they need to justify their unwillingness to mature and take responsibility for their lives. Progressivism is just what they need. It promotes the idea that they are victims. They just need to choose the cause to their victimhood. Progressivisms promote childless parents and free money, which is all that they wish for. And above all, it gives them a group to be part of. One that not only allows them but also supports their unwillingness to mature, create a family, and be a productive part of society.
Progressivism is needed and positive as long as it is done in a manner that allows adaptation and does not come from the need to demolish the existing system for the sake of it. We all have our own ideas and survive injustice. Some of us more than others. It is the respect for the old and the curiosity for the future that brought us to our current prosperity. Not hatred of the past, fear of other humans, or the incapacity to take responsibility. While some groups have always been part of society, others are a new phenomenon in our Western democracies. It is the balance, not the extreme, that brought us to the prosperity we live in today. We have many good things to save and even more great things to march toward. But like everything else in life, society and peace are not a destination but a path. It is all about how we try to reach it. There is one thing I know for sure: the only way forward that will promote peace and prosperity is by rebuilding the lost balance and not by pushing to the extreme. Progressivism went too far. Asking to demolish everything for the sake of demolition. Not because it is a good way forward but because it allows so many not to look in the mirror and admit that there is something very wrong and sinister in our current society. Order allows the healthy growth and the positive exploration of the unknown. Without it there is just chaos. One that has shown us less than 100 years ago how terrible and dangerous its outcome is.