This model of our current popular zeitgeist is shaping up to be an incredible read. Many of us have been searching for better nomenclature than we are given with many terms, such as 'intersectional', 'leftist', or the now well flogged 'woke'. Thank you for this project it is utterly necessary. I have needed this sort of distillation for years now! Waiting on the next installment and subscribing post-fuckin'-haste.
This should be distributed like Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense.” The keen discernment to see the cult-like ruling class of the United States for what it is, is inspiring.
I've always been curious as to why "Ugly" is not a class of VB today. Attractiveness obviously confers tremendous advantages in life. Is it because being unattractive is a somewhat mutable characteristic? ...but so is fat! Is it because deep down even unattractive people find themselves desiring the pretty? But so do the disabled desire the abled!
It dawned on me a few years ago while examining the ideologies of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries (and the massive role they played in the two world wars) that so called progressivism was, in reality, one of the toxic ideologies. (Communism, Nationalism, and Free Market Absolutism are-I would argue-the other ones. All are different heads on the same metaphorical hydra. Further explanation of this concept would require its own essay-something I plan to do on my Substack at some point).
As I contemplated the various elements of these toxic ideologies, it occurred to me that progressivism was essentially a form of Christian heresy. Someone very dear to me once said that “Protestantism is just picking and choosing what you like about Catholicism and stripping it of half its meaning.” Progressivism, it seems to me, is picking and choosing what you like about Protestantism and stripping it of any scriptural or divine foundation. Unlike communism, which is actively antagonistic towards Christianity, progressivism acts as a parasite on Christianity, surviving on its living presence in a society destroying it from within. (This, too, requires its own essay).
It seems to me we’ve reached the stage where progressivism is casting off its Christian host and revealing its hideous form to those who dare look closely. You seem to be seeing it with a clear eyed realism. I look forward to reading more of your work.
And please note that nothing written above is intended to be anti-Protestant or catholic triumphalist. I was raised by a Methodist minister (as was the person I quoted-we both converted to Catholicism as adults) and I have a deep appreciation and respect for Protestants of good will and I recognize the profound way in which the Holy Spirit has worked (and continues to work) through these forms of Christianity. That said, If anyone wishes to read my sentiments as expressing an anti-progressivism, well, here I stand. I can do no other.
This model of our current popular zeitgeist is shaping up to be an incredible read. Many of us have been searching for better nomenclature than we are given with many terms, such as 'intersectional', 'leftist', or the now well flogged 'woke'. Thank you for this project it is utterly necessary. I have needed this sort of distillation for years now! Waiting on the next installment and subscribing post-fuckin'-haste.
White VBs are almost akin to believers w/ demons to be exorcised. Through the appropriate rituals and prayers. Great essay, lookin forward to more
This should be distributed like Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense.” The keen discernment to see the cult-like ruling class of the United States for what it is, is inspiring.
Ted Chiang wrote a short story called "Liking What You See" that explores what happens when "Unattractive" becomes a VB category: https://waldyrious.neocities.org/ted_chiang/liking-what-you-see-a-documentary
I've always been curious as to why "Ugly" is not a class of VB today. Attractiveness obviously confers tremendous advantages in life. Is it because being unattractive is a somewhat mutable characteristic? ...but so is fat! Is it because deep down even unattractive people find themselves desiring the pretty? But so do the disabled desire the abled!
It dawned on me a few years ago while examining the ideologies of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries (and the massive role they played in the two world wars) that so called progressivism was, in reality, one of the toxic ideologies. (Communism, Nationalism, and Free Market Absolutism are-I would argue-the other ones. All are different heads on the same metaphorical hydra. Further explanation of this concept would require its own essay-something I plan to do on my Substack at some point).
As I contemplated the various elements of these toxic ideologies, it occurred to me that progressivism was essentially a form of Christian heresy. Someone very dear to me once said that “Protestantism is just picking and choosing what you like about Catholicism and stripping it of half its meaning.” Progressivism, it seems to me, is picking and choosing what you like about Protestantism and stripping it of any scriptural or divine foundation. Unlike communism, which is actively antagonistic towards Christianity, progressivism acts as a parasite on Christianity, surviving on its living presence in a society destroying it from within. (This, too, requires its own essay).
It seems to me we’ve reached the stage where progressivism is casting off its Christian host and revealing its hideous form to those who dare look closely. You seem to be seeing it with a clear eyed realism. I look forward to reading more of your work.
And please note that nothing written above is intended to be anti-Protestant or catholic triumphalist. I was raised by a Methodist minister (as was the person I quoted-we both converted to Catholicism as adults) and I have a deep appreciation and respect for Protestants of good will and I recognize the profound way in which the Holy Spirit has worked (and continues to work) through these forms of Christianity. That said, If anyone wishes to read my sentiments as expressing an anti-progressivism, well, here I stand. I can do no other.