American Thinker
In the wake of last week’s Supreme Court ruling on gay rights in the workplace, Andrew Sullivan asked what sounded like a reasonable question -- when can proponents of a cause claim victory? This, of course, is a rhetorical question, as Sullivan himself later admits. The answer is "never," and it is as applicable to our current turmoil as to the Court decision. Victory means the game is over. That is not how activism works. Activism is an industry whose only goal is self-perpetuation. Activism provides livelihoods, social, and political power, and a sense of relevance. The refusal to take ’yes’ for an answer means debates continue long past their expiration dates:
When young, professional women are lamenting the lack of financially suitable men, the original feminists have won.
When environmentalists continue playing the same movie, no one believes the ending will be different this time.
When the new battleground for civil rights is ice cream, it may be time to lay down arms.
Like any industry, activism has a marketing wing to manufacture demand for outrage when none exists organically. Sometimes, it’s through a deep dive into someone’s past with the information presented as if it occurred this morning. And other times, it is by attacking a one-time ally who dares to challenge some aspect of the dogma. Either way, the offender is publicly browbeaten, perhaps fired from his/her job, and activists proclaim how "we’re not there yet." You’ll hear no mention of where "there" is or how it can be reached because it is a rhetorical unicorn. Even reasonable questions are treated as hostile acts. Heresy must be silenced. |