Posted on 01/04/2021 7:18:20 AM PST by ProgressingAmerica
One of the things we need to do, and I don't see anybody anywhere doing this, is we need to try our best to objectively identify where progressives are the strongest, and where they are the weakest.
Culture is downstream of politics, so if we want better elections then we need to capture aspects of culture. In various websites I see many of the same items listed. Ok, so you tell me. In which of these are progressives the weakest?
Even though it is a subset of "media", I added talk radio to this list to demonstrate a thought process. Sometimes, a subset of a larger item is what is needed. Talk radio is indeed active in culture, and its a part of media. But its a subset that progressives don't control.(and they hate it that they don't control it)
So, in this list which one do you believe progressives are weakest? Is there a subset where you think they might be weakest? What kinds of things can individuals do to target that weakness and exploit it?
I'll go first. I happen to think progressivism's stronghold is Media as a whole. One of their weakest points is probably tech. One way to significantly damage tech is this: Anybody can write a program, open source it, and in so doing cut off tech's funding. We could defund the beast in very short order if we actually focused and tried to do it. Just thinking.
In this respect, there's no question that tech is weaker than media. You tell me.
The bottom line is this: If we are going to move forward, we need to find that weakest link and burn it.
As for the list I put together, if I'm missing an item let me know.
Ping.....
Let’s take some stock here. Where are progressives the strongest? Where are they the weakest?
In intellectual capacity.
That may be true, but you cannot outtalk a bully who is in the process of beating you to a pulp.
We were having some discussion about progressives in culture, and I thought it might be useful to try to create a numbered list of weakest and strongest.
If we know the weakest, we know the target.
If you would prefer not to reply, then I apologize for pinging your username and wasting your time.
That’s probably true but it’s not a specific item that can lead to some actionable result.
where are they the weakest? The Truth!!
Again, that’s not really something actionable.
Talk radio obviously.
At their center of mass. Aim there first.
They are weakest in cohesion. With the slightest provocation they will turn on each other. Wherever possible they should be encouraged to savagely attack each. Preferably with lethal weapons.
They are also weak in rationality. For example, they believe that a man can be a woman and vice versa. Reality and science (real science, not the religion Scientism) are not their friends.
The left is weakest when it comes to open, honest examination of their beliefs. I don’t believe they can be defeated by cherry picking.
The public schools are the bedrock of everything.
Physically. They are nerdy wimps.
Alright, I suppose I should’ve expected that.
Where are they second weakest then? We already (for the most part) have talk radio and I think you and I would both agree that we don’t really need to target that. It’s not a progressive stronghold that could lead to some large gains.
Just curious, do you agree with my initial assertion that tech is weaker than media? (Not necessarily my idea for what to do) Just the order of things in a list.
The left consistently talks about “fairness” yet almost every policy the left supports involves giving disproportionate privileges, resources, or money to politically chosen groups or individuals. Conservatives should be able to win the equality of opportunity versus “fairness” debate. However few self proclaimed conservative politicians are capable or willing to engage in that debate with social justice warriors.
If conservative “leaders” will not engage in the debate, the battle is lost before it begins. The left wins because its leaders passionately, aggressively and in a unified manner engage with the effect of rolling over the passive “opposition”.
Consider the current situation with respect to election integrity. The Republicans can’t even develop a unified message about the need for voter and ballot integrity (Voter ID, inviable chain of custody, a formal audit program after each election), much less rally together to aggressively demand a real investigation into the obvious issue with the 2020 election.
The truth is the Democrats are passionate and unified in their desire to fundamentally transform the United States into a socialist state where the elite defined objectives for the community are imposed by government and citizen “rights” are defined and subject to the whim of government authorities. Most Republican politicians and leaders have no passion with respect to preserving individual liberty. They are pragmatic politicians who are primarily engaged in achieving personal goals for wealth and power. Conservative ideology is a label of convenience they use as window dressing to obtain political office.
As to cultural issues the GOP elites ceded the cultural war to the left years ago in exchange for admission to elite schools for their children, invitations to social events, acceptance at private clubs, to escape being targeted for personal destruction by the media and social justice warriors, and the perks of living the life of the upper class. They have no interest in fighting to bring balance to academia, the media, or the government bureaucracy. Remember, it is all about their personal position in the universe, not about the nation or the people they represent. Republican politicians are actually some of the most self centered people on the planet.
The internet news and the fall of viewership of MSM (Fox now equals CNN) might be their weakest.
Their strongest is Schools, so our job as managers/mentors would be deprogram them when they actually go to work
That old joke - I was a Liberal till I got my first pay check.
Now that we have seen the success of voter fraud on an industrial scale, not sure how you fight that as the beneficiaries are the very politicians that make the rules.
This one is actionable in much the same way as academia is. It requires at least a half-decade commitment to becoming a scientist or academic. Unless there are other thoughts on this. Is there room for citizen scientists? What would a citizen scientist do? What would that look like?
Weakest is in brand really, they can try and put lipstick on the pig of their political candidates but no one trusts those in Hollywood or media. The news is consistently viewed as untrustworthy, because it is “Fake news,” for example.
They have strongholds that rely on institutional inertia of secure funding and foreign investment. But their brand is poor.
In that atmosphere building alternative secure culture structures is one of the vital battles.
Yes, the GOP did cede the culture war generations ago.
We don’t have to follow their lead though. Do we? What can we do without the GOP, on our own?
First, I think we need to gauge strengths and weaknesses. If we want to target something, we need to know what to target. Someone in a post above mentioned a school yard bully. This is accurate, and the bully is probably the weakest in his knee.
So what’s the knee? What should we kick?
I suppose so. Except that most tech companies like Apple and Microsoft are VERY much in the leftist camp. I’m not sure your contention that anyone can write a program and sidestep progressive politics that way really works. Apple can ban your app from the App Store. Microsoft can sue you into oblivion.
It’s the same with the idea that anyone can make a movie now. Moviemaking takes time. Who pays for the equipment, the actors, the sets? Who pays you during production while you’re not earning a living?
I’m not saying it’s impossible, but there’s a tough road ahead. The right gave up on culture, and here we are.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.