Tyrannizing the Marketplace of Ideas

Progressive liberal social justice activists are not people with whom one might agree to disagree; they are proto-fascists who aspire to install a tyranny.

Inasmuch as we Americans are heirs to the Enlightenment, we are inclined to see in the exchange of viewpoints and their public debate a sign of political health. We should recognize, however, that such openness to alternatives is by no means a typical presupposition of political life. The authoritarian impulse -- the inclination to enforce a political consensus -- has a long history, and where this inclination prevails, the censoring of unwelcomed alternatives follows.

Inasmuch as we are partisans of liberty, we'd like to think that fostering an atmosphere of free and open debate is bound to sap the authoritarian impulse, thereby ensuring the persistence of political alternatives. Our political culture (as transmitted through our founding documents) assumed that debate will ultimately lead to reasonable outcomes, and that a public imbued with an attitude of "live and let live" would encourage a spirit of compromise and conciliation, with reciprocal toleration prevailing and democratic habits and practices sustaining themselves over time. As charming as it may be, such sappy optimism seems increasingly out of kilter with what we see around us. As we survey the contemporary political landscape, we are forced to wonder if the authoritarian impulse is not more durable, more insistent than its presumed political antidote. This compels us to offer up some observations that may shed some light on the ongoing degradation of our shared political culture that threatens to strangle our public life.

“Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty; power is ever stealing from the many to the few. The manna of popular liberty must be gathered each day or it is rotten. The living sap of today outgrows the dead rind of yesterday. The hand entrusted with power becomes, either from human depravity or esprit de corps, the necessary enemy of the people. Only by continued oversight can the democrat in office be prevented from hardening into a despot; only by unintermitted agitation can a people be sufficiently awake to principle not to let liberty be smothered in material prosperity.” - Often attributed to Thomas Jefferson, but found in other speeches that predate Jefferson’s use.

The dumbiing down of public education- removing classical studies, languages, and logic - coupled with various manifestations of the boob tube, are now producing the rotten fruits of an idiocracy, so that public discourse has become more than difficult.

The challenge, when confrobted with the raving lunatics of the left, is to engage at all, let alone cordially.

“Tyrannizing the Marketplace of Ideas” is better put as stifling and eliminating innovation in order to achieve absolute government control of everything including citizens personal lives.

That is the same exact thing that Xi Jinping, the Dictator of China, is doing to the Chinese people who hate him and the CCP.

First of all: the “traditional Chinese beliefs” you mention were destroyed lock stock and barrel during the Great Cultural de-evolution; all ancient texts were burned, and the practitioners killed. There is nothing left to bring back other than what can be found in any western library. any one who says XI is trying to do nice things is a waumao - paid CCP influencer, aka propagandist.

Second: there is no way to quantify how deep the hatred of the CCP goes. Everyone knows that if you stick your head up you will receive a visit form the Civil Police, a beating, imprisonment, death, disappearances. Despite that, people are beaten sometimes to death on the streets for some minor rebellion, or slight of the CCP. No one will help anyone, not even if a gal or a child is kidnapped in broad daylight; people just look away and move on. That is the lesson of Tienanmen Square.

Third: Xi is not opening any door, but closing them firmly as fast as possible, so China becomes a closed society to the degree NK’s Kim would envy. Xi just decreed that all industries, business corporations deemed ‘essential’ will each be directed by a CCP member.

Fourth: The BGI Group is working with the PLA and other military elements to produce a genetic bio-weapon. The BGI Group sells tests worldwide to help pregnant women determine the genetic viability of their unborn child. This data is stored at PLA data facilities. The target of this weapon is to eventually eliminate all races except the Master Han Chinese race. The first order of business is to get land which has clean air, water and soil then colonized it after wiping out a significant portion of the prior inhabitants - first up America.

The only way the CCP (a very fragile and paranoid group) goes away is if all members are killed. Which is not likely.

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.