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In the 18th century, Right and Left as political designations were limited to just one place and revolved around the old order. We get these terms from the French Revolution, where the defenders of the crown sat to the right of the president in the National Constitutive Assembly, while the opponents were on the left. There is also the tradition in the West of the honored guest being seated to the right of the host, who is usually the head of the family.
Into the 19th century this right-left arrangement evolved as the politics of the West evolved, often reflecting the nature of the people. The French Right lost its aristocratic flavor while the German Right embraced it. In Britain, the aristocracy was in decline politically, but the Right was the defender of empire and the order that was required to maintain the empire. In America, there was never an order to defend, so this dichotomy did not arrive until much later.
The point is that the definition of Right and Left has evolved. Since the middle of the last century, the Right has been assigned the job of defending the status quo, while the Left has been assigned the role of embracing change. One of the weird results of this arrangement is that both sides have been drained of ideology. The Right just opposes the Left if it pays well. The Left embraces one deranged fad after another, just so they have a way to organize a street mob.
An example of the irrationality of the two sides is this weird story about the far-left governor of Colorado criticizing the moderate governor of Florida. The far-left guy is calling the middle-of-the-road guy a socialist because he signed off on a bill that stripped special privileges for a multinational corporation. In reality, the far-left guy is signaling his support for child rape, but he cannot be that explicit, so he used a term he thinks would sting the guy he considers right-wing.
Right there we see the bankruptcy of language. Ideologically, government taking a neutral stance on business is the opposite of socialism. On the other hand, it is explicitly not right-wing, as the Right has always viewed economics as a means to an end, not an object of worship. The Right wants stability, so the disruptions of capitalism need to be minimized by the state. The moves by DeSantis are right-wing in that he is defending the family and their absolute right to protect their children.
Of course, there is no in left-wing ideology that says child molesters must have easy access to children. The Jacobins were not pro-pederasty. The Marxists were quite prudish about sex in general. The American Left had its sexual liberation phase, but that was always limited to feminism. The truth is, Progressives have always lived like white nationalist with Victorian sensibilities. The only thing left-wing about defending the groomers is that it is anti-establishment.
The fact is, America, and maybe the West in general, has entered a post-ideological phase in which there is no logic behind the old labels. What passes for radicalism is nothing more than bourgeois neuroticism. There remains a vague sense of a promised land after the struggle, but that is just a carryover from the past. They never bother to describe what comes after the revolution. No one even bothers to ask them to explain the point of their agitations. There is no point.
The other side is just as lost. It is trite to say it now, but conservatives have conserved nothing and they have no desire to conserve anything. Of course, the reason they have no desire to conserve anything is there is nothing left to conserve. It goes beyond the practical, however, as you see in the National Review post. The point of politics is to shape public morality. Politics is about deciding right and wrong. If your politics leads you to abandon that debate, then you have no reason to exist.
Politics in America have become unmoored from reason. The Left is simply in favor of chaos for the sake of chaos. Post-Marx culturalism promised a new era for mankind if they seized control of the centers of cultural production. Instead, they got what the old Marxists feared came after capitalism. That is a society devoid of morality and dominated by transactionalism. The end of the cult-Marx rainbow is sterile materialism and pointless consumerism.
In such an age there is no place for a defense of order, so there is no reason for the old-style conservatism to exist. Why would any sane person want to defend this order against the violence of the Left? This is the age of post-Marx culturalism, so if they are unhappy with their creation, let them destroy it. Maybe what comes next is the chance to build anew. In other words, the alternative to the modern Left is not conservatism but culture jamming and accelerationism.
Where we find ourselves is beyond the maps of the known world. Like the first ships that went over the horizon, the old rules and lessons of Western politics are not much of a guide in navigating the present. Like the basics of sailing, the basics of politics remain the same, but the purpose is what demands the reimagination of the effort. To continue the analogy, we have not reached the new world, but we can no longer make out the old world either. We are in the great political dead space.
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Years ago, I had an older client who purchased a fully restored ’67 Mustang convertible. He was at an age where he had gone to the funerals of most of his friends, and wasn’t much for road trips. Nevertheless, he would drive the car as frequently as the weather permitted, but never drove anywhere in particular.
Politics in this day and age feels a lot like that, in that the attitude of federal pols seems to be the same as that of my former client: we have this nice machine, we may as well use it. The lack of purpose behind using it is irrelevant, and of course there’s a total obliviousness to the waste of resources that comes from using something needlessly. Nonetheless, we have this machine so we might as well use it, and hopefully at some point we’ll figure out why we’re using it.
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There was a mini-series in the 90’s called Wild Palms, a cyberpunk soap opera about a totalitarian US and a cult-leader senator trying to reach immortality via technology. That’s how I saw it back then, when I was a kid.
Yesterday, I have seen an episode of it again, after ~30 years, and realized that it was a boomer fantasy about social libertarians fighting fascism. Basically, the same thing they have been doing their whole lives – fantasy fighting against phantom enemies, while the country and the West was going to shit without any meaningful resistance.
They are still doing it, always focused on fantasies, like Nazis being racist or Nazis being the real racists (depending on whether the Nazis are Republican or Democrat). Utterly confused.
2
” … we have this nice machine, we may as well use it. The lack of purpose behind using it is irrelevant, … .”
This has been with us for a long time. The most egregious examples (imho) are the notion that members of Congress or state legislatures are supposed to pass laws. Even “conservatives” complain specifically about politicians not passing laws, which is seen as “their job.”
And stupid people are all the time saying that it’s the president’s job to “run the country.”
The first is the poisonous fruit of universal suffrage and a belief in equality. And the second is the result of a slave mentality, the fruit of Socialism.
The Constitution should be amended such that no new law may be passed unless and until two old laws are repealed and stricken from the books.
2
And do the same with Congressmen.
I’d like to recommend a t-shirt with a great quote from Mohammed Atta, perhaps a picture of him.
“Just stay quite and you will be OK.”
3
Whatever happened to that guy?
1
he’s a pilot for United now.
2
“Whatever happened to that guy?”
I think he’s still quite.
To be blunt, why don’t you fix up the website first and put your efforts into that and get a better comment system? Nothing is worse than waking up and coming out with a fresh idea and then having it sit in limbo when it should be immediately out there for everyone. I just get fed up and leave. Plus the other comment issues
That said…. I think the color scheme on the Erich is bland and looks like 1970s gym clothes. But is that the retro look you want? Maybe it could spark a trend. I don’t know.
1
I’m suddenly having second thoughts about inviting criticism.
13
: )))
The only critic one needs to appease is that harshest one……thyself.
1
I comment frequently here but am under no illusion if anyone really cares. The world awaits my wakening in the morning for great insights? I come here to read good content and to keep sanity.
The rest is gravy.
9
Humility…..if only more tried to practice it!
1
“Humility…..if only more tried to practice it!”
Wow. That’s got some real potential, bro!
I’m thinkin’ …
a Humility Pride Parade.
For starters.
1
someone piss on your cheerios this morning? instead moaning so much, start your own blog and show us all how it is done.
1
The problem with the left-right paradigm is this:
The left’s self conception is that of the rebel and the right’s is that of defending the established order.
But the left has been the establishment for well on a century at this point.
Which leaves the left rebelling against itself and right defending the left of yesterday.
The cognitive dissonance this situation creates is driving both sides insane, The left-establishment is trying to destroy itself and the right-anti establishment is trying to conserve that which it opposes.
13
If you read regime history, the left were the underdogs in the Civil Rights battle, the pro-sodomy movement, health care battles, McCarthyism, etc. etc.
People are filled in their heads from their youth that the left’s victories are always on the right side of history, while in reality few are. The only one that comes to mind that was actually good for our society are rights to a lawyer, though in a system where 90+% of cases are plead and they intentionally try to destroy people who don’t accept a plea,this is getting more useless.
4
“The only one that comes to mind that was actually good for our society are rights to a lawyer, … .”
And the presumption of innocence, which I would place above even the right to counsel.
3
“The cognitive dissonance this situation creates is driving both sides insane.”
Yeah, well, there wasn’t far to go. And there’s yet more to come.
The root of the problem (aside from human nature itself) is the twin notions (I won’t call them ideas) of equality and democracy.
Once every.single.person in the entire population has a vote, then everything must perforce become political, even the law. Natural law is cast off in favor of positive law. There’s no way around that.
So “the personal is political.” And “the private life is dead.”
And “permanent revolution” becomes not merely desirable (for certifiable lunatics), but unavoidable.
Without legitimate authority and hierarchy, everybody in the lifeboat thinks himself the captain, and his commands equal in authority to all other commands, and the lifeboat is swamped and goes down with al hands.
And here we are.
5
call it Plato’s Dilemma.
And now if we had a better comment system I could edit my original comment and soften it up
But my feeling is that this comment system is losing you customers and dampening interest and enthusiasm especially when the convo gets going and then you run out of room to reply. What sets this website and Z apart is that he understands business. The guys at counter currents, for comparison, do not understand business and treat the customers like crap, and Greg is often rude and condescending. That is why they will never really go anywhere. Then I see a place the Duran where they treat all their commenters respectfully and do not snicker at their stupid questions etc. class act.
My two cents. . .
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The plan is to have the new site ready by autumn. It is based on different code, so conversion is one challenge. I want to preserve the comments and content from this system. I also have been learning the new software, which has many more features than this system. I have been working on a new comment system that will have all the things you want, but I want to make sure it it is solid.
The general plan is allow for paying users to have special access and special abilities with regards to commenting, along with special identifiers. I’m also planning to open up for guest posting. That is new turf and requires special attention as that can get out of hand quickly.
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Yeah I think too open a comment system can be more headache and get unwieldy.
When you get it set up I will sign up.
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OMG, not the dreaded check of speciality!!?? We paying customers are not worthy, nor do we desire such notoriety. LOL.
Love the closing analogy of ships sailing into the uncharted.
There be dragons.
1
You know what? A blue check badge is a great idea.
1
Fortunately for me, I’m aware of the “die is cast” situation here, so it keeps me honest. Also, the commentariat here is not quite like the Keepers Of Obscure Knowledge Syndicate at Ron’s site, so I’ve yet to be filled with remorse once I’ve sent a comment on its way.
2
Well, there is one thing in left-wing ideology that says child molesters must have easy access to children, which is that it’s anti-Christian. Seething hatred of the Christian religion has been the central tenet of leftism since its inception, and the one principle within it that has never changed.
For all his faults, maybe Richard Spencer was right that leftism is a fire that just has to burn itself out. It did in the former communist bloc, one way or another, and, as it is unsustainable, will everyplace else it exists too. The questions that remain are: how much damage will it do before it falls, and what comes after it?
10
There are still a significant number of White people around, so the left has plenty of anti-white work to do.
5
the trouble is, the more you remove whites from the system, the faster it collapses. plus you then have the most capable part of the population on the ‘outside’ actively working against you. the kiddie diddling project has already got the female normies stirred up to an unprecedented level, and looks to cause the entire public school edifice to collapse.
1
I also think the honored guest was seated to the right of the host because that is the place away from the host’s heart and a sign that the guest was not there to cause harm and is not a threat
Incidentally why I understand that most people are right handed because when you throw with your right you are not exposing your heart to potential threats. A pitching coach told me this. I guess we evolved with that in mind.
3
“the alternative to the modern Left is not conservatism but culture jamming and accelerationism.”
Now you see eye to eye with Richard Spencer 🙂
2
It has been so much better now that the voices touting “Trump/Candace Owens! Trump/Tim Scott and Trump!…” are dwindling away.
Don’t the normie cons notice a pattern and can they ever break free?
Trump may have provided a ray of light at one point, he may have been the Great Orange Hope.
Perhaps the great White Hope is on the horizon. Maybe a perfect cross between Enoch Powell and Pinochet.
4
normies don’t do noticing! and get very agitated if you try and make them.
5
He’ll throw you out of a helicopter, but you’ll hear some classy speech before getting the final push.
1
I particularly enjoyed the closing methaphor about ships sailing into uncharted waters.
As I recall from the old maps, there be dragons.
Steady as she goes Cap’n.
3
To further the analogy that we have sailed to point where we can’t see the New World or the Old World than we have passed the spot in the journey called the point of no return. It is a longer trip back than the trip is forward.
2
To paraphrase Shakespeare, and with all apologies to the Immortal Bard, we’re in some HIV-positive version of MacBeth: “I in fake-and-gay am so far in stepped, that ‘twould be as tedious to go back as to go o’er.”
1
It’s like being forced to living in a homeless shelter in LA.
I would not look to the left or right.
I would root for the earthquake.
We have not reached that point yet but we are on that journey in the political realm.
5
“They never bother to describe what comes after the revolution. No one even bothers to ask them to explain the point of their agitations. There is no point.”
How many times have we heard this trite statement during any number of progressive political speeches: “We’ve come a long way, BUT we’ve still got a long way to go!”
Where have we come from? Where are we going? How do we get there? They never have time to explain, because that’s usually the rallying cry that ends the speech.
Constant change, constant destruction without purpose…
I once described the modern progressive politician who touts this line as a delusional mountain climber. In fact every mountain climb has a fixed pinnacle, an apex, a mountaintop at which point there is nowhere else to go. If you attempt to climb on in delusion you will fall to your peril. I used this description as satire. Then I read Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals. He literally used this image as his ideal radical.
https://readsomebooksthisyear.wordpress.com/2017/02/05/rules-for-radicals-saul-alinsky/
Alinsky: “If we think of the struggle as a climb up a mountain, then we must visualize a mountain with no top. We see a top, but when we finally reach it, the overcast rises and we find ourselves merely on a bluff. The mountain continues on up. Now we see the “real” top ahead of us and strive for it, only to find we’ve reached another bluff, the top still above us. And so it goes on, interminably.”
5
In sailing terms, we’re in the doldrums or horse latitudes. According to what I quickly read, after some time being stuck, crews would often chuck any dead and dying animals overboard to preserve water. I guess if there’s anything at all left to preserve here, either politically or culturally, leftards and other assorted freaks need to be tossed overboard as well – and literally, not figuratively.
5
This is what the left/right political narrative feels like these days: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zp9cL458Qns
1
“The Marxists were quite prudish about sex in general.”
Tangential to your post, I realize, but it’s kinda funny that in the fullness of time, this will come to be seen as the real reason Western intellectuals abandoned the Soviet Union. They could live with pretty much everything else Stalin did. Cutting a deal with Mustache Guy? Ok. Then turning around and killing more special folks than Mustache Guy himself? Ok. Wars of conquest and all the rest? Gotta break a few eggs to make an omelet, comrade.
But they will never, ever forgive him for telling the Alexandra Kollontai types to shut up and get back in the kitchen.
3
Or for defeating Trotsky and the bourgeois egghead drawing room professional revolutionaries and making the new Soviet elite former Dirt People peasants like himself. Culminating, of course with an ice pick to Trotsky’s smart brain in 1940, courtesy the GPU.
not sure if this is on-topic or not. as mentioned already (in comments) democracy’s fatal flaw is universal voting rights lead inevitably to collapse of the society. there seems to be an innate impulse in people to allow everyone to vote for “fairness” sake. one way to circumvent this, i think, is to do a form of profit sharing, whereby every voter/citizen gets an equal share of the country’s annual revenue. this would cause people to want to minimize the number of such shares, rather than expand them.
under this scheme, only voters could work for the government (at any level) but every voter would *have* to work for the government; i.e. all govt work is paid for from this shared revenue, and would be limited to 5% or so of available work time.
native tribes actively sought to shrink their membership roles once they started generating revenue from their reservations. that is the dynamic the above scheme would be tapping into. it also addresses the problem of govt being run by a seperate, parasitical class.
After the Great Patriotic War was over in 1945, Triumphalism took over. And it gathered itself up in many different forms: politics, civic nationalism, corporatism, religious activities, sports, education…in almost all spheres of life. Probably, it was most noticeable in the entertainment media, where the greatest fantasizing could take place. The great liberal victory could now express itself unchecked in limitless ways. The fuel of this Post War Triumphalism was bound to burn itself out in all of the spheres of life where it had provided the primary energy. And it did. Radical egalitarianism burned out with CRT. Sexual liberation burned itself out with porn and mental illness. Patriotism burned itself out with endless wars. Civic pride burned itself out in modern architectural hellscapes and drug addiction. Civil rights burned itself out in inner-city decay. Consumerism burned itself out with a surfeit of choice. Education burned itself out on the conceit that everyone could be educated.
In the end, we have pushed ourselves to the farthest point in which we imagine we can be distanced from Hitler’s National Socialism. We have reached the end of the limb on the topmost branch of the tree of Post-War Triumphalism. And here we sit…waiting for lightning to strike. It’s a brittle position to be in.
2
“It’s a brittle position to be in.”
Well said! Truly a first-rate comment.