Identity Politics: A Killer at Large
All right quiet down. We’re here to discuss an important matter. It’s not everyday we get a case like this. We’re hunting the most prolific serial killer of the past twenty years. His name is Identity Politics. Let’s talk about his victims, excuse me, alleged victims, and what we can do to bring them justice.
Civil Discourse
In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, this victim took a serious blow with the advent of the crossfire debate show. Instead of saying what they had to say in a calm and polite manner, participants would talk over each other, cut each other off, throw ad hominem attacks, deflect from plainly stated questions, rationalize, spin, and altogether disregard the rules of civil debate put in place by Lincoln and Douglas way back when. But Civil Discourse didn’t die completely. Call it a slow-working poison, or death by 1,000 cuts. No, the coup de grâce was landed when IP came in and told college kids they can shout obscenities at and advocate violence against those who disagree with them, abandoning all pretense of civility, thereby putting a bullet through the skull of this particular victim. This was a two-man job all the way.
Personal Accountability and Self-Improvement
Fellow officers of the law, we are living in the era of self-worship. I like to call it the “Boy, Bye” era. If you’ve got a better name, forward it to the suggestion box (points at garbage can). IP goaded pop and rap artists along, telling them they are perfect, beyond reproach, above those who would challenge them in any way/shape/form, and not in a position to heed or act upon constructive criticism. Female avatars of Identity Politics stated they are never wrong in a relationship by dint of being the woman. Rotund members of our society said their unhealthy lifestyle and its negative effects on productivity, the healthcare system, personal relationships, and society at large are your hangup, not mine. Men excused their rough treatment of women by pointing to the faults common to the gender. Using people for sex (thereby downgrading and dehumanizing them) became more common and any criticism was haughtily dismissed as slut shaming. Gone were the days when the term “hater” only applied to those who begrudged the success of others. Now, it applies to anyone who offers advice on personal flaws and failings. People under IP’s control abandoned all forms of personal restraint, dignified behavior, modest conversation, and started to praise (dare I say worship) vulgarity, profanity, and all-encompassing grossness. No, things never were the same when Identity Politics curb-stomped these two victims.
A Word Fitly Spoken
Sometimes it’s good to hear the perspective and opinion of others with a different view of matters. Thus declares wisdom from times past. Identity Politics really did a doozy on this victim. Not content with a quick and somewhat humane murder, IP went all the way with this one, first hacking the timely opinion (politely spoken) down in the street with a dull ax, then sending it through the wood chipper in what we like to call “The Fargo Treatment” down at the precinct. It seems our killer has a flair for the dramatic. By provoking non-straight, non-white, non-males that straight white males have no right to an opinion or moral stance on any subject, he compelled his followers to engage in the most insidious form of rhetorical and linguistic laziness; dismissing the arguer and refusing to engage the argument. Going even one step farther, followers of IP started policing and cannibalizing each other, making sure one was in the particular demographic before one was allowed to publicly state their opinion. It became a confusing nightmare trying to keep track of all the inter-sectionalism spider webs (more on this later). This practice was made all the more ironic in that all people outside of the non-straight, white male demographic have more than enough to say about straight, white males to fill a month of Sundays.
Rational, Eloquent Arguments
This murder was accomplished by a strong poison used in yesteryear. As discussed a few minutes ago, college kids in the public spaces of their campuses, eschewed the kind of logical debate they are supposed to be taught in the classrooms of said campuses. It’s easier to tell someone to fornicate themselves than fashion a well-thought out counterpoint. They weren’t the only ones under Identity Politics’ spell in this concern. Protesters carrying signs and celebrities writing Tweets (Almighty Lord help us if Twitter becomes the medium of moral discourse in the future) decided that the f-word, passionately directed at a political enemy, was a satisfactory argument, and no further verbal proceedings were needed. We don’t often see murders of the strychnine variety. This murder was a callback to the old days.
Due Process
Used to be someone was innocent until proven guilty. Now, someone who doesn’t occupy, or has vacated their slot in the victim hierarchy is guilty until proven innocent, and probably guilty anyway, therefore worthy of threatening communications and even intimidation in public, their home, and place of work. I don’t know about you, but the chief blames angry white folks in the mid 90’s for this. Whatever the particulars of the case, Orenthal James Simpson was found not guilty by a jury of his peers. Due process was given its prominence, and he was not guilty in the eyes of the law. Justice is a tricky thing, and sometimes goes against what we believe should happen. We should have moved on and lived our lives. But we didn’t and now are suffering the consequences. Craftily harnessing this inability to move on, Identity Politics fooled social justice warriors into thinking and acting like there is no forgiveness in this world, there is no grace, there is no leaving well enough alone, and they have sown seeds of civil unrest in refusal to accept the elections, rulings, and laws of those legally placed in authority over us. We found this victim at the bottom of the East River with a concrete bow tie. Cause of death has yet to be determined, but we can all agree it wasn’t of old age.
Objective Standards of Art and Morality
Prepare yourself, this one gets ugly. Am I right in assuming no one in this room would enjoy stumbling upon a collection of the newly deceased? Yes, No? Would that ruin your evening? Such was the fate of Objective Standards of Art and Morality. None of us were alive during the Renaissance and all of the forms of art which sprang out of it. But we can all appreciate said examples for having at least a modicum of objective value. Furthermore, the most reasonable philosophers throughout history have agreed that objective morality must transcend humanity. They only disagree on the transcendent source. We in this country rejected the monarchy and its supposed divine right to rule, but we didn’t wholesale reject the idea of the divine. Matter of fact, our divine source has been one of the contributing factors to our land being the one of greatest and fairest dissemination of justice, prosperity, and luxury. Untold millions of people have enjoyed a justice system based on the natural law we men all harbor in our hearts, which in its most basic form states that neither I, nor my fellow man, should pick one another’s pockets or injure one another’s person. The judicial branch of our government is meant to establish the truth of what happens whenever an accusation regarding the violating this basic principle is levied. Nowadays, however, the members of WHCIP (Western Hemisphere Cult of Identity Politics) have latched onto and promulgated the idea that they, based on what they identify as and the direction they point their desires can own, befriend, manipulate, and mold truth, thereby eliminating its objectivity. My daddy taught me that feelings merely indicate reality, not construct it. But who was he and what does he know? Moreover, many of them have dabbled in what they call “art”. Now, call me old-fashioned, call me simple, call me foolish even, but I find pieces like the Mona Lisa, Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Awakening Conscience, and other classics to be wonderful examples of art because they show the beauty of the world without totally obscuring its ugliness. I don’t call throwing excrement at a collage of Donald Trump photos comprising a larger-than-life mural of female genitalia “art”. Were I to articulate this opinion outside of a safe room like this, I’d be shouted down as an oppressive advocate of censorship and patriarchy. Goading these two victims to join his cult, IP gave them the Jim Jones Kool-Aid treatment. It was a ghastly scene.
Free Thinking
People of the liberal persuasion gave birth to people of the progressive persuasion. I imagine the most reasonable among liberals are abhorred by all the abuses and chicanery of progressives, but such is the nature of folks who must always be changing, always be modifying, always be ready to be offended, always be ready to be victimized. Progressives, paying homage to their Identity Politics overlord, formed a lynch mob and hanged Free Thinking on a Judas Tree right outside of town. This was done in a clandestine, nighttime ritual not dissimilar to the KKK lynchings of their Democrat Party forbears. Sorry guys, I know a lot of cops are pro-union and vote Democrat. Forgive me for that non sequitur jab and let’s move on. Somewhat tying this murder to the lynchings of old is the fact that free thinkers among African Americans are its biggest victim. White progressives call a black conservative “an anomaly” and black progressives attack them with much harsher labels, which I don’t care to verbalize here. You’ll find an exhaustive list in the case file. I know I mentioned irony before, but it’s also made an appearance here. Blacks, whites, and others who accept the Identity Politics worldview also accept and practice professional victimhood. What’s ironic is they victimize and dehumanize other blacks when they label them, instead of conferring the respect and dignity due a creature carrying the image of our Almighty God. Gone is the idea of sending grace and understanding to one another. We have Identity Politics to thank for that. Free Thinking’s corpse was found by a local farmer, still hanging, all bloated and gross from the time that had passed. Really a sad sight.
Freedom of Association and Artistic Expression
Identity Politics is a busy bee. Next comes the third and final double murder he committed. Quick and painless wasn’t the modus operandi here. A savage beating in the streets of social media was the game of the day. Now, I’ve met a few bakers in my life and I’d feel perfectly safe generalizing them as gentle, kind, and agreeable people who just want to make tasty treats for a reasonable price. Maybe not all, but certainly most. Definitely not the type to corporately victimize out of hate. Many of them, relying on their conscience born out of a religious view, figured they couldn’t implicitly or explicitly support marriage of the non-traditional kind. Agree or disagree, this humble cop says they can run their business without violating their conscience. Were I to run a pastry business, I’d sell to anyone with the means to pay because everyone’s money is green, but each to his own. From a legal perspective, the courts have typically ruled Freedom of Association is granted by the 1st amendment. Civil rights and public business issues have made this more complex, but reasonable people can agree it’s not even close to the inequality created by segregation and dehumanization of persons of color; the direct cause of the Civil Rights Act. I’d cite the Supreme Court ruling in favor of The Little Sisters of the Poor if anyone in here wants to bone up on the subject of compelling an organization to violate their conscience. Nonetheless, bakers who do this have been raked through the coals, destroyed on social media, and sued out of existence. Were I, in this land of limitless opportunities and services, to enter a business that refuses to serve me, I suppose I’d take it in stride while walking down the street to one that doesn’t, but hey, that’s just me.
Freedom of Artistic Expression was killed the same day as Freedom of Association. Everyone understands that we live in a diverse land, and that diversity happens, whether or not we wish it to. Even the most purebred and homogeneous of nations and people must live with a degree of diversity in thought, belief, size, shape, etc. Here in America, stepping outside one’s abode and interacting with others makes diversity happen. Were I to give a clicker to every citizen and force them to tally every polite, respectful, and kind interaction they have with someone of a different race, culture, ethnicity, religion, societal persuasion, political affiliation, and so on, I think we’d see statistically that our land, while having problems that deserve measured attention, is not a land seething or boiling over with hatred and intolerance. Diversity is not wrong, diversity is not right. It just is. It happens. Look up Richard Rodriguez’s work on the matter for a more in-depth analysis. It cannot be forced nor imprinted on something that already shows and practices it. As with many areas of life, lunatics have taken it to a fanatical level. In an all-too-common example of teenage progressives excoriating their liberal parents, the Oscars were “so white”. What followed is consecutive years of the Academy acting out of their liberal guilt and highlighting/awarding the “Racism is bad” genre of movies. Along those same lines, did you see Episodes VII and VIII of the Star Wars Saga? I’d say more apt titles would be “Evil Racist White People Conquered by the Power of Diversity” and “Bechdel Test: The Movie”, respectively. It’s all right to chuckle, it earns you brownie points with your lieutenant.
I will admit, this is a nuanced issue, and I don’t want to speak out of turn because the quality of art is (despite my arguments earlier) still at least somewhat subjective. But come one, if it looks like a duck. In an unintended but pointed commentary on our times, the public beating these two victims received went viral and is available for all to see, however long as human civilization and the internet exist.
Human Complexity
We are still gathering the facts on this case, but I’ve constructed a sequence of events that logically fits. Posing as a medical professional, Identity Politics convinced Human Complexity that it had an arrhythmic heartbeat. HC, not bothering to seek a second opinion, quickly scheduled surgery to install a pacemaker. IP performed the surgery, installing what looks like an outdated and defective device. Not content with simply waiting it out, he then gifted HC with a second-rate microwave oven from the 1950’s. One doesn’t need a degree in forensics to guess what happened next. Whatever else he may be, Identity Politics is undoubtedly an artist.
When Human Complexity died, so did all the nuances that make us up as beings. Someone can’t be misguided in one area of their lives without the good they might do in another area being totally discredited. They can only be the one thing. It’s like saying I can’t encourage my kids to respect my authority because I once cussed out a coworker. Gone are the various separate compartments of our lives. Ludicrous. Instead of installing plaques detailing the ugly side of historical figures, their statues must come vigorously crashing down. It’ll be a sad day for reasonable people who practice measured responses when the demolition man sets charges at the base of the Washington Monument. And it’s not just progressives falling prey to this idea. Lebron James has to dribble the basketball and shut up about politics because he’s somehow not worthy of an opinion outside of his industry. Conservatives hurtle vitriol at celebrities who are politically vocal and active, citing their “willingness to alienate” half the country, thinking a boycott of their movies is a worthy tenant of their time.
Brie Larson is currently going through this. She decided to make her new movie Captain Marvel a feminist statement of female strength and empowerment. Going a step further, she limited the number of white males on her press tour for the film. Incensed by the slight, right leaning pundits and reviewers have flooded Rotten Tomatoes with negative comments and reviews before the movie’s release. This humble officer knows that someone’s work can be entertaining while their political views off kilter. Furthermore, I can separate the two and enjoy their work, knowing that a movie’s first and foremost goal is to entertain and make money, political statements and other agendas come secondary. I’ll be going to see the movie with my kids and I won’t feel triggered when Brie is on the screen kicking alien behind.
I could go on but my fellow officers of the law get my point. Once a label is applied to a person by any number of folk with any modicum of societal influence, they are always and forever only that thing, and your enjoyment of the good parts of their life makes you guilty by proxy of their sins. When I take inventory of my good deeds and bad, I’d love the luxury of being judged by my good deeds and forgiven my bad. Not so anymore with the untimely expiration of Human Complexity.
Ideological Alliances
During the same time frame IP was waiting for HC to die, he had kidnapped and imprisoned Ideological Alliances, similar to what the killer in Se7en did in the sloth scenario. When we found IA chained to his bed, he was a shell of a man, not long for this world. Look up Blanche Monnier for a real-world example if you’d like. Dying of shock a week after being found and taken to the hospital does not mitigate the aspects of this murder. As a result of this meticulously planned and executed killing, members of the political left are constantly eating each other alive, racing to be the most offended (magically conjuring the right not to be offended as implied in the 1st Amendment), striving to be the most aware and celebratory of every little piece of nonsense, every little fetish, every little break from what most rational folk accept to be reality, so long as it follows their orthodoxy. Martina Navratilova and Dave Chapelle have both learned the hard way you don’t deviate from their group-think, no matter how whimsical and capricious it may be. The victim hierarchy had to always be at the forefront of one’s mind, making sure to jumble it when necessary for the cause du jour. Dave Chappelle showed that black men; the most marginalized and powerless group in America, are able to victimize and oppress members of the LGTBQ alliance. Navratilova and other outspoken feminists showed that “L” can victimize “T”. Completely sidelined until they find their own form of victimhood and recompense are the “B” and “Q”. As mentioned above, people who go all-in on something tend to lose, or even worse, willfully discard their nuanced and complex selves. They are only that thing that encompasses all other areas of their lives. You’d better fall in line and not offend them, lest you suffer the repercussions and consequences.
Keep yourselves guarded, my friends. George Orwell created the Thought Police for a book criticizing what was happening in the Communist regions of Europe and Asia. The KGB was the strong arm of the oppressive USSR government. But the Thought Police have found their civilian counterpart in the form of the everyday militant Twitter user. I say again, Lord save us if in the future Twitter becomes the way we converse, debate, make announcements, and prescribe policy. The political conservative in me enjoys seeing these folk cannibalize each other. But the moral conservative in me has compassion one on who has to endure the public lashings, and takes pity on the misguided souls holding the whips. But I digress.
You all have your assignments and protocols. Identity Politics has been spotted from the streets of D.C. to the twisty roads of San Francisco. This means we don’t have a reliable lead on his current whereabouts, nor is the last known address of much help. But I’m sure with the hard work and dedication I’ve come to expect from all of you, we can find and defeat this frightening opponent. God help us in our worthy endeavors.
