While trying to make sense of the wanton destruction of Civil war memorials, it occurred to me that there is a psychological feature of progressivism I hadn't thought about before. It has to do with their concept of "progress."
Let me explain.
Socialism doesn't sell, so Socialists sell something else. Leftists named themselves progressives decades ago in an effort to make their Marxist ideas a little more palatable to the casual observer. However, progressivism is simply socialism with a little less of the bloody revolution. Their approach is to overthrow of the systems and institutions of traditional society and representative government incrementally, rather than all at once via insurrection or revolution. Therefore progressivism is really no different from the Socialism in its desire to foment the proletariat to take down the bourgeois, except for the time frame involved and a little less appetite for blood (although we see that violence is once again getting more popular again).
Thus they are still intent on revolution, but they don't do it at the barrel of a gun. They insinuate themselves into positions of influence and power, whether by political office, bureaucratic appointment, or by taking positions of leadership in private organizations like businesses, charities, churches, and clubs. It's revolution by stealth, where the institution is changed little by little, rather than overthrown. One commentator brands this process convergence.
We can measure progressive progress by the extent to which a group or government has moved toward convergence. Convergence is the state at which the actual goals of the organization have been supplanted by progressive ones. So if the intent is to converge Acme Widget Corporation, progressives work their way into the board of directors or into positions of influence, or perhaps a mid-level management job.
From there they install codes of conduct, diversity policies, green initiatives, and hiring preferences. Eventually, Soon, Acme Widget Corporation no longer exists to make widgets, it is primarily concerned with advancing social justice, gay rights, and feminist causes. If it happens to sell widgets, that is good if the proceeds help to fund the cause.
This is how progress is obtained. No one really votes for it, though the rubber stamp of democracy is always welcome. Judges don't really implement it, but added legal weight is appreciated. The fact of the matter is that Progressives don't really care about democracy or legal processes. In fact, they don't care about feminism, gay marriage, or the environment. They only care about The Agenda, which is the overthrow of the system and the installation of Marxism.
If you though progress is about technological progress or scientific progress, you would be wrong. Progress is quintessentially social transformation. It's an evolution of societal structure with a steady march toward an idyllic social paradise. Progress is the level of success in achieving movement toward those social goals. And, a regressive person impedes that progress.
Implicit in the idea that society and its institutions must progress is the assumption that what is being progressed from must be faulty, inadequate, or inferior. After all, why would we need progress if what has already been achieved is good?
This means the past can only be regarded as a long string of injustices, failures, and dark times. That's why when you express approval of a bygone era for things like low taxes, personal liberty, intact families, high literacy, or safe neighborhoods, the leftist rejoinder is a litany of horror, evil, and repression, with the implication that you must be in support of all this evil as well.
The progressive concludes that since there is nothing good about the past, we need to progress from it as diligently as possible. Every institution, tradition, and social norm is by definition worthy of rejection. Indeed, it follows that historical personages, government policies, and even the very accounts of history are suspect. For example, Thomas Jefferson was an evil slave owner, so we are obligated to repudiate his ideas and contributions to the founding of our country. In fact, all the founders were white European patriarchal males who should not be honored or emulated. Government programs saved us from the Great Depression, because before that evil robber baron CEOs had the run of the place and oppressed everyone. Our history books were written by the victors, and therefore the First Nations people are misrepresented and their traditions and histories are censored out.
There are lots of similar examples. Suffice to say, the past is responsible for the present, and the present is nothing but racism, sexism, homophobia, and hatred. That is what the progressive is out to change.
And here's where I get to my point. The reason progressives are so intent on destroying statues is because history itself must be overthrown. That's right, history needs to be converged. History must progress, and this can only be done by editing, reinterpreting, and retelling according to the standards of modern sensibilities. That is, progressive sensibilities.
Their crusade is the rejection of the past, their criteria is a peculiar type of morality which asserts that bad things should not be remembered by anyone.
These statues are stark reminders that history is full of non-progressive things, and anything that is not progressive is bad and must be relegated to the scrap heap. Or, memory hole, if you prefer. There will be no stone unturned in their quest. Books, monuments, art, photographs, all of it will experience the touch of progressivism.
And it's not a gentle touch.
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