Who are 'My People'?
Many who are motivated by one political issue make it a habit to ally with people who agree with them on said issue, but ignore those people’s belief systems beyond that sphere. The anti-Empire, anti-war journalist Caitlin Johnstone is a perfect example. Because she agrees with them on one subject, many are willing to give her a pass on her defense of Marxism and the moving forward of radical Left-wing agendas:
Notice her device in the first Tweet. She compares the documented Trans Agenda to nuclear war, relegating it to the category of meaningless in the face of annihilation. Unfortunately, this kind of technique is eaten up by those who struggle with nuanced thought. In the second screenshot, she uses the approach of calling out anyone who embraces “anti-wokeness” as a Republican, a sheep and an NPC. “You don’t want to be viewed as a Republican, sheep or an NPC, do you comrade?”
Recently, many people have come together from diverse cultures and belief systems to fight the COVID regime. However, that in no way means that when you look to the future, one in which you are seeking to build community that is intended to resist the anti-human regime in power, that the ones you fought side-by-side with against COVID tyranny are the same people you want to rely upon for the road ahead. Sure, some may be fellow travelers, but the fight ahead is too important to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Caitlin Johnstones of the world.
It would be simple to spout the cliches about “who you choose as your friends and acquaintances reflects upon you,” but what I’m trying to communicate goes far beyond that. If you are one of those people looking to build what should properly be termed a “high-trust” community, you and your allies must agree on values that are timeless. My good friend Rachel Tobias - who has appeared on my podcast - shared her views via text on what a “high-trust” community’s values should concentrate on. She has allowed me to share those with you:
…[I]f you have a community that doesn’t value doing things that continue civilization it shockingly won’t last…
Things that continue civilization are: marriage, children, education, in-group preference, borders, etc.
This is why it’s good to raise children with hetero-normative values.
Because to want to continue human civilization is a core tenant showing humans can be good.
If the idea is humans are always bad, you land on Malthusian values.
It is alarming how many people will read her words and at once judge her to be a bigot or having an “Authoritarian Personality.” What she is describing was considered normal not too long ago. What happened? That’s a question for another day.
The message is simple; if you wish to go beyond the piecemeal, “band-aid” technique of protesting every crisis as it comes along and build something that can insulate you from these dilemmas before they happen, you must choose allies who share your vision of not only the world, but of the future. Allowing a “fox in the henhouse” spells disaster. You must be the badger ready to pounce upon the fox, lest everything you have built be laid waste.
Johnstone is in the same bucket as most lolbertarians... Sure they have a few zingers once in a while, but as you point out their core 'values' are in essence hot garbage packaged as utopianism. And at least the lolberts say they want limited government.
Marxism is the most vile form of thought, rooted in jealousy, playing the victim, and removing of individual agency/accountability. It is for the sheep who think they can't get ahead because the boogey man holds them down; not because they're lazy, entitled, and never put forth an honest effort at anything. They cheer for equality by means of the Handicapper General crippling and disfiguring the capable and beautiful. In the end, they just want to be told what to do as long as it requires no effort and thought from them.
Better watch out or James Lindsay will block you on twitter.