Opinion: Left's response to war in Gaza “opened the eyes of ... traditional liberals”
Rene Magritte: The False Mirror, 1928. Image by Gandalf’s Gallery on Flickr
Columnist Doug McIntyre isn't alone in positing that DEI's oppressor/oppressed labels cultivate racial, ethnic, and religious division (recently sounded in threatening antisemitic rhetoric against District Attorney Jeff Rosen, a flyer that's been widely slated by Jewish leaders, a language expert, and Palo Alto CM). Since October 7, McIntyre discusses in L.A. Daily News, locals on the Left have been forced to address the—hitherto neglected—radicals in their party.
Something much more ominous [than foreign propaganda] has taken place, a morally corrupt zeitgeist has taken hold converting right and wrong from objective concepts to personal opinions, mostly rooted in historical wounds, both real and perceived. This world view brands the rich and privileged as oppressors (always) and therefore blames the First World (mostly us) for all the world’s ills. This new moral construct has infected the culture across all demographic and political categories, with left and right vying for the title most oppressed, while defining themselves as the underdog. The right bemoans “The war on Christmas,” the left wants to cancel anyone who suggests men can’t give birth.
While the Trump-era normalized hate in politics, climaxing (at least for now) in the Jan. 6 insurrection, what flew under the radar is the radicalization of the left.
The Oct. 7 Hamas attack has opened the eyes of many who still identify as traditional liberals. They are now confronting radicals in their own coalition, including militant anti-Semites and America-haters who support the destruction of Israel and believe America is an agent for evil in the world.
The left has instituted behavior codes under the rubric of DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) that frequently make a mockery of intellectual curiosity, the free exchange of ideas, and simple facts. …
It’s hard to tell how many of the young people chanting “From the river to the sea” actually want Israel wiped off the map, or just want to be seen as standing with the oppressed. But those who chant slogans promoting genocide need to remember the year 1939 when 20,000 Americans filled Madison Square Garden to pledge allegiance to Adolph Hitler under the pretense of supporting America. The turbulence roiling the world today represents a similar moral litmus test. All of us will be judged accordingly.
This article originally appeared in the Los Angeles Daily News. Read the whole thing here.
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