“White Flight” from schools.

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By Michael Kennedy

One thing that can be said about the mainstream media, is that concerning real issues, they are often behind the times. “White flight”, a phenomenon which has been around for centuries elsewhere in the world, for quite a few years now in Australia, finally gets a mention in the Sydney Morning Herald.

An article titled “Fears over 'white flight' from selective schools” ¹ examined the shrinking diversity in elite, selective schools. Dr Christina Ho of the University of Technology Sydney found that what is essentially racial segregation by voluntary means occurring in elite private schools (and no doubt occurring in public schools as well, though the article didn't touch this). As the article lacks further detail aside from pointing out the obvious, the article itself is not really worth further comment. What is interesting though, is the comments from the readers. If the Internet has done one good thing for news, it's to allow readers to comment thereby opening up a window to the thoughts of the public on what is being discussed currently. One can learn far more about what's happening around them, from readers comments than from journalists.

Many of the comment writers make the point that Asians study hard, have strong academic discipline, and as a result are more likely to achieve entry into elite schools by acing the exams. There is little doubt that this is true, and many of the comments go on to say this.

Commenter “Plus one anything you say” writes

I think "observer" is on the money. It doesn't take much to see how much of a stronger work and study ethic immigrants have, compared to Australian-born. The hours and hard work Asian students put in has so many rewards - awards like the Young Australians of the Year, contributing to our strong academic reputation worldwide. If "white" (fairly inflammatory work there, sub-editor) kids aren't going to work hard, they miss out.

It's questionable whether Asians add to our 'strong academic reputation'. It's questionable whether Australia has a strong academic reputation at all. What's left out, is that Asian nations don't have a strong academic reputation, as evidenced by the simple fact that people do not go to these nations to study, but come to White, Western nations to be educated. Everyone assumes that hard work in trying to succeed in exams is the only path to intellectual creativity and innovation, but the results speak otherwise.

Another commenter called “Teacher” writes this quite succinct Orwellian comment, summing up Political Correctness's desire to restrict freedom of speech. With teachers like this teaching Australians, it's no wonder academic standards are failing. “Teacher” writes...

Australia should stop asking questions about race because race questions lead to race statistics, statistics lead to racist theories and racist theories lead to divisive and offensive articles like this, and to racist policies.

Commenter “Bourkie” writes...

f they were born in Australia then they are Australian; they all have Australian accents. The racist 'White Australia' policy based on false supremacy of europeans (implying inferiority of asians and indians) has been proven wrong. These stats only prove one thing, and one thing alone - tall poppy much?

So if “inferiority” of Asians has been proven wrong, then is this commenter implying they are superior? Besides, the 'White Australia' policy was not based on simple ideas of supremacy, but rather the idea that this nation was created by and belonged to whites. Discriminatory immigration practices have much more to do with ensuring the prosperity of the people who take part in the nation, than in some notion that others are simply inferior. It is Politically Incorrect to view the “White Australia” policy as anything other than simple minded. “Teacher” says so.

Other comments are from parents, who shed light on why 'white flight' may be occurring.

Commenter “Nero” writes

Does the ethnic mix add up to a good thing? A friends child enrolled in the school and left after a year: she reported being one of two anglo Australians in her class and of being ostracised by the others - at lunch the chinese australians spoke chinese and the indian australians spoke indian and did not mix. When there were group assignments they were labelled the 'dumb' group, presumably based on ethnic grounds given she was previously a school captain of her primary school and maintained an A average. This report may not be indicative of all the classes, indeed I doubt it is, but it has certainly coloured the view of families that know this fine young woman.

Here is the problem though with anecdotal reports - they give perception and not fact.

“Blaubaer” writes

Well, contrary to the political correct comments, I have a daughter coming up to Year 9 and I would like her to go to MacRob, however, I do have reservations about sending her to a school where 93% of the school population are Indian or Chinese.

Finally “labour out” writes

What a surprise. Melbourne has already become a city of tribes in so many ways.

It is true that Asians (and Indians) in Australia, the USA and other Western nations place great emphasis on study, in achieving good results and in gaining position. This may not just be a modern phenomenon, but an indicator of a deeper cultural difference, a difference in perspective between East and West, as to what education is for, and what the goals of education are.

In Australia, the parents have power over the teachers, the parents dictate terms to the and demand results. In East Asians nations, it is the teacher who is respected, and the idea that a parent could chastise the teacher for not doing a good enough job would seem strange in an East Asian community.

Whats behind cultural differences in study habits?

A study which appeared in the “International Education Journal” ² authored by Joseph Kee-Kuok Wong looked at the differences in perception between the two cultural groups. Joseph writes...

“Kirkbride and Tang (cited in Chan, 1999) stated that Chinese students preferred didactic and teacher centred style of teaching and would show great respect for the wisdom and knowledge of their teachers. The fear of loss of face, shame and over modesty made the Western participative style of learning less acceptable to them. However, Biggs (1996, p.59) believed that “Chinese students were more active in one-to-one interaction with the teacher as well as engaging in peer discussion outside the class”. ³

He then goes on further to discuss the difference in learning styles between Chinese and Australians.

Chan (1999) believed that the style of Chinese learning was still very much influenced by Confucianism that is dominated by rote learning and the application of examples. However, Biggs and Moore (cited in Biggs, 1996, p.54) highlighted that there was a distinction between rote and repetitive learning. According to them rote learning was generally described as learning without understanding, whereas repetitive learning has the intention to understand its meaning. They believed that the influence of tradition and the demands of the assessment system had affected Confucian Heritage Culture (CHC) students’ choice of using a repetitive strategy in learning. The Western student’s learning strategies starts with exploration followed by the development of skills.

Loyalty is emphasized on Confucianism, as it was the only way a young scholar could make has way into the civil service of the ruler. During China's communist revolution, Western ideas about education were purged and textbooks and exams were controlled by the ruling party. Confucian ideals were reintroduced. In Communism, the one party dictates education standards and outcomes, and one can only ascend by meeting the requirements of the party. As it has always been part of the Chinese way of life, Communist ideals survived longer in the East than in the West where they were rejected as soon as the population was free to. In Communist China, one cannot make their own destiny through free enterprise or personal inventiveness, but must attain a position by satisfying someone else s requirements, regardless of whether those requirements provide anything valuable or not. This is a situation which may sound familiar to wage slaves here in Australia!

Joseph writes...

The Chinese authoritarian education system, which demanded conformity, might not be conducive to the development of creative and analytical thinking. Furthermore, Chan (1999) claimed that Chinese students were being assessed mainly by examination with little emphasis on solving practical problems. Smith (cited in Couchman, 1997) believed that the Taiwanese students’ learning styles stressed reproduction of written work, and factual knowledge with little or no emphasis on critical thinking. Ballard and Clanchy (cited in Kirby et al, 1996, p.142) agreed that the Asian culture and education system stressed the conservation and reproduction of knowledge whereas the Western education system tended to value a speculative and questioning approach.

The differences in approach to education, and therefore education outcomes have a deep cultural basis. Societies in which conformity, position and successfully meeting the criteria set by a hierarchy for entry to positions of prestige (in particular where such positions are highly valued) will produce a culture among its people whereby they can most successfully meet these requirements. While there may be an innate talent towards rote learning and academic discipline, which is perhaps why these traits have become culturally valued, the question raised by the initial article about 'white flight' isn't a simple matter of superiority.

International students bring with them a lot of money, and educational institutes are no doubt going to gear themselves towards making as much as they can. As Asian institutions are heavily exam based, exams being a test of how a student meets a set criteria prescribed by an authority and a test of rote learning, much of the study involved is geared towards simply passing the exam. Joseph writes, quoting experience of Asian students from their own home country.

The assessment system for Asian higher learning institution is generally more examination based. The style of teaching and learning is aimed at helping the students to pass the examination.

Two experiences from the home country in Asia....

Yes, this is what most of the students do. It is very exam based. They only look for the information that they get then can pass. It is very exam based, they only teach you to pass the exam. Probably also the students want it that way. [8]

and another

Before I came here...teacher will tell you everything and then you just read, memorize, and then go to the exam, that is all. Most of the students do not need to express our own opinion. [9]

This is quite the Western or Anglo-Saxon style, which tends towards group discussion.

Joseph writes

Asian students seldom did assignments in their home countries like here, so they are not familiar with the requirements of an assignment. They are unsure how to produce a good assignment, where to look for the relevant information, how much is enough and the format of the report. In the university here students no longer just reproduced what they had learnt.

Elite schools in Australia are quite exam based, entry is after all based upon an examination. There may even be a shift towards exam based assessment in order to appeal towards the Australian educators fastest growing market. Some of the comments in the Sydney Morning Herald article were bemoaning the decline of a broad based curriculum in these selective schools, where music and sport were being sidelined for raw, pressure cooker style tuition.

The simplistic comments that many may make, that we are simply inferior academically don't really hold any weight. There are deeper cultural differences. Being a school drop out isn't as shameful as it is in Asia. Bill Gates, Sir Alan Michael Sugar, Henry Ford, George Bernard Shaw and Vincent Van Gogh are just some examples of school drop outs who achieved success and respect. There are many, many more examples. Thomas Edison didn't even go to school. In the West, one can attain wealth, respect and success without formal eduction, by self education. It isn't necessary to be bestowed a position by meeting the criteria of an authority, which was principally how in the East, one advanced themselves.

Unfortunately here in the West, we are moving towards a mentality where authorities and a few select people in power decide the criteria, and one must meet the criteria to go anywhere or achieve recognition for success. Our education system, partly from the demands of parents, is moving more and more towards simply providing the skills a hiring manager would seek, rather than to provide a well rounded, educated and thinking member of society. More and more focus is put on children to 'compete', do better in exams and attain skills which look good in resumes. That is to say, we are heading towards the Eastern model.

The criteria that one must meet to achieve some success defines what it is that people will become skilled in. If in order to achieve success, one must do well in exams, than the end result will be to produce people who are primarily are skilled in completing exams. If in order to succeed, we create an environment where being a good self-salesperson is most important in getting a good job, then we will produce people who's primary skill is in selling themselves.

The role of education in society.

Therefore, we must ask ourselves as a nation what we want people to be, how we want them to develop and find a place in our society. Do we want people in our society to be educated, well rounded, worldly and capable of critical though? Do we want people who are narrow minded and skilled only at rote tasks? Do we want innovators or fakers? Do we want creators and innovators, or parasitic middle men? What we demand from students will be what they produce. How our socioeconomic system rewards people and what it rewards people for, will determine what our strengths and skills will eventually become. If becoming a scientist or engineer isn't rewarded well, then we will see fewer of them.

The fact of the matter is, that despite the over representation of Indian and East Asian students in Western elite schools, they still home here from abroad to study. White people do not go to the mother countries of these International students to get a good education. Most of the subjects were primarily created and developed in the West. If competitive cramming and pressure cooker style really did produce better results, then why is it that there is are many more Chinese and Indians who want to move here, rather than vice versa? Why is it that most of the technical and medical innovation still occurs in the West? There may be many Indians who work in the IT industry, but someone else had to make the industry, develop the technology and create the field of computer science in the first place. This act of creation is becoming less and less valued, as we seek more and more for our educated people to do mere rote work.

Education should be about producing people who are capable of creating a high quality of life for their society. If what we want to produce in our society is the best quality of life possible, then our education system should be geared towards producing that result. As it is, despite the eagerness of many people who want want to argue against Australian nationalism and why we need the East, the fact is that the people of the world are voting with their feet, and the 'lazy' Australians are producing a more sought after society and quality of life. There is nothing to be gained by trying to match the competitiveness that exists in other nations, in fact, we may lose overall. That is, if we are sane and value quality of life over abstract academic results. Many “anti-racists” will argue that Europe desperately needs workers from the third world, yet those from the third world have consistently failed to create a society they themselves want to live in, and Europe, despite its economic troubles is still preferred. Likewise in Australia, where according to some, are unable to function without importing the rest of the world, have managed to create a prosperous country without this supposed requirement.

Some Australians seem to understand this. The issue regarding 'white flight' in schools isn't just one of whether white people are competitive enough, or smart enough. It's one of what type of society do we want to produce.

Commenter “bleebs” writes

I believe that as a result of the so-called white flight, selective schools are increasingly forced to be too narrowly focused on knowledge instead of nurturing the many intelligences and creating a *whole* person, which is why I, for one, won't be sending my children to one, even though I can. Happiness and life satisfaction brings its own success and wealth.

“Michaelc58” writes

Whether 'pressure cooker' and 'arms race' education produces better people and is desirable and fair to those who want a balanced childhood is, of course, another question.

“Rob” writes

Sure, your kids can keep up. Simply emulate the imported practices designed, in essense, to trick the system (that is, get a normal kid into a school for exceptional kids by way of rote learning).

But do future children in this country no longer deserve the childhood you can so fondly remember simply because your political persuasion encouraged the importation of a far more competitive brand of human being?

Seems like a race to the bottom of the 'quality of life' index. Study, work, die.

There was a deep shift in Western consciousness, away from a strong, inwards looking purpose and sense of destiny and real progress towards a more modern, aimless, purposeless attitude, where things are done just for the sake of being done, and if they can be done better, then so be it. It is because of this, that people no longer see the consequences of this world view. For some who put 'anti-racism' above everything else, above even common sense, they argue that this is just xenophobia, sour grapes and laziness.

But whether it's competing with someone who is willing to work extra hours for less pay and less conditions, or someone who is willing to give up any extra-curricular study and activities that make one a well rounded citizen in order to do well in exams, it's not just a matter of not wanting to compete. It's a matter of deciding what type of society we want to create. There is no point losing your rights, your quality of life and time to engage in human relationships and hobbies, for extra productivity for no other purpose than extra productivity. There is no point becoming an intellectual robot for the purpose of just doing well in exams and getting placement positions in institutions. In both these scenarios, these conditions come about because someone is arbitrarily setting criteria, criteria which may be of profit to them, but not for the rest of us, or for society in general. We educate ourselves precisely in order to not have to toil and to constantly have to work harder for diminishing returns.

If people don't want to return to Victorian era industrial squalor, then we have to be able to understand that the austerity that is being demanded of us by plutocrats isn't a natural inevitability, but because of decisions made by those who hire and control our industries to allow this to happen. If we become a society where children have no other purpose than rote study for exams, then it will only happen because we have allowed educators to set these criteria. If we choose prosperity, elevating the human condition and betterment of the quality of life, then we have to demand from people, and teach people the qualities which bring this about. This can only come about by questioning authority, by having the intellectual courage to challenge the statements made by those who shape our society. By not accepting the premise that we have to compete in a race to the bottom, and demanding that those who choose for us to compete so they can profit, to restrain themselves for the sake of our society and the well being of the next generation.

The Western attitude towards education and work has historically paid off very well, producing without a doubt, among the most, or what was once among the most enviable societies on the planet. “White Flight” may be partly driven by feelings of alienation, partly by a lack of a desire to compete with the offspring of “Tiger Mums” and partly, and perhaps most importantly, a realization that the practices and attitudes that we are importing are from places less desirable than ours, and their adoption here may very well make our own society a less desirable, less humane place to live.

We are certainly on the way down that path, as we are being asked to give up our Western ideals, even our very own racial existence, for the benefit of a few greedy autocrats and for social experimentation of the misguided Marxist left. The self guilt and self hatred that has been pushed onto us has made us devalue the ideals which created a society the second and third world want to flock to, and made us discard them out of guilt, self punishment and undeserved feelings of inferiority. Quality of life, making life itself worth living is no longer the goal and ideal it was once, and we are adopting more and more an ideal where life is something to be 'endured', and one where the harder done by you are, the better you are.

1http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/fears-over-white-flight-from-selective-schools-20111016-1lro2.html “Fears over 'white flight' from selective schools”, Catherine Milburn

2http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=asians%20study%20confucius%20culture&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CC8QFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fehlt.flinders.edu.au%2Feducation%2Fiej%2Farticles%2Fv4n4%2Fwong%2Fpaper.pdf&ei=8COiTryTNa6ZiQefooXXBg&usg=AFQjCNEpb6mxcQKGvttCpIJ86r4NtXNYkw&cad=rja “Are the Learning Styles of Asian International

Students Culturally or Contextually Based? ”

3Chan, S. (1999) The Chinese learner-a question of style. Education and Training, 41(6/7), 294-

304.

To love your country, make it more lovable.

By Michael Kennedy

Nationalism for the people.

Nationalism is often associated with an unwavering national pride, with a love of country, of their nation and unquestionable loyalty. Strong feelings of patriotism, which would be more accurately termed strong feelings of allegiance are usually just called 'Nationalist' feelings and these are often caricatured in the media as an unwavering support of the country, regardless of facts, regardless of what the country is doing to people abroad or at home. My country right or wrong. Perhaps in the true sense of the word, someone who simply accepts as true all the time, without question or analysis, that their country or nation is supreme, superior, the leading example of civilisation could be called a bigot, but nationalism is distinct from simple minded support. After all, it is amazing how many people in the world just happen to be born in the country they believe is the best in the world. Just as its quite amazing how many people just happen to be born into the 'one true religion'.

Nationalism is world outlook. An ideology. A belief that the nation is the most logical basis to build a state or country around, as opposed to other modern ideologies which build states and countries based on the acceptance of certain premises, or simply define and build them by who holds particular documents, or who pays taxes, or who belongs to a particular religion. While modern liberalism states that a country is nothing more than an aggregate of participants, of which the background and cultural heritage of the participants is meaningless (and at the same time very meaningful in multicultural terms, an odd paradox), nationalism states that a country is defined by the very people which founded it, and that it is an organic entity.

A nationalist country is a country which defines itself by the people. Finland for example doesn't define what a Finn is, but a Finn defines what Finland is. Likewise, Japan isn't a country which makes its inhabitants Japanese, but the country Japan is founded upon the Japanese culture and ethnicity. The people define what Japan the state is. Many countries around the world exist on this premise. Ireland, Italy, Greece, Slovenia, Mongolia, Fiji, these are countries which came into existence, not as blank administrative states which just 'happened' to be then filled with people of a particular type, but as creations of a particular type of people. Modern liberalism and its Marxist Socialist big brother work hard at denying this fact, in trying to 'prove' that nation states are artificial constructs, but the fact that these nation states happen to comprise of people who are ethnically and culturally and linguistically related, and that these relations existed long before the nation state was formalised, make this theory laughably absurd. Italy may be a relatively modern creation, but the shared cultural, linguistic and ethnic heritage existed long before. Italy was created because these ties existed. The creation of Italy is not considered the construct of an abstract state, but the unification of Italian states into one nation state, the result of efforts by Italian nationalists. Yugoslavia on the other hand was a single state created from Pan-Slavic ideals, a statist idea which tried to combine various (though closely related nations) into a single state. Italy still exists, Yugoslavia does not.

So a nationalist can be thought of in a strict sense, as one who holds the belief that the nation (in the literal sense) is the most appropriate basis for building political entities on. This is in opposition to the liberal ideal where a country (a term they use interchangeable with nation, as if they are the same thing) is simply an administrative entity, a resource which could consists of any type of citizen or any combination. More importantly, a nationalist works for the betterment of their nation, for its evolution, its cultural growth, its well being, prosperity and sustainability. One cannot improve their own home if they don't admit there is room for improvement.

To a nationalist, if Australia's population was to be replaced, then it would no longer be an Australian nation. We might have a government and political entity called a country under the name of Australia, but the Australian nation would have essentially been supplanted with another one. The globalist opponents of nationalism do not recognise that there is more to being a member of a country than simply having citizenship papers or a passport or having a tax file number. For them, to even suggest otherwise makes one a racist bigot. Clearly the ideas of nationalism are incompatible with the idea that a nation of people shouldn't have a country they can call their own.

For Nationalist Alternative, we quite simply believe that there is more to being Australian that simply being a tax payer, or following the cricket team, or having a passport. We believe that Australia is defined by a particular group of people, NOT vice versa.

Nationalism vs 'blind patriotism'.

But does a nationalist have to love his or her country? Is it necessary to be a nationalist to believe that your country is the best there is, that all is good? Is it necessary to defend your governments actions against critics? Holding the belief that a state needs a deeper, more significant definition that simply being a group of people who hold ideas of 'mateship', eating meat pies and watching football, doesn't mean that one has to necessarily hold the idea that their country is the best there is, that it must be supported despite what it does. The actions of the state, of the government and even of many of its citizens are distinct from what the nation is. What the country has become is again distinct. A nationalists wants the best for their country, but will acknowledge if there is a sorry state of affairs. To criticise Australia’s involvement in the Afghanistan conflict isn't to go against the nation, but to criticise the state. To many modern conservatives, who have also adopted the 'state is the nation' formula, one must support the country regardless, but a nationalist knows that the armed forces are doing the bidding of an administration, not the nation, and realises that there is no contradiction at all in opposing what the troops are doing, but still being committed to their nation.

Likewise, a nationalist may indeed feel dismay at their country, even so far as to hate what its become. Take for example a lady who's husband has taken to alcoholism. She may still love him, may still support him, because he is her husband. But she doesn't have to love what he has become, what he is. She knows deep down that he perhaps is not the best man in the world, she knows what he's doing is wrong and damaging to both him and her. But she cannot in good conscience lash at out those who criticise him, nor lie to herself and belief that these criticisms aren't true. Inside she may be torn between sticking by the man she met and fell in love with, and the man he has become, destructive, despotic and distant.

To love your country, make it more lovable.

For people to love a country, it must be lovable. It must provide fair opportunities for those who work to create them, a space to live, breath and be and to respect the national identity. Nationalism isn't about simply stating that ones country does this, its about making ones own country like this. True nationalists don't just wave flags at cricket matches, they set about making their country one they would be proud to support and live in. They oppose those manipulate the state to the detriment of the nation. A nationalist works for his or her people, and cannot improve their nation, if they don't admit there is room for improvement.

There is little doubt that Australia has become a less likeable country, and there is little doubt that Australians still want to call this place home. Many Australians grew up seeing a generation comfortably calling this country home, being able to buy a ¼ acre block in the suburbs to call home from doing an honest job. Now they struggle to call an apartment home despite both them and their partner working. Single Australians would have a much harder time of it. Australians struggle to move to work and back home in Sydney and Melbourne, fighting traffic. The urban sprawl has laid waste to what were ones green fields, valleys and places children used to play in and enjoy nature. The night sky is disappearing from the orange glow of the city. Wages are dropping relative to the value of the dollar. People in productive jobs are watching fat cat executive ship them off overseas to line their pockets further, and the divide between the rich and the middle class grows exponentially. The politicians in power have utterly no vision, no policy and no compassion for Australians except for photo opportunities during a crisis. Suburbs which were once pleasant places to live are turning more and more into third world habitats. The very face and culture of Australia is becoming more and more alien, as the demographic make up broadens. Multicultural policies are creating suburbs where people are distant from each other, where there is no longer a community, but aggregation of people. Australians are increasingly become submerged in an environment which just doesn't feel like home. Australians are increasingly losing a place which politically and socially is home.

For one to want to work positively for their community, they must feel attachment to it, but all the trends are moving to remove any attachment. Town planning in new urban areas is purely functional and pragmatic, with the seemingly sole purpose of maximising developer profit. The new suburbs springing up on the outskirts of Melbourne are among the most culturally desolate, isolating, anti community areas in Australia.

You cannot restore a sense of love of country by winning the cricket, hosting the ashes or having a diversity day. You cannot demand patriotism, as if it were a switch that could be flicked. You must work toward building a nation that people can be proud of, that they feel attachment to. To have Australians love and support their country, you have to work at making it worthy of support.

This is the true heart of Nationalism. Building and maintaining a country which one would want to be in. It is for this reason that Nationalist Alternative seek to redress issues of unaffordable housing, silly multicultural principles, unsustainable population growth through immigration and economic injustice. We support our nation, and want the state to be worthy of the people within the nation. For us, Australia isn't defined by the government, but by the Australian people, as discussed in our manifesto. Our country is for our people, for ourselves, just as we believe that every other peoples of the planet should have a place they can call home, that they can be proud of. There is no need to say 'my country is the best in the world', but there is definitely a need to say 'my country is the best one for ME', something that ideally every human should be able to say, or at least aspire for.

Progressivism: The road to nowhere.

Part II of Nationalist Alternatives's series on Political Correctness

"Progressivism: The road to nowhere"

By Gavin James

In the first article, we looked at how Political Correctness and modern day liberalism takes on religious aspects by using concepts analogous to 'Original Sin' and 'stained bloodlines'. Much like mainstream religions, Political Correctness has asserted itself by making bald assertions and requiring people to adopt these as articles of faith.  Political Correctness, despite its name, is therefore more akin to a religion, a new age belief system, a faith, than a political ideology.

Progressivism is a political term which refers to ideologies and policies which favor reform, particularly reform of a liberal or left wing nature.  While the term progressivism doesn't necessarily refer to left wing politics, it is largely used by the ‘left’ to refer to its own ideologies, and has become synonymous with ‘leftism’, particularly in the Western World.  So much so that many liberals will simply refer to Politically Correct ideologies as 'progressive ideologies', and refer to themselves simply as 'progressives'.  In this article we will look at progressivism in Political Correctness, and how the PC establishment determines what ideals are progressive and which are regressive.

The very term 'progressive' has two distinct and obvious connotations. Firstly, by merely labeling any particular idea as 'progressive', one associates that idea with the positive, with progress, going forward, reaching a desired goal. It is usually assumed that this goal or destination is a positive one.  Progressive ideas therefore immediately appear to be ones that support society, which propel its evolution and development. Conversely, by simply labeling an idea as 'regressive', one associates that idea with the negative, with regression, going backwards and moving away from a desired goal. Regressive ideas therefore generally appear as ones that go against society, which retard its evolution and development.

Secondly, the term 'progressive' defines the goals. An ideal which may be value neutral, or morally ambiguous can be made out to be positive, that which works towards a goal. By stating that restructuring the management hierarchy of a company is a progressive step, it implies that the end goal, the new management structure, is a desirable outcome and beneficial to all involved.

Hence the proliferation and overuse of jargon such as 'going forward', 'moving forward', 'positive step' used by managers. Simply defining something as 'forward thinking' or 'progressive' makes the assumption the end goal is a positive one. The use of lexicon is far easier than actually proving the merits of the end goal, or actually having a positive outcome for other stakeholders.  Another example may be the increasing liberalization of marriage, such as the push for gay and lesbian marriage. Gay marriage is often put forward by the left as 'progressive', but the left never really prove this outcome as being the one more beneficial to society at large. They simply assume this to be so and therefore define loosening the definition of marriage as one of progress.  There was no analysis, no reason to come to this conclusion. It was simply assumed to be the case, that humanity would progress towards liberalism and this is how a society SHOULD advance.  It is worth noting, that other spheres of politics also use this idea of a single, desirable outcome which is made out to be the only possible conclusion of a developing civilization. This can be seen in how urban sprawl, economic growth and development of vacant land is seen as inextricably linked with progress of humanity.

Another example, often casually brought up is the 'inevitable' mixing of the races. It's often assumed that eventually there will be one race, and that somehow this is an inextricable part of progress. Again, there is no basis for this other than merely asserting that a particular ideology is the way forward. It also makes the rather ridiculous assumption that the 1.2+ billion Chinese and 1 billion Indians will somehow take in several hundred million immigrants of other ethnic groups and intermarry. This isn't a statement of fact, or observation, as its only the Western world which sees such demographic shifts as 'inevitable', and only the Western world which believes this to be inevitable, or even necessary. This is simply a statement which reveals political bias, and perhaps personal bias against Westerners, Whites, Anglo's or Europeans in general.

Undefined purpose: 

One central tenet of most major religions is fatalism, or perhaps more accurately, the idea of a divine plan or other plan. Fatalism is the idea that existence and humanity exists for a particular, defined purpose. Whether that purpose is becoming more Godlike or making that religion universally followed, there is a purpose which is figuratively, or literally, written by the creator. It can also be a new age belief in destiny, in bringing higher degrees of spirituality. It can be a belief that evolution has an end goal, a final purpose or destination which humanity should be working towards.

Political Correctness takes this concept and applies it in a somewhat secular context. Defined purpose becomes liberalism, and those ideals which are progressive and work towards creating the liberal, left wing utopia are portrayed as being the outcome of social and political evolution. Competing and contrary ideas are considered regressive, which serve only to pull people away from the destined goal. Being a progressive implies knowledge about the future or knowledge of the ultimate end game for human existence. Like the prophets and seers of old, progressivism is some kind of revealed knowledge which would not normally be obvious or attainable. These revelations are then disseminated as gospel truth, to be protected from inquiry and heresy. Indeed, the zeal in which Political Correctness attacks those who hold contrary notions about what social progress involves, is evidence in and of itself, the lack of solid reasoning and scientific proof behind the assertions it makes.

Embarrassing?

Embarrassment is an emotional state experienced by people who have been caught, or witnessed, performing a socially unacceptable or absurd conduct, which reveals ones weaknesses and foibles otherwise desirable that others do not know exist.  Embarrassment is also an emotion often reported by people in regard to political or social decisions that others have made. The embarrassment purportedly stems from being 'caught' belonging to a group which has acted in a socially or politically unacceptable manner. While personal embarrassment, such as being caught with ones pants down in public is an understandable and clear example; however, 'group' embarrassment is a little more complex.

A common critical argument used, by the left AND the right, but more so the left, is an expression of 'embarrassment' at the behaviour of other people in society, or their representative government or social figureheads. This is a common and often used 'argument' by the left.  Expressions of 'embarrassment' that their nation might not pursue 'progressive' policy, or move towards 'regressive' policy.  It can be embarrassment that fellow nationals have not embraced internationalism and still retain a sense of national and cultural identity. The choice to express ones dissatisfaction in terms of embarrassment is revealing. Embarrassment only exists when one is caught or witnessed, when one professes this sort of embarrassment, it is also an admission that one considers there to individuals present whose opinion will be affected. The question therefore remains. Who is witnessing? When one expresses embarrassment that their country hasn't adopted left wing ideals, who exactly is judging? Their peers? This doesn't make sense, as the person professing embarrassment clearly isn't involved, and their peers would know that.  And they would know that. Other nations? Perhaps, but considering that the Western world is largely the most 'progressive' (according to liberalism), again this makes little sense. More conservative nations (such as the rest of the world) would hardly think less. An alien civilization who is observing? Far fetched, but explains a bit more. The conscious universe? Who is this observer whose opinion has been affected is unknown, but it does reveal that there exists a sense of external consciousness, observing and judging. To feel judged, one must know the moral standard by which they are being judged. Therefore, the liberal who is embarrassed is unwittingly admitting belief in some sort of external moral framework, and someone, or something which is judging according to that framework. This ties in with the concept mentioned before of the assumed 'divine plan', or belief that existence itself has a conscious, or designed end goal. It is also further evidence that Political Correctness is indeed a religion.

Political Correctness's underlying weakness here is that assertions are made which have no basis.  Who says that left wing progressivism, or right wing progressivism is right? Where is the edict which states that we must grow economically, or continue to 'develop', or follow Marxist historical inevitability? Centuries of scientific inquiry have not revealed and planned or intended purpose, only unthinking laws. There is distinction between legitimate futures and illegitimate futures. Any future is permissible, and there is no entity outside humanity, aside from a belief in God, who has expectations as to where the human species SHOULD end up. Even Christianity as a religion is largely apolitical. Jesus did not engage in partisan politics.

“Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” - Mathew 22:21

Jesus was concerned with the next life, with God's kingdom, NOT whether one votes Green or Nationalist or Independent. Whether nations remained as separate or distinct entities, or merged was irrelevant. One was not judged on their political convictions here on earth. Political Correctness fills that void and concerns itself with these questions, and forces a specific mode of thinking. It takes an almost 'otherworldly' revelation about what is right or wrong, and concerns itself with very earthly matters.

Conclusion

Perhaps the idea that there is no 'preferred' moral system in the universe makes people uncomfortable. The only universal moral system is the one that an individual will choose. The universe is morally indifferent, regardless of what happens to us, and doesn’t protect us from a 'wrong' decision, nor does it reward us for a 'right' one. Having faith that creation exists, with the intention of people reaching a state of living completely dignified and living comfortably provides emotional security.  Being able to assert that ones political convictions are right, not just because they believe it so, but because some form of higher authority agrees, not only gives further comfort, but gives ones beliefs greater clout.

Political Correctness, while not the only political ideology which acts as if it is derived from a higher source, is one of the most prominent ones. Cold, hard analysis shows that what PC asserts, and what it demands of us is not based on accumulated knowledge, trial and error and precedent, but bald assertions and assumptions. In place of facts, faith is substituted. Where objective and open analysis should be, close minded dogmatism exists. People who take it upon themselves to promote and enforce Political Correctness rely on others to take for granted, the very basis of the source of their beliefs. They rely on people taking at face value, the moral superiority of their ideological position, or failing that, fear of being ostracized as some kind of 'heretic', a small minded bigot working against a noble cause. The “burning at the stake” of Brendon O’Connell is just one example.

The fact remains that there is no solid basis for progressives to define what 'progress' is other than personal opinion.  There is no valid argument which states which direction civilization must head towards. There are no other successful civilizations on other planets which we can observe and make inferences from, so there is no external yard stick. Liberalism claims to hold a morality which propels humanity forward, but there is no precedent for this, no evidence that this is true.

 

In fact, if anything, Liberalism and Political Correctness is demonstratively fatal towards healthy societies. A fact which is masked with oppression of any point of view, or speech or even thought which would mention this flaw.  If it could be widespread, that the basis for Political Correctness is nothing more than opinion; no more sacrilegious than a cult; has no more authority than any individuals own personal bias; would go a long way towards removing the corruptible and oppressive influence that Political Correctness has. By simply refusing to acknowledge its largely unsupported moral basis, it loses relevance. The emperor has no clothes. Nothing more needs to be done than to simply act and speak as if this so.