The War on Reason-Part 1

In a recent email I used the term, "war on Woke stupidity". One reader asked me what I meant by that and while I thought that was fairly obvious from prior posts on the topic I responded to his fair and straight-forward question. My reply appears below with some additional material added having had more time to ponder my original response. Grateful for the opportunity to provide a little background history.

My Response Begins....

"I don't think we've met yet so I apologize if you're already familiar with what I'm about to share, but since you asked, the phrase in question requires some context. Bear with me for a few minutes and I'll circle back and address your question directly towards the end. But first, how we got here is important...

Governed by Church and State

Prior to 1400, Europe lived under a largely feudal system governed by an alliance between the State (usually a King) and the Church. Without diving too deeply into that era, the population was kept poor, illiterate, and books were mostly taboo, especially the Bible. The agrarian life you led was largely hand-to-mouth from cradle to grave. Blind faith and mysticism ruled the day and it wasn't a fun time for common folk to be alive.

Not a great opportunity in human history for social or technical advancement, either, when you spend 100% of your day worrying about where your next meal is coming from. But eventually people get fed up with that kind of treatment, get organized and things change.

Transition to Modernism and Individualism

Tyrants and politicians hate Individualism. All those peasants actually thinking for themselves means nothing but trouble! But you can't keep them down on the farm forever especially when the number of "useless eaters" with pitchforks outnumbers your royal army.

Over a period of several hundred years (1400-1750+-) and at great cost to themselves the major thinkers of the day (Copernicus, Newton, Luther and dozens more) led a new movement of thought eventually called The Age of Enlightenment. Today we call that period, "Modernism".

That thought process has produced a) Reason, b) Individualism c) Freedom of Thought/Speech, and from that d) the resulting categories of industry that make up Western Society's existence. Modernism has produced everything you and I enjoy today from the food you eat to the clothes you wear to the transportation choices from which you pick. It provides fertile ground for medical advances and the tech toys we all take for granted....all of it.

It became the incubator for Reason and from reason we claim our rights to exist, think, pursue happiness and live as free individuals and all that comes with it.

The Transition From Modernism to Post-Modernism

Note: This is the fork in the road where what will come to be known as "Woke" works it's claws into an otherwise highly successful school of economic and political thought.

While Modernism has always had its detractors, (every movement does) about 270 years ago the Counter-Enlightenment attack on Reason, what would come to be known as "Post-Modernism", really picked up steam during the time of the French Revolution. Thus began a long-term attempt to undermine Modernism and its reliance on Reason.

Why?

Two primary reasons. One, the French philosopher, Rousseau, was convinced Individualism would lead to total societal ruin through worship of the self. Second, because Reason couldn't prove or disprove the existence of God and some later, very prominent (and mostly German) philosophers---Hegel, Heidegger, Marx, Nietzsche and others---felt very threatened by that. They felt a philosophical reliance on Man would shut God out of the picture so the search for something better than Reason began in earnest.

Tell "Em What They've Won, Johnny!

Over the course of the next 4-5 generations this effort produced Socialism, Communism and over 40 million dead testimonies to its' absolute failure in the laboratory of life. It was tried in numerous places over the course of 100 years by numerous tyrants in numerous countries (Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot and many others) and it all failed. All of it.

Capitalism has its problems but capitalism didn't kill 40 million people. The Post-Modernists' Communism did that.

Post-Modernism ended in political, economic, and genocidal disaster in the 20th century. By 1956 most of the hardcore Post-Modernists supporters of Socialism/Communism had admitted defeat, abandoned ship and moved on to pursue other ideologies.  But not everyone.

The Transition to Post-Modernism 2.0

A large faction of adherents refused to give up the Utopian Dream and Post-Modernism 2.0 (my phrase) began in earnest, gaining steam in the '60's (remember the campus riots? I do---made these Antifa clowns look like beginners). Unfortunately the moldering petri dish in which this way of thinking developed was our Universities where it took over, especially in the liberal arts colleges.

From there graduates ventured out into the world and over the course of the last 4-5 generations have found themselves moving into positions of authority in politics, corporate America and K-12 education.

Where did WOKE Come From?

"Woke" is not new. It's Post-Modernism 2.0 on steroids, repackaged and sold to the current generation with righteous soundbites promising the opportunity to change the world including, "equity this" and "inclusion that" and "diversity of everything". "Woke" is the current generation of socialists' name for Post-Modernism.

Most adherents of "Woke-ism" jumped on the band-wagon because something they heard sounded like a good way to change the world for the better. Most have absolutely no idea about the history of post-modernism because no one has taught them their history. Nor do they understand how the politicians and large corporations promoting it propose to go about installing the Woke worldview components in their final implementation. They blindly follow that shiny 3% snippet they subscribed to and that, is a very, very dangerous way to run a young life.

And here we are.

Modernity is Not Dead

Despite the official pronouncements from the Left, Modernity---Reason, Individualism and God, are not dead. The proponents of The American Way of Life (true Modernity) are alive and well, we're everywhere, and we're not going anywhere. We're not nearly as loud as we should be but we outnumber the Woke adherents in vast numbers, and there is much hope in that for all of us.

So What Did I Mean by "War on Woke Stupidity"?

I would love to live in a perfect world, a better world, where everyone is treated like you want to be treated.  I believe it is something that we should all aspire to every day of our lives just not the ways in which the Woke post-modernists want to bring it about. Especially not at the extreme cost measured in lives that post-modernism will again extract from us all if its' adherents continue to blindly promote the ideology.

Perhaps "woke ignorance" would have been a more appropriate phrase on my part but it still feels inadequate. It's more than just a lack of information. There's nothing rational about the ideology or the behavior of its adherents, and I think that's why it works for them. It's foundational tenets are fluid. It's much closer to a permanently irrational state of mind, an insanity, and so I have edited the original post to reflect that phrase going forward.

How is This Related to Counseling?

What we're attempting to do is paint a back-drop against which the Woke community's demands make sense. Make no mistake, they have no desire to simply co-exist with the non-Woke. Their agenda has no democratic-republic component to it. They demand you subscribe to their ideology and have no issue utilizing force if necessary to get you to comply. If we know their manifesto we can better prepare ourselves for the encounters ahead, maddening as they may be, to help the winnable re-think their positions. Some will awaken on their own eventually, some just need a little help, and some will be irretrievably lost. More on that coming, I promise.

To the Woke adherents I say, by all rational means, go save your piece of the world,....just don't force your thinking on me, don't try and legislate your ideas to force me to comply, and for Heaven's sake don't kill another 40,000,000 innocent people in the process (I know,...but no one planned the first 40 million either!). Those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it and I, for one, do not wish to be casualty #40,000,001."

We got this.