The Genius of Identity Politics

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I recently wrote a column describing the concept of "Old White Men" which is a mean-spirited attempt to discredit the wisdom of our elders, who are portrayed as stumbling blocks to progress. I want to take this a step further as this is a part of what is today referred to as "Identity Politics."

The idea behind this is to differentiate various groups based on such things as race, religion, sex, and age, so they can be politically manipulated. Once segregated, the groups are stereotyped, vilified, and attacked thereby putting them on the defensive. For example, we see this in:

• Old versus young people - as mentioned, young people are taught to malign the values of their elders.
• Men versus women (feminism) - the values and character of men are portrayed as seedy and heartless.
• Whites versus all other ethnic groups - here, whites are portrayed as racists who have been in control far too long.
• Christians versus all other religions - whereas Christianity was an important part of our culture at one time, now it is portrayed as insensitive to others and an effort is underway to systematically remove it from society.

Gun owners and the NRA are portrayed as evil. In reality, they promote safety and education. Responsible gun owners, particularly those in the NRA, are not the problem. It is those who do not truly understand what guns are and are unfamiliar with how they should be used, they are the reckless ones.

Even American history is under siege as statues and monuments representing important figures from our past are being toppled. The message is clear, "America is evil." By doing so, patriots are ridiculed and condemned. It's true, our country has made a lot of mistakes along the way, after all, we are only human, but we have also done a lot of positive things to make us an economic powerhouse and the champion of freedom, which are conveniently overlooked.

From this perspective, the epitome of evil is a white, Christian, old man, who supports the Constitution, owns a gun, belongs to the NRA, and believes in hard work, responsibility, citizenship and patriotism. Such a person is falsely accused of being unfairly "privileged" as opposed to everyone else. Years ago, there was respect for such a person, but today he is condemned, and blamed for all of the problems in the country. By doing so, whatever this person's political inclinations are, others are encouraged to vote as his opposite.

The intent of identity politics is to simply divide and conquer. To do so, key words and expressions are introduced such as "old white men," "racist," "hate," "deplorable," "fascist," and "trickle down economics," all intended to solicit a Pavlovian response. This is designed to program people who can only grasp simple words and expressions as opposed to thoughtful dissertations. From a strategic perspective, this is sheer genius; diabolical, but genius. Whoever is devising such expressions is counting on the public to act like a herd of sheep, and regrettably, they are correct.

An inherent component of this is the news media who is used to plant the seeds in the public's mind, and cultivate their perspective. By making a word or phrase popular, it becomes another image to indoctrinate the masses.

Who exactly is pulling the strings on identity politics is hard to say. The Clintons? The Obamas? George Soros? Or perhaps a media mogul. Most likely it is from the Saul Alinsky playbook. One thing is for certain, it is a strategy used by liberals to combat conservatives. The use of simple slogans by the left is preferred over a debate which they cannot possibly win.

However, not all is lost, as the public grows weary of the trite stereotypes and is no longer buying it. The fact Donald Trump was elected president, and his popularity continues to grow, is indicative of this. Another sign is the unexpected popularity of ABC's new Roseanne TV show whose ratings are skyrocketing as it is the only show addressing issues opposing liberal doctrine. This was followed by Chappaquiddick, the popular movie about Sen. Ted Kennedy and his involvement in the death of aide Mary Jo Kopechne, a story liberals would like to see go away. However, these two shows are the exception as opposed to the rule in Hollywood. The fact remains, people are growing tired of political correctness and liberal spin, preferring substance as opposed to facade. This will undoubtedly all have a bearing in the 2018 mid-term elections.

Identity politics was not invented by accident, but by design. The words and slogans used are incredibly effective in shaping the attitudes of the masses. As I mentioned, it is genius, diabolical to say the least, but sheer genius nonetheless.

Keep the faith!

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Copyright © 2018 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.