Breitbart well understood culture had become completely saturated with leftism via big media, Hollywood (of course) and university campuses but, before his sudden death in 2012, he predicted a cultural swing back to conservatism (which had already started with the Tea Party movement) and with it the inevitable political swing, which has delivered Trump to the White House…twice.
Here in New Zealand, the political wrangling over Green MP Benjamin Doyle’s alarming social media posts strikes me as the ultimate example of current politics at the bottom of a cliff. Because the left still largely dominates our culture, debasing it so thoroughly, our deputy prime minister had to be the one to call for a police investigation into Doyle – a step I believe is not only highly prudent but also a matter of some urgency. However, the real question is this: how did we reach a point where a member of parliament captions social media photos of a child with crude, sexualised phrases like “Bussy Galore” as if it were merely a nothing burger?
That question points to culture. Identity politics has long been fixated on gender and sexual orientation. Those steeped in it seem unable to move beyond an obsession with anatomy. It began with the waves of feminism, especially the third, and now we find ourselves in this disturbing territory because, instead of focusing on the important realm of ideas (philosophy) that can shape a culture and influence its politics, too many people have remained mired at the level of physical identity, mistaking it for politics. Politics, in its classical sense (think Locke or Rand), isn’t just power games – it’s the practical arm of philosophy, wrestling with how we ought to live together, grounded in reason and ethics. Art and aesthetics train and shape our moral sentiments, our sense of what is noble and our moral imagination – this is deeply philosophical terrain. High culture isn’t just elitist art, classical music or big books: it’s a developed mindset that grapples with the good, the true and the beautiful, keeping politics from devolving into a dumpster at the bottom of a cliff.
If we want cleaner and more thoughtful politics – and I for one do – it is incumbent upon us all to sow seeds in richer soil for moral and intellectual growth. This is imperative for our young people who are often starving for real conversations along the lines of ethics. Art and ideas really matter. If all we consume is cynical, shallow and smutty rubbish, our politics will end up mirroring that. But, if we’re immersed in heroic stories and finer ideas that ponder on what’s real, right, good and true, we’ll start to demand more from ourselves and our leaders. It’s not about being a snob: it’s about giving people the intellectual software to reach for better politics with no cliff in sight.
Olivia is a NZ blogger, author and essayist who likes to write about history and its wide influence on our present time. This article was sourced HERE
Here in New Zealand, the political wrangling over Green MP Benjamin Doyle’s alarming social media posts strikes me as the ultimate example of current politics at the bottom of a cliff. Because the left still largely dominates our culture, debasing it so thoroughly, our deputy prime minister had to be the one to call for a police investigation into Doyle – a step I believe is not only highly prudent but also a matter of some urgency. However, the real question is this: how did we reach a point where a member of parliament captions social media photos of a child with crude, sexualised phrases like “Bussy Galore” as if it were merely a nothing burger?
That question points to culture. Identity politics has long been fixated on gender and sexual orientation. Those steeped in it seem unable to move beyond an obsession with anatomy. It began with the waves of feminism, especially the third, and now we find ourselves in this disturbing territory because, instead of focusing on the important realm of ideas (philosophy) that can shape a culture and influence its politics, too many people have remained mired at the level of physical identity, mistaking it for politics. Politics, in its classical sense (think Locke or Rand), isn’t just power games – it’s the practical arm of philosophy, wrestling with how we ought to live together, grounded in reason and ethics. Art and aesthetics train and shape our moral sentiments, our sense of what is noble and our moral imagination – this is deeply philosophical terrain. High culture isn’t just elitist art, classical music or big books: it’s a developed mindset that grapples with the good, the true and the beautiful, keeping politics from devolving into a dumpster at the bottom of a cliff.
If we want cleaner and more thoughtful politics – and I for one do – it is incumbent upon us all to sow seeds in richer soil for moral and intellectual growth. This is imperative for our young people who are often starving for real conversations along the lines of ethics. Art and ideas really matter. If all we consume is cynical, shallow and smutty rubbish, our politics will end up mirroring that. But, if we’re immersed in heroic stories and finer ideas that ponder on what’s real, right, good and true, we’ll start to demand more from ourselves and our leaders. It’s not about being a snob: it’s about giving people the intellectual software to reach for better politics with no cliff in sight.
Olivia is a NZ blogger, author and essayist who likes to write about history and its wide influence on our present time. This article was sourced HERE
2 comments:
Culture and Politics or Politics and Culture? It is a "chicken and egg" dilemma. What came first? In this case it is hard not to think that culture has been the leader of the decline. We have allowed our culture or more accurately, our cultural integrity, to decline to such a base level that the antics of those we have elected and those who were not even elected, do not draw universal condemnation! Witness blatant shoplifting/theft occurring on a daily basis. It continues because there are nil or minimal consequences. To the extent we now need facial recognition cameras in supermarkets! But where are we going to find a political leader strong enough to reset our moral compass? The actions of politicians are all strongly governed by the desire to be reelected! Change to Politics driving Culture?
Superb commentary Olivia. You have clearly explained the sad and precipitate decline of the NZ culture over the last 50 years. Unless we can somehow put our best people, not our worst, in charge of the nation the direction will continue downwards. There is some hope, and we can see glimmers across the Pacific. We should pray for their success. The alternative cannot be contemplated.
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