Are Progressives… Regressing?

The Early Days of Progressivism As We Know It Today

Progressivism has always been around as an alternative for conservatism. It wasn’t always trendy to be a progressive though. It became largely mainstream during the 1960s with the support of bands like The Beatles, counterculture, and the hippie movement.

The premise was simple: Be accepting of others and follow your heart’s desires. Be accepting of cultural differences, people, and other nations. Be kind, empathetic, and supportive. 

The whole thing made sense given the Vietnam War context, the expansion of woman’s rights, and the modernization of our culture in general.

Nowadays, acceptance is reserved only for those who can be tokenized.

Today’s version of progressivism, however, is all but accepting. It has become the mob rule which commonly leads to cancel culture, lives ruined, and even physical violence. Acceptance is reserved only for those who can be tokenized. Stray slightly away from their narrative, and, well, regardless of how many diversity points you have, the mob will still come for you.

How Long Do We Keep Making Excuses for Them?

The older generation remains loyal to the initial concept of what progressivism used to mean, but the younger generation is caught in this partisan extremist nightmare, in which it’s either Left or Right, all or nothing, Communism or Fascism. They’re in the fight of their lives to save the world from “evil conservatives,” and that’s how they justify their absolute ideological inconsistency.

Progressivism has turned violent.

The “Peace and Love” movement evolved to burning down cities, looting, canceling everything and everyone they dislike, and bringing guillotines, violence and unrest to the steps of people’s homes (even targeting their own very outspoken funders and allies). 

The “Peace and Love” movement evolved to arson, looting, and canceling everything they dislike.

They turn on each other at the drop of a hat and overall project an atmosphere of forced compliance by means of bullying, which leads outsiders to question if the current “Must not be criticized” Democratic party is just a form of modern-day cult.

They protest in places like Seattle, Portland, Minneapolis, Chicago, etc. And despite these being known Democratic strongholds, they still try to blame the guy who sits far away in the White House and joined politics a mere handful of years ago.

Progressivism now contradicts itself.

Accountability seems to be missing on that side of the political aisle, and it has become more blatant and obvious as the elections approach. The party that used to stand for woman’s rights and immigrants’ rights, now constantly attacks and mocks the First Lady who, herself, is an immigrant. They also refuse to take Biden’s sexual assault accusers seriously and rarely give them any coverage in the media. 

So much for #MeToo?

The party that is for racial equality continuously attacks black conservatives, promotes racial division, and attacks white people (or anyone who looks light-skinned regardless of their ancestry and background), by generalizing them and attempting to blame them for the mistakes of men who lived hundreds of years ago.

Worse still, they may even be trying to implement the same policies the civil rights movement fought to end decades ago. Students at NYU recently called on the school to create "black only housing." I guess segregation is okay as long as it's self imposed?

Meanwhile, they avoid discussing at all costs any instance where their beliefs blatantly contradict each other. They remain silent on the murder of homosexuals in Muslim countries worldwide, yet they push radical LGBT agendas simultaneously in America. Anyone brave enough to call out the contradiction is instantly labeled "homophobic", "Islamophobic", or both.

The party that’s for tolerance and individual choice continues to force Marxism down our throats.

The party that’s for tolerance and individual choice continues to force Marxism down our throats and tell us what we must or mustn’t accept, what we must or mustn’t be tolerant towards.

Progressivism demands blind allegiance. 

They operate through the silencing of dissenting speech, threats of doxing, violence, and other methods of censorship. The authoritarianism on the Left is out of control, when conservatives, in turn, mainly just ask to be left alone.

They demand compliance. They demand that you abide by their ever-changing rules and mindset. Their goal is that of power. Tolerance, peace, and empathy are not the tools of choice that progressives nowadays choose to use in pursuit of that goal.

They demand that you abide by their ever-changing rules and mindset.

There’s no equal measure. There’s no intention to share power and resources. They generalize white people as colonizers when in reality, most whites live at or below middle class. The Left uses Hollywood and artists to try to convince us to vote for their candidates, whom, we know, shouldn’t be anywhere near politics. The gaslighting and manipulation are over the top, and I, for one, am sick and tired of it.

The Progressive Left Failed Me As an Immigrant, Biracial Woman

As a woman — immigrant, biracial, and free-spirited — I can tell you that I know my truth. I know which side welcomed me with open arms regardless of who I was and made me feel like I had a voice. 

I know that the Left made me feel less than human by constantly bringing up my immigration and other aspects that individualized me to the point I could no longer relate to my neighbors and alienated me from my community, instead of making me feel part of a united and strong America.

Through my activism, I have met many people of color, immigrants, and other minorities who also felt disenfranchised by the Left. Who also understood that many of the cities that had poor living conditions for minorities have been under Democrat governance for decades.

The Left made me feel less than human by constantly bringing up my immigration. 

Most of all, these individuals wanted to have a voice and not feel silenced. They were strong enough to go against the mob rule and thrived in their pursuit to make themselves heard. I’m proud to have such brave friends, but, sadly, we all have stories of how our bravery cost us in our personal lives.

Freedom of thought, association, and speech aren’t mainstream anymore. I lived through Socialism back in South America and the thought of such a damaging ideology spreading in America is absolutely terrifying. 

Closing Thoughts

I may just be one voice, and I may not be able to make big enough waves, but for the sake of being able to sleep at night, I choose to identify and promote the ideology of freedom, empowerment, and personal accountability. I want to be a part of a movement that celebrates and not censors my speech.

It’s for that reason that I, Julia Song, cannot associate with the Left.