Driving on the Left
1st February 2016
I love the summer because it means road trips. And road trips mean podcasts and audiobooks. And podcasts and audiobooks usually mean an hour or so of debate and discussion with whoever is unfortunate enough to be stuck in the car with me. Usually it’s over something frivolous, like how an audiobook episode of Doctor Who couldn’t possibly work because, you know, time travel. Other times it’s something more serious, and then fun time is over.
This summer I listened to some of Sam Harris’ podcast Waking Up (see the review in this issue’s Skeptacular!). Now we probably all have our differing opinions on Sam Harris and what he does for the skeptical community, but I will be the last person to disrespect his willingness to put his name and reputation (and no doubt, mental health) on the line when it comes to standing up for reason and rational thinking.
I was particularly entertained with the episode “On the Maintenance of Civilisation” where he interviews the journalist Douglas Murray. While some of the conversation is rather vitriolic, as is Murray’s way, a lot of the vitriol is aimed at a surprising group: the left.
Putting aside everyone’s political leanings, I think we all can agree that a world which has Donald Trump as the American president is a world where something has gone seriously wrong. I can think of other Donalds that I’d much rather have as the president of pretty much the western world: Donald Duck. Ronald McDonald. Old MacDonald had a farm.
But the conversation between Harris and Murray brings up something interesting and worth considering: is the left failing us in today’s society?
Throughout history, the left has to some extent been defined by the right: revolutions arose from monarchies, and movements from established traditions. The left gave us civil rights, women’s rights, animal rights, democracy – ideals that pushed back against the status quo. But now, the argument goes, with racists and bigots in short supply, the left have become confused. In searching for them, they’ve become desperate; now anyone who dares criticise a foreign action is a bigot. The ‘other’ is always right simply for not being Western.
And so, we live in a world in which the US Democrats can’t bring themselves to explicitly name the cause of the terrorism - Jihadism caused by Islamism - for fear of being branded bigoted or Islamophobic.
We have feminists who rightly get fired up and indignant over unfair work environments, but cannot bring themselves to oppose the burqa.
We have reached the point where the left is so afraid of stepping on a societal groups’ toes, of being seen as discriminatory or intolerant, that they become apologists for truly medieval, misogynistic, murderous regimes.
Which leads us to Donald Trump For President actually being a possibility. Why have the republicans become the ones with moral perspicuity here? Why have liberals decided to place religious freedom above other freedoms? Is the left failing us here?
What do you all think? Do you agree or disagree with Harris and Murray? Please consider writing in to let us know. Which side of the road do you drive on?
