Burned Out and Taking a Break from Blogging

I’m burned out and will take a break from blogging. Don’t expect to hear much from me before September. Basically, I’m up against total irrationality, and I think it’s worthless to engage in rational argument. For example, consider this simple argument:

1. Conservative Christians are bad people (according to leftists, who think they are sexist, homophobic, etc.).

2. Conservative Muslims are worse than Christians (in terms of what they do to women, homosexuals, and secularists).

3. Therefore, conservative Muslims are bad people.

Liberals and leftists cannot bring themselves to accept this conclusion. I have been told, for example, that not all Muslims are conservative. But then I’m not talking about anything other than conservative Muslims here. So, why bring this up? Moreover, no liberal or leftist goes further and says what they plan to do about conservative Muslims to keep them in check. In fact, liberals and leftists generally support them over the liberal Muslims (as liberal Muslims themselves have complained here and here).

Here’s another point. Consider that if a conservative Christian husband gets angry at his wife because she is turning liberal and he subsequently kills her, he will be vehemently condemned by every liberal and leftist, but if a Muslim male gets angry at his wife or daughter or sister or cousin because she is turning liberal and subsequently kills her, we all know that no condemnations will be forthcoming.

Take a look at this essay for some insight into what is going on. The author divides people into traditionalists, modernists, and postmodernists. Traditionalists want to return to a past era that was better, modernists are ordinary centrists or liberals who want the West to keep progressing, while postmodernists want to destroy the West. Here’s how the latter two differ on Islam:

While modernists perceive an influx of Islam, and particularly conservative strains of Islam, in the form of unbridled mass migration, to pose a threat to Western culture due to its authoritarian, sexist and homophobic views, postmodernists consider a discourse about Islam from a Western perspective to reinforce historical power dynamics; therefore, Islam is off limits and may not be criticized by Westerners.

In other words, it is racist to present the argument I presented above or to mention honor killings. (As an aside, let me note that, as I've been saying, the postmodernists really deserve to be called the pre-Islamists.)

Anyway, the left is behaving irrationally. Just take a look at the nonsense about cultural appropriation to see what I mean. Even liberals and leftists complain about this, yet a movement to ban cultural appropriation keeps chugging along. Also, take a look at what is called Trump derangement syndrome. The obvious course of action after the latest election was, after realizing that lots of people who voted for Trump were unhappy with the economy (see here, for example), to see what they could do to get them to vote Democrat in the next election, but no, they decided that all Trump supporters were horrible racists whom they must, if necessary, physically attack (which, as Glenn Reynolds has often noted, is a way to get more Trump). Finally, as I pointed out here, liberals and leftists these days seem to have a “social aspiration for suicide.”

These people are so irrational that we should expect them to convert to conservative Islam at any time. They might do it if they thought it would annoy Donald Trump, for example. Whatever the case, they will do so simply because a few of them do it and the rest will be convinced by their example. (These people are much more fad-driven than they’d like to admit, and if one of them explains that they feel so guilty for Western imperialism that they decided the best thing to do would be to convert, then all of them will.) I used to think that they would be in for a horrible surprise if Muslims actually took over, but I am no longer so sure. People who can claim that Muslims are the real feminists (see here) – which is sort of like saying that South Africa under apartheid knew how to treat blacks – can be expected to accept anything. The big problem is that they will then demand that all the rest of us convert, too.

So, I’m taking a break. I seem to be saying the same thing again and again, to no effect. When I come back, I hope to have a new approach to dealing with this problem.

Comments

[Charles N. Steele]

Unfortunately, you have pegged the left correctly. I've been debating a "progressive" friend who is convinced that Republicans and conservatives are harboring too many extremists (Ann Coulter, Milo Y., and even researchers like Charles Murray and Heather McDonald) so *of course* leftists are driven to lamentable but understandable are responsible for violence at Berkeley, Middlebury, etc.

At the same time, my friend defends sharia b/c there are "so many" schools of thought that aren't illiberal (he can't name one) and the Muslim Brotherhood (sure there are a few radicals, but many "wings" of the MB do good works,it's just a charitable organization), and why *shouldn't* feminists don hijabs in solidarity. Many of them will convert, if push comes to shove. Hitler said his most reliable source of party recruits was the communist party. It's a phenomenon Eric Hoffer identified as the "true believer."

I find your blog a very good source of arguments and I pass them on, often to my students, so you shouldn't feel as if you are completely wasting your time.

[John Pepple]

Thanks for your input! Though I still need a break. I've heard that statement from Hitler before, and it's just amazing. I wouldn't have believed it in my leftist period.

Does your friend know about how back in 1979 the left in Iran was destroyed by Muslims?

[Charles N. Steele]

He should already know, but I will try that one on him. But anyone who finds the Republican Party to be scarier than the Muslim Brotherhood will be a tough nut to crack. I sometimes wonder how serious he is when he says these things.

Right now my approach is not to argue, but to get him to explain his position as carefully and deeply as possible. IMO, whenever people keep making obviously irrational arguments there's something else going on; arguing further is a dead end and I'm interested in finding out what what *really* is going on.

BTW, I'm reading Sayyid Qtub's "Milestones." At least *he's* not confused about what Islamists have in store for the rest of the world!

Blog occasionally so we at least know you're alive ad kicking.

[John Pepple]

Yes, I'm sure I won't be able to stop blogging completely. In particular, there is a family reunion in early August, and many liberals will be there. It will be a chance to, as you say, allow them to explain their position. So, we shall see.

[Maya M]

I always enjoy your writing. They help me clarify my own thoughts.

[John Pepple]

Thanks so much. And I enjoy your comments.

[Ben338]

I understand your frustration. I do enjoy your blog, however, and I hope you decide to get back into blogging.

[J. Reed Anderson]

Waiting, John... Waiting...

[John Pepple]

I will probably post something in the next few days.