You see, here’s the problem with democracies right now. It’s called the “50%+1” election system. Which, as we all know, means that a relatively small percentage of the population controls what happens to everyone.
Historically Speaking
In Canada and the United States, a certain number of people have always voted Left, countered by a similar number that always vote Right. A smaller group in the middle, the ones who really count, have swung back and forth, varying with the winds of change.
And this is a Good Thing, because it means that when the Left has been in power for too long and starts thinking that they are Somebody Special, the Swing Vote says, “We’re getting tired of this nonsense,” and elects the Right for a while. In both countries, the Left has held the reins for a majority of years, but up until now, the Right has always come back.
And this, too, is a Good Thing; nobody gets too upset when they lose, because they know they’re going to get their kick at the can in the next round.
And Then Along Came Progress
Since the 1960s, there has been a consistent push in North American society towards social justice. First it was about skin colour, then gender, then alternate genders, most recently the transgendered. And all the while there was a creeping push for tolerance of other religions, other beliefs, other nationalities. At first, these were only the pipe dreams of the bleeding-heart Liberals. But lately the Left have been getting the 50%+1 votes needed and forcing a bunch of “progressive” laws through, demanding that we treat these different people as if they were the same as us.
And it doesn’t matter that they’re right.
Because the next persecuted minority is watching all this happen, seeing their own status erode, and becoming more and more fearful. The non-coloured, non-female, non-gay section of society looks down the road and doesn’t see a very cheerful time coming. And, surprise, surprise, a lot of their female counterparts feel the same.
Remember the CIA agent I quoted last week? “Everybody thinks he’s the good guy.”
These people believe in their way of life. They BELIEVE. As in, nothing you can say or do is going to change this. Logic? Out the window. Force? Creates more resistance. Cooperation? Weakness to be taken advantage of.
The average British yob (and his father) is only different from a Taliban by a matter of degree. Both are traditionalists who see their way of life – the one where they were the masters – disappearing, with nothing to replace it. Of course, their image of themselves as masters was pretty skewed to start with, but it doesn’t matter. They believe it. They have to.
How Do We Deal With Frightened, Angry People?
These people are the true test of the inclusive ethos of the Left. Yes, I know, we like our projects to be downtrodden, pathetic minorities who are suitably grateful for the crumbs we drop from the social feast. But now we have to deal with threating, angry people who see their seats at the table being torn from them. How do we deal with them? Not by acting like them, that’s for sure.
We should stop thinking of these people as bigoted idiots who don’t know what they’re talking about. No matter how much it seems to be true. Start looking at them as an unfortunate minority with as much a right to their beliefs as anyone else, no matter how misguided. Think of them as a declining minority, whose members see little hope for the future.
And then don’t be surprised that they follow Donald Trump. Don’t be upset when their fear and xenophobia leads them to vote for Brexit. I know it’s rather frightening when they keep insisting that the only cure for the violence in America is to buy more guns. But these people are desperate, and pushing them against the wall is going to make them worse. Everyone knows the War on Drugs has gone the way of the War on Poverty. A bunch of stupid, divisive, Right-wing policies, right? Well, what about the War on Guns? Same methods: similar results.
I think it’s time the progressive people of the world realized that in our rush to do all the “right” things we have taken on many of the unpleasant characteristics of those we have derided for so long. Perhaps we might remember that, according to our own beliefs, we have to treat everyone with due respect, not just the minorities we have been fighting for. Have a little sympathy. Where does the poorly educated white male fundamental Christian fit in North American society? More important, where will he fit twenty or fifty years from now? One of the criteria that the UN uses for designating poverty in the world is the person’s possibility of hope for the future. Apply this at home.
The Result?
The harder you push people, the more they regress into more and more irrational behaviour. As Britain found out this week. As the Republican Party is finding out in the States. These people aren’t just “tired of the political and economic elite.” It takes at least 40% of the electorate to form a government and pass the laws that are destroying their way of life.
Back to the Male Bastions
Once again in Canadian news this week is the poisonously sexist atmosphere in many Fire Departments. How can this be? Well, Duh! You have a group of men whose main joy in their job is how big and strong and macho they are. And what do the do-gooders do? They start pushing women into the same job. What does that do to a man’s self-concept, if a mere woman can cope with his proudest accomplishments? And who is he likely to take it out on? Sure, it would be nice to have a world where the lion lies down with the lamb. We’re still taking volunteers for the lamb’s role, which up until now has been mainly sacrificial.
And this has little to do with what’s right, proper, or moral. It’s simple human nature. The larger half (50%+1) of society is ready for change, but some sections are not. These people are threatened, frightened, and despondent. Expect them to react in irrational ways. We can’t change them, but we can outlast them. They are on the way out. The new winners can afford to be gracious, and it will make the transition easier for all of us.
Otherwise, one day (as happened this week in Britain) we will look back from our big, bold bandwagon to see that the tail 49% of the parade has taken a sharp Right turn and is roaming off in all directions, smashing shop windows and beating up visible minorities. And we will check that the doors to the wagon are safely locked and shake our heads and say, “What’s wrong with them?”
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