PrintThe end of the American Experiment?
Experiments are traditionally conducted in accord with an established framework. They begin with an introductory statement of the issue to be addressed. The goal of the experiment is then clearly defined, followed by a discussion of the methods to be employed in arriving at the stated goal, culminating in a presentation of the results of the experiment for consideration by peers and concerned parties.
The American Experiment was devised and initiated in 1776 after the Revolutionary War freed the colonies from the British monarchy. Its goal was to create a society in which the government derived its power from the consent of the governed, with liberty, justice, and opportunity for all. This was a radical concept in a world of nations controlled by emperors, kings, and dictators.
The methodology as defined in the founding documents was to create a nation governed by the people through elected representatives. Three branches of government were created to establish a balance-of-power structure designed to preclude totalitarian rule.
Life in the fledgling nation did not reflect the lofty ideals advanced in the experimental design. But its design accommodated social progress, resulting in the abolition of slavery and segregation and the institution of affirmative action. Voting rights for all were established. Civil rights were promoted and welfare programs established for the needy. There was a labor movement. Environmental stewardship was advanced. Waves of immigrants seeking opportunity and freedom created a melting pot of assimilation. The American Experiment became a model for other nations.
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Radical leftist forces have been methodically undermining the American Experiment in an attempt to replace it with their own. The grantors behind the new experiment are not visionaries, but ego-challenged elitist control freaks who seek power and retributive justice in a society of their own design.
The problem, they aver, is that the original experiment has failed. After nearly 250 years of hollow promises, we continue to suffer systemic racism, white supremacy, xenophobia, misogyny, homophobia, and economic inequality. We can do better!
In reality, they are engaged in a bloodless coup requiring a methodical deconstruction of the existing social order, attainable via recruitment of a sufficient number of malcontents to elevate its designers into their real goal of absolute political power.
Their methodology, as opposed to the transparency and clarity of purpose of the Founders, is disingenuous and Machiavellian. The DIE they advocate is more aptly expressed as follows:
Divide: Divide society into factions by defining it as an oppressor/oppressed construct. All the hardships encountered by the oppressed — "people of color," "LGBT," females, underachievers — are based in oppressive white male privilege. Silence the oppressors — hateful racists — with cancel culture.
Indoctrinate: Destabilize identity-seeking youth with anti-Americanism, apocalyptic global warming, gender dysphoria. Life should be free of the adversity, stress, and risk inherent in Darwinian capitalism. Generate a wave of insecure snowflakes who will turn to a nurturing government for security. Embrace the "Life of Julia" welfare-state projection of Barack Obama.
Exacerbate: Grow the ranks of the oppressed by creating a culture of victimization. Channel any discontent into an attack on the existing oppressive order. Assume the mantle of self-righteous moral superiority.
Statehood (blue) for D.C. and Puerto Rico; eliminate the Electoral College.
Achieve equality by stifling achievement rather than by bolstering underachievement. Substitute equity for merit. Open the border, and welfare, to unskilled illegal aliens. We see posts such as "The moral case for working less" (The Atlantic), "Yes, you can opt your kid out of homework" (Parents), "Thinking too hard really can make you tired" (Bloomberg), "The incredible shrinking future of college" (Vox).
Encourage monopolistic crony capitalism to control markets with leftist policies and to enrich the political machinery (WSJ, "When big business married big government," 3/26/23). Subsidize electric vehicle manufacturers, and provide tax credits for purchasers.
Actualization of such methodology will result in an elitist oligarchy in control of a dependent, compliant proletariat reminiscent of the system we rejected in 1776.
To date, it has resulted in social tribalization into left and right rabbit holes, red and blue states. Two thirds of Gens Y and Z support the Biden agenda. Only 36% of Millennials and 16% of Gen Z are proud to live in the US. (Morning Consult). The WSJ poll shows a precipitous decline in patriotism. Academia, the media, liberals, and corporate H.R. departments have lined up behind the elitists as sycophants in their devious justice and equity messaging. The federal bureaucracy is dominated by career leftists. The DOJ exhibits frank politicization. The Constitution and conservative Supreme Court justices are under attack.
The elitist experiment has patiently made significant inroads into the tenets of the original. It has been facilitated by passive tolerance and guilt on the right and denial on the left by liberals who choose to view radical leftist incursions as nothing more than the usual hyperbolic swinging of the political pendulum, casting alarmists as conspiracy theorists.
If liberal optimism is genuine, there is hope for the future. Moderate liberals may find it increasingly difficult to commit to the full spectrum of the radical fringe leftist agenda. If, on the other hand, it is lip service concealing occult advocacy of the elitist experiment, we are indeed on a slippery slope.
