It certainly seems that there are large numbers of people who will believe in whatever is fashionable or on the cutting edge of societal evolution without ever stopping to consider if it has any real meaning. My mother raised me to be a gentleman, so I strive to be polite, but it truly appears that there are more weak-minded individuals than ever before. These people spend their time chasing the latest trends without thinking about what these trends signify for them or our society.
In large part, they think these “flavor of the week” trends have significance because someone or some group they admire told them so. This phenomenon seems especially prevalent among those I describe as "progressives." Each week brings a new word, a new connotation, a new characteristic, a new crisis, or something new to love or hate, not because of inherent value, but simply because it's trendy or cool.
Let's not even start on "personal pronouns" because they don't exist.
Today, discovering meaning through our shared language is as difficult as catching a greased pig at the Union County Fair in my hometown of New Albany, Mississippi.
I believe the philosophy and practice of deconstructionism are at the heart of the problem. To be clear, I detest Jacques Derrida and his brand of deconstructionism. Originally, deconstructionism was intended to better understand thoughts and events by using historical context to decode language. However, it has now become a tool for linguistic gymnastics, allowing people to intentionally misinterpret or use misapplied context to twist words to fit any agenda, often radical ones.
This mirrors the Biblical story of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11, where a unified language led to an attempt to rival God with a tower to Heaven. God's response was to confuse their language, scattering them and halting their project.
Consider the contemporary use of words like "racism" or "fascism." Their meanings have become so chaotic that they're often used as cheap slurs rather than terms with precise impact. Today, one doesn't need to harbor racial hatred to be labeled a "racist," nor exhibit fascist traits to be called a "fascist"; the only requirement is for someone to find you objectionable.
Language, fundamentally, is expressed thought, whether spoken or written. Since humans can't read each other's thoughts directly, language is how we share ideas and beliefs. Long before deconstructionism was named, this manipulation of language has been used to alter thought and belief, once simply called lying, which was traditionally frowned upon.
Two truths stand out: 1) If a word can mean anything, it means nothing at all, and 2) If words have no meaning, their use only fosters chaos. Similarly, if a person believes in everything, they believe in nothing, leading to chaos.
I've encountered many opinions blaming everything from hurricanes to wildfires on conspiracies like weather control or directed energy weapons by China or a global cabal. However, the real cause of our current chaos is our belief that such things are benign and as a result, we failed to stand up against ridiculous and irrational people, ideologies, and leaders and call them out.
Our enemies might well be following the wisdom of figures like Woodrow Wilson or Napoleon Bonaparte: "Never murder a man who is committing suicide."
Which figure was it in Alice in Wonderful who said “A word means what it means when I want it to, at that time and only at that time?”
I looked at the New Albany, MS, homepage. It looks very nice, except for the heat, which my head couldn't take. I saw they established the New Albany Sustainability Advisory whose stated Vision and Mission statements are as follows:
"The Vision of the New Albany Sustainability Advisory is to ensure a sustainable, healthy,
and prosperous community for the current and future generations.
The Mission of the New Albany Sustainability Advisory is to conserve, manage, and enhance the beauty of the community through practical planning that manages resources wisely and protects historical values while supporting the ecological, economic, and social needs of the community. "
Who decides what "supporting the ecological, economic, and social needs of the community"? I'm not surprised even a small town in MS has established this type of "Advisory." I'm pretty sure 99% of villages, towns and cities have them already. The village I where I live in WI of less than 4,000 citizens is well on its way to establishing this type of entity.
Your Substack needs to be required reading for the people on the "Sustainability Advisory".