One of the most annoyingly frustrating characteristics of the American political left (aka progressivism) is for them, failure is success. The phrase “failing up” is often used to describe this condition, often witnessed when political figures get something (everything?) wrong and still get promoted.
One might ask, “How could that be?”
One might answer, “Because they believe they are better than you in every possible way.”
That is why the progressive zealot:
Will literally say anything, no matter how crazy, counterfactual, or irrational if it advances their agenda.
Will change the language to make it more favorable to their position.
Will never acknowledge, retract, or correct any false or erroneous statement.
Will never express shame or regret for getting anything wrong.
Can rarely, if ever, clearly articulate what their beliefs or the rational or historical basis for them.
Will refuse, reject, and deny objective facts and truths because those cannot be bent to fit their need of the moment.
Will always redefine reality to fit their actions and positions.
Will never admit failure is their fault because in their world, the fault always lies in their enemies who work to prevent their success and greatness.
Is a masochist, deriving validation and pleasure from receiving pain and humiliation from those they revere. Educated white people revel when they apprised of the racism inherent in their DNA by a black speaker they paid, lodged, and fed. The more they are told how bad and disgusting they are (and America is), the more they enjoy it. The most celebrated are those who most loudly preach that America is a cesspool of racism, hate and bigotry. These are the people who are joyously celebrated by the very people they are insulting.
Is also a sadist, taking extreme pleasure in inflicting pain and humiliation on those they see as inferior, mostly the people who do not believe they are guilty of some “ism”.
Is a hypocrite, but the word “hypocrisy” has no power over them because in the pursuit of their goals, nothing is prohibited or forbidden.
Is totally and completely invested in their stance, often with a radical, fundamentalist zealotry as strong and impenetrable as that of any radical Islamist. When one believes in the absolutism of their cause, failure is not a negative – it is a badge of honor. Failure in the pursuit of noble causes is noble in and of itself.
The sum of all of this is also the reason you can never hold an honest debate a committed progressive – to them, there is NO other position other than the one they hold, even if that position lacks definition and meaning. Often, progressives incorporate some form of the Underpants Gnomes (of South Park fame) Theory of Profit in their thinking. This theory goes like this:
Phase 1: Collect Underpants
Phase 2: ???
Phase 3: Profit.
Phase 2, the middle part of the process, is always hazy and unclear because by design, no one knows the rules - the rules change to fit the need of the moment. What you can say or think and who you can say it to, or think it about, changes every minute and what was acceptable yesterday is not acceptable today. You can be right and wrong at the same time.
Orwell’s quote: “War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength” is as perfect a description of the progressive ethos as has ever been uttered.
Once you understand that for the committed progressive, the stated goal is never the real goal, the real goal is never achieving a goal, and that the struggle is more important than achieving any goal, the picture becomes a little clearer. Progressives are comfortable being stuck in a form of perpetual intellectual, ideological, and philosophical purgatory, never descending to Hell, or ascending to Heaven, never being judged as right or wrong – and contradictory to their name, never achieving progress.
If you are beginning to think something is seriously wrong with the American left, you are not wrong.
Some liken progressivism to a religion, I have done so in the past, but the last couple of decades have proven that it is not a religion, it is something more akin to a psychotic break, a loss of contact with reality characterized by hallucinations, delusions (ideas believed with great conviction despite their incoherence) and alterations in language.
Maybe our error is thinking progressivism exists in a political or ideological dimension rather than a psychological one. Perhaps we could make actual progress by taking the same steps mental health professionals use to help people with psychotic breaks, starting with removing all the sharp objects the victim might use to hurt themselves or others and then refusing to do one of the worst things that can be done – participating in their hallucinations.