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The idea that words, which represent concepts about the real world, can be subjectively and variably interpreted is not only false, but exceedingly dangerous. It is a root cause of much of the strife in the world today.
Nowhere can this be seen more clearly than in the world of politics, where the very term “identity politics” has come to mean a concealment or misrepresentation of identity.
Among the words most misunderstood in the political lexicon are those used most often: left, right, conservative, liberal, communism, fascism, capitalism, socialism – to name but a few.
Having never clearly defined these words since they were first used, there has been a massive failure in the ability to identify political ideologies – and their consequences when put into action. The political identity crisis has now been expanded into all fields of human discourse, including sexuality, where it has now become politically acceptable to deny one’s sexual identity and to declare it to be something that it is not.
Words improperly used and applied lead to a disconnect from reality and can fuel everything from political conflict, to mental disorders, to social dysfunction.
This in no way speaks to the various “gender identities” that a small number of individuals may declare themselves to be. The issue here is our politicians, who appear not only willing, but eager, to promote and legislate the flight from reality that has nothing to do with “gender identity.”
In politics, this flight from reality emanates from the LEFT side of the political spectrum, whose adherents operate on a philosophical concept called the “primacy of consciousness.”
As philosopher-novelist Ayn Rand explains:
“The primacy of existence (of reality) is the axiom that existence exists, i.e., that the universe exists independent of consciousness (of any consciousness), that things are what they are, that they possess a specific nature, an IDENTITY. The epistemological corollary is the axiom that consciousness is the faculty of perceiving that which exists – and that man gains knowledge of reality by looking outward.
“The rejection of these axioms represents a reversal: the primacy of consciousness – the notion that the universe has no independent existence, that it is the product of a consciousness (either human or divine or both). The epistemological corollary is the notion that man gains knowledge of reality by looking inward (either at his own consciousness or at the revelations it receives from another, superior consciousness).
“The source of this reversal is the inability or unwillingness fully to grasp the difference between one’s inner state and the outer world, i.e., between the perceiver and the perceived. This crucial distinction is not given to man automatically; it has to be learned.”
If there’s a lesson here, it is that being right requires learning what is right.
Properly defined, the RIGHT side of the political spectrum (not the right-WING), operates on the philosophical premise of the “primacy of existence.”
Most people of goodwill would think it a simple matter just to get people to agree to certain definitions, and then allow the various perspectives on issues to be debated in an environment of mutually-understood terms and meanings – irrespective of the differences in opinion.
Unfortunately, the REALITY is that the LEFT wants no part of such a process. Leftists want to flood the world with false concepts – concepts that either have no connection to reality or to the context in which those concepts objectively apply.
That leaves those on the right side of a given debate/conflict charged with the responsibility of never allowing the forced political identity crisis to overwhelm them. Because if that happens, there will be no one left to do what is Just Right – and the world will continue to drift leftward.
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