by John Young
At worst, ideology is an attempt to hide reality in order to achieve some nefarious objective.
We are in what could be called an “Age of Ideology” to use a phrase of Brett Stevens. By that, I mean there is a general trend for people to identify with a specific ideology, and to then restrict their view of reality to make reality conform to that ideological pattern.
If someone adopts an ideology of equality — which is the dominant ideology at the moment — then he automatically has to exclude information that could threaten that ideology, or else he has to make up increasingly tortured theories to explain deviations.
Blacks don’t do as well as whites in school. This is a fact that makes an equalist uncomfortable. So at first he blames poor nutrition, and starts a school lunch program. The differences remain, so he figures that maybe white people go to better schools, so he starts a forced bussing program. The differences remain, so he makes the school books more relevant by changing history to be more inclusive of blacks.
The differences remain. The differences remain no matter what is done … so he finally concludes it must be “systemic racism,” or “white privilege” or some other bizarre concept. And the logic for the existence of these is that the unequal outcomes are themselves the proof, because equality is taken as an irreducible primary that cannot be questioned.
So finally the equalist just gives blacks the same paper outcome — he will give them a high school diploma (if they don’t drop out) even though they can only read at a 6th grade level. But it won’t change that at 13% of the population, they consume over 1/3rd of welfare and contribute only 6% of taxes. And if you look carefully at that 6% tax contribution, it is mostly from affirmative action government jobs.
All ideologies are flawed because they are human creations that, at best, attempt to approximate reality. At worst, ideology is an attempt to hide reality in order to achieve some nefarious objective.
And the ideology of equalism in all its forms is among the very worst because of its long track record of both direct and indirect carnage. The direct carnage was obvious in the tens or hundreds of millions killed by communist governments. The indirect carnage is less quantifiable, but can be seen in the decreased opportunities available to above average kids stuck in schools dedicated to making the least capable students “equal,” low birth rates, increased rates of depression, etc etc etc.
And that is because, as my father would say “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.” Just because we ardently believe something doesn’t make it true, and hiding reality from ourselves will not change it.
In classes I have taught on philosophy I have used a thought experiment with the class.
In this thought experiment, a student is placed behind a screen and a lamp is shone on him such that he casts a shadow directly on the screen. The student is told that, if he stays perfectly still, he will soon be visited by a beautiful woman who is dying to have sex with him. And the student believes this.
Instead, about 30 seconds after the experiment starts, I pull out my .357 magnum, and using his shadow as my aiming point, I shoot him through the screen.
Which event is most likely to occur in this scenario: the student has a glorious orgasm, or the student is injured with a serious gunshot wound that will be at best life-threatening?
The answer when put in such stark terms is obvious: the student will be hurt or killed.
THIS is the difference between reality and ideology.
And THIS is what makes European Americans United different in its outlook. We didn’t start with some preconceived ideology and then cherry-pick facts to maintain an echo chamber. Because to do that is to fail.
Now, here is YOUR challenge: are you going to adhere to reality and change what you think when confronted with facts that contradict your existing beliefs? Or are you going to be the student behind the screen?
If it is the latter, the only solace I can give you is that reality is an unerring shot.