I have a friend that’s working as an ‘affirmative action and diversity coordinator.’ Yes she’s as liberal as the come, reads marxist writings, talks glowingly about other cultures and all they have to contribute. Looks down her nose as the United States and Christianity in general and looks forward to the multicultural world to come.
She moved from fly-over country some time ago and when she did she couldn’t wait to escape the attitudes of middle america. She thought she was going to be in a leftist paradise filled with the free flow of ideas, intellectual discussions, a vibrant culture and community and none of the “small mindedness” of middle america.
What she found, frustrated her.
Though anyone with a lick of sense should have seen it coming.
All the people she interacts with are excruciatingly polite. Their expressions bland and emotionless, their quiet deference to each other meticulously observed.
No one makes jokes, gossips or teases for fear of offending someone.
There is no heated debate, just carefully worded discussions revolving around similarly expressed viewpoints.
There are no smiles. No laughter expressed. Nor sorrow. Everyone wears a perfect mask.
She is embedded in a shame and honor culture.
The code of honor?
Political Correctness.
We have a complete loss of career for violating the code, even the slightest infraction can do irreparable damage to a person’s career, their life their potential.
It leads to the same thing as other cultures with a culture of shame and honor.
It is pure irony she finds she hates the very thing she wanted.
She misses fly-over country, where people where people laughed, and argued and disagreed.
There is no room in a utopia for any of those things.
I was going to characterize that as a product of liberal utopian imaginings, but this is not true.
All utopias would be like this. Utopias are envisioned as the final, perfect human society.
What room do they have for disagreement or argument, if the end point has been reached? In this way the perfect christian utopia, the perfect muslim utopia, the perfect society anyone dreams of is all the same.
Who would argue in paradise?
There is no room for disagreement.
If you disagree, you must be cast out.
