Feminism (and the larger SJWism) has spread with the assistance of Conservatives who are not just clueless, but militantly clueless. If someone points out the culture war, they say lighten up Francis, or they smugly accuse them of not understanding what is really going on in the larger culture (you must not get out much!). Sure your group is infected with the disease, but mine is immune! As a result feminism and gay marriage and gender bending complete their long march through the institutions, while Conservatives stand watch to make sure no one notices or responds.
G. K. Chesterton famously wrote:
The whole modern world has divided itself into Conservatives and Progressives. The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of Conservatives is to prevent mistakes from being corrected. Even when the revolutionist might himself repent of his revolution, the traditionalist is already defending it as part of his tradition. Thus we have two great types — the advanced person who rushes us into ruin, and the retrospective person who admires the ruins. He admires them especially by moonlight, not to say moonshine. Each new blunder of the progressive or prig becomes instantly a legend of immemorial antiquity for the snob. This is called the balance, or mutual check, in our Constitution.
This is true. But there is an earlier stage Chesterton didn’t mention, the stage where the Progressives are in the process of making the mistakes, and the Conservatives are telling everyone to lighten up, nothing is happening.
Note: This started as part of a comment in reply to Derek Ramsey, but strikes me as worth posting separately as well.
