From wikipedia

Cognitive dissonance – In the field of psychology, cognitive dissonance is the mental discomfort (psychological stress) experienced by a person who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values. This discomfort is triggered by a situation in which a person’s belief clashes with new evidence perceived by the person. When confronted with facts that contradict beliefs, ideals, and values, people will try to find a way to resolve the contradiction to reduce their discomfort.

Someone stuck these signs up all around the town of Winchester in the US. The signs read “Islam is RIGHT About Women”

I’m sorry but this made me laugh. I am a bad person. What’s amusing isn’t the words themselves it’s the reaction. Folks are literally flipping out. Triggered if you will. Everyone is terribly upset, outraged, and offended but nobody, not one can enunciate why. 

Resident Anita Davison was confused and upset. 

“It’s either about women, it’s either about Islam, it’s about both, I’m not really sure what point they were trying to make — either way it was just, it was terrible,” 

“It was just upsetting, I just didn’t like it, it just wasn’t necessary to be up and out in the streets,”

Nobody asked the obvious question.

What’s upsetting about it? Asking the question forces one to confront the two conflicting beliefs.

It’s the ultimate cognitive dissonance trap. If you object and disagree with the statement you’re clearly an Islamophobe. Can’t have that. So perhaps you should agree. But then there’s that head-chopping, rape-isn’t-a-crime, women-can’t-go-out-in-public-without-a-male thing and that’s clearly sexist, and thus hard to agree with…even if you are vegan, ride a bicycle, and pray at the Church of woke. 

Oh dear what a conundrum. How to respond?

Consider for a minute if we had the phrase Islam is WRONG about woman. That too would cause the same cognitive dissonance. I suspect the latter wasn’t used as it would lean on the side of “speaking ill of the prophet.” Remember the Charlie Hebdo cartoons? Yeah well the repercussions as we saw could well be horrendous. Given the potential reaction, my guess is the author of these pamphlets chose (wisely I would say) to err on the side of being interpreted as being sexist rather than Islamophobic. 

Why is it that this sort of thing was not a problem a few decades ago and yet today it has folks up in arms?

Let’s provide some historical context.

Famed historian Arnold Toynbee, who studied and then wrote about the rise and fall of 28 civilizations made the observation that Great civilizations aren’t murdered. They commit suicide.

The Roman Empire, which collapsed was the victim of many things. Overexpansion, corruption, an increase in taxes, degradation of their money via inflation all certainly feature, but as a people they lost their values, and when they were sacked by the Visigoths in 410 and then the Vandals in 455 there were few ethnic Romans left in the armed forces. And defending someone else’s empire never brings about the most vigor in folks. Romans themselves no longer believed in being Roman. 

The collapse was rapid. Consider that in 390 the Roman Empire covered 4.4 million sq km and just five years later the empire covered less than half of that, at 2 million sq km. By 476 the empire’s reach was over. In the end the Romans devoured themselves. They weren’t conquered by anyone but rather destroyed from within.

Fast forward to today and Western Civilization today is under assault. Who’s going to defend it and who’s going to destroy it?

The Largest Adult Cohort in the US

Say what you will about the Millennials, what with their “avocado toast” and “participation trophies” they’re about to become the largest adult cohort in the US. And this means that politics, business and the economy WILL be driven by this group.

They’ve had an unusual upbringing, mollycoddled to believe they’re “special”, while being severely deprived of real responsibilities, and thanks to central bank policies priced out of a lifestyle previous generations enjoyed, while being saddled with enormous student debt, which would be less of a problem if it weren’t for the fact this group has increasingly bought into the idea that degrees in humanities and gender studies has any productive economic value (they don’t). 

So here we are and the results are coming in. Over half of millennials in the US, when surveyed said they would prefer to live in a socialist or communist country than a capitalist one. Yes really. 

Both communism and socialism require destroying capitalism. They’re antithetical, and by George they’re certainly bringing a sledgehammer to this from every angle. 

We’re seeing the symbols of western democracy and western civilization coming under attack. The most visible target is the straight white male and anything associated. History shows us it’s always the symbols that come under attack first. Then they go after the people.

Just this week Portland, which as far as I can tell seems to be hell bent on being the Woke capital of the world has banned urinals. Yup really. 

“we will continue to have gender-specific (male and female) multi-stall restrooms that are readily available to any employee that prefers to use one. But there will be no urinals in any restroom in the building.”

The city is also designing men’s restrooms to be gender-neutral, which makes perfect sense doesn’t it. I mean what if you’re a woman that identifies as a man and you step into the males toilets (presumably as you would) peeing into a urinal presents a unique set of challenges. It’s certainly not “inclusive” of men with vaginas. Come to think of it perhaps they should ban tampon bins in female toilets. That’s totally inconsiderate to females with penises. Why then is that not being implemented? Because that’s not a symbol of western civilization, while urinals are.

On a lighter note I’ve thought about this a lot (at least a minute) and fortunately I have a solution to this urinal problem. When in doubt folks can identify as a potted plant. That way they can just pee in the bushes and nobody can call them out for indecent exposure because that in itself would be sexist…definitely sexist.

What else represents western civilization? Why education and math of course. No surprise then that this is coming under attack from the social justice warriors. Last month, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, one Mary Reid got her knickers in a knot. Why? 

It turns out all new teachers are required to not be completely dim, and so before being admitted to the University, they have to pass a basic math test. Mary…bless her, finds this upsetting since this is leading to “fewer visible minorities entering the profession.”

Silly me..here I was thinking that the purpose of schooling was to, well, you know…school. How wrong I was. In this brave new world it’s actually designed to “include visible minorities”.

A Lesson in History

You may think all of this trivial nonsense and ideally I’d love to agree with you…trust me. But the evidence that history provides us is worrisome. The perpetual and relentless acceptance of dangerous, destructive ideas is how the Nazis took over Germany, it’s how Stalin and the Soviets took over and controlled Russia and it’s how Mao’s China were all birthed. 

I’ve been asked the question before. Does Asia take over from the mighty west and if so how?

You’re watching it in real time folks.

-Chris