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Universal radicalism
Signs that things are the same everywhere: Nude Performance Artist Shocks Conservative Chile and Japanese Activists Hail Ruling on Transgender Sacking. The news reports can’t be relied upon, of course, but it appears there is no serious, sustained and effective opposition to such things anywhere. The ubiquity of cultural radicalism suggests that its sources aren’t to be found in particular local events and conditions but in universal trends that are active everywhere. One candidate is electronic communications, which deprive everything of context and history. Another is the success of technology, which carries with it an understanding of knowledge as impersonal, value-free and essentially manipulative. Any serious traditionalism must deal with such issues. Part of what’s necessary is
fundamental thought—understanding what is happening and why. Another part is finding ways to maintain distinctiveness under
conditions that integrate everything into a single universal system based on inhuman understandings and practices. It is hard to
see how distinctiveness can be maintained without explicit rejection of current moral fundamentals such as inclusiveness, and without
sacred ritual and defined faith. The universality of radicalism makes moderate conservatism absurd. One way or another, the future belongs to radicals.
Comments
Yes, it all looks very bleak. Last July, I travelled to NE Pennsylvania with relocation in mind, hoping for a more healthy and wholesome culture in which to raise my Catholic children. Some observations: 1. The culture in NE PA is indeed better in many respects. It appears to be a good 25-30 years “behind” California in cultural degeneration. 2. However, this is due merely to an unconscious inertia — and that inertia is weakening. All the signs are that the region is slipping fast. Even faster, perhaps, than California. 3.There are very few counter-revolution-minded individuals, and even fewer options for finding a community of like minded people. (The Scranton, Moscow, and Shohola groups are tiny compared to Sacramento.) Conclusion: The organized resistance is stronger in regions where decay is the most advanced. And that means a better life for one’s family. We are staying in California and embrancing our California roots. Posted by: Jeff Culbreath on June 24, 2002 2:10 AM |