The Diminishing Marginal Returns to Modern Social Liberalism
4th November 2012
Rather than a coldly elucidated set of principles in a Benthamite fashion modern social liberalism is fundamentally a movement of justice rooted in feeling. That everyone get a fair-go, that everyone can engage in their own personal project of self-actualization. But at some point this universal principle is going to hit diminishing marginal returns. In the 19th and early 20th century progressives argued for women’s suffrage. About half of the population. In the 1960s in the USA they argued for civil rights for racial minorities, and blacks in particular. On the order of 10 percent of the population of the day in the United States. Over the past generation they have argued for civil rights for homosexuals who identify as gay or lesbian. Being generous, this is probably on the order of 5 percent of the population (I am willing to accept the proposition that the self-identified ~2 percent value may be an underestimate).
Last year the center Left publication The New Republic published a story, Transitions, which had the cover lead “America’s Next Great Civil Rights Struggle.” As a matter of numbers this is farcical on the face of it. Transgender people do face a great deal of discrimination and are the objects of hate, to the point of violence. But the reality is that they are far less than 1 percent of the population. As a matter of numbers it seems that modern social liberalism is running out of victims to uplift if it has to target such a small segment of the population.
Not that it will stop them….
November 5th, 2012 at 06:06
There are fewer causes which need liberal engagement. Good. It means they are winning.
Unlike the right, liberals don’t do a cost-benefit analysis on social issues and chuck the project when/if the cost of helping people exceeds some theoretical dollar/time amount compared to the number of people helped.
“Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”
November 5th, 2012 at 18:25
Absolutely. And as an atheistic anarchist I oppose the degenerate religion, depraved morality, oppressive government, and perverse society created by liberalism/socialism/communism (doesn’t really matter which label is used).
People who cut themselves for sexual pleasure should be objects of hate or pity.
I certainly wish the son of every Obama voter identifies with being a girl and is self-castrated or “transgendered.” I always wish the best and highest that they wish for themselves.