Devouring our comrades
The thing to remember about revolutions is, they eventually devour their own. Best to stand back while the blood is flowing. Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot — modern history is full of ideologues who extol the virtues of the common man but wax ever more dictatorial and murderous. Once they start, they can’t stop, purging even allies for insufficient purity.
America’s far left wing has entered such a moment. Today it’s not the guillotine that awaits you, just a locked Twitter account and the loss of your job — all in the name of righteousness. But whose? Whose righteousness is at stake?
Andrew Cuomo, Mike Pesca, Tina Fey, Chris Harrison, J.K. Rowling, Marlon Anderson. The list grows longer every day — public figures savaged for allegedly straying from the culture’s party line, even if it was one they’d embraced.
Except for Marlon Anderson, a private, ordinary citizen who became a public figure when he was ensnared in a racial conflict. It began in October 2019 when Mr. Anderson, a high school security guard and a Black man, responded to a student’s obscene, slur-riddled verbal attack by saying, calmly, “Do not call me that word” and “Do not call me a [Nword].”
Because he repeated the teen’s slur while rebuking him, the Madison, Wis., school district fired Mr. Anderson. After a student walkout, a petition, a union grievance and even some cheerleading from pop star Cher, the district rescinded its unjust action.
The district did try to cover its rear, of course, citing a commitment to “anti-racism.” But isn’t fighting against racism and insisting on dignity for himself and from the student exactlywhat Mr. Anderson was doing?
Would his 2019 reinstatement even be possible in 2021?
Consider the case of Mike Pesca, host of “The Gist” podcast for slate.com, who was suspended indefinitely just two weeks ago for discussing with fellow journalists whether andhow a racial slur can be quoted. Not “used,” but “quoted.” Ironically, Mr. Pesca had covered the story of Mr. Anderson, the fired security guard, in 2019 and discussed with colleagues then whether the podcast should repeat the painful slur. (He recorded two versions and used the sanitized one.)
In a recent exchange with colleagues on the workplace messaging platform Slack, Mr. Pesca similarly defended the word’s appearance in appropriate contexts. Taking this position led to his suspension. (Slack, clearly, affords no slack.)
Former Slate chairman Jacob Weisberg criticized the “overreaction” and “lack of judgment … that is unfortunately spreading,” calling Mr. Pesca a “fair-minded journalist.”
Perhaps so. Mr. Pesca’s Twitter feed is quite political and uniformly left wing, though, so is it this fairmindedness that makes him suspect to those inhabiting purer ideological heights?
There are very real sins in American society that need to be addressed and repented of. This isn’t the way to do it.
In the name of justice and kindness, the revolutionaries in our midst are unjust and unkind. They are identical to the self-righteous, ultra-religious types they deplore.
Whatever our worldview, it’s easy to walk into the trap of proving our ownrighteousness by pointing out others’ failings. It’s as if we aspire to be God,or opinion columnists.
At the 245-year mark, it’s worth remembering that the American Revolution was the world’s one startling exception to revolution’s bloody tendencies. Many books have been written contemplating how and why ours was different.
In France, where revolution came a few years later, pursuit of similar ideals led to mass murder. Robespierre, who led the Reign of Terror, executing enemies and purging the revolution’s ranks, declared in 1791, “True religion consists in punishing for the happiness of all, those who disturb society.”
It wasn’t long before he faced the guillotine himself. Modern assassins use Twitter instead, seeking offenses so rapaciously that they condemn good deeds and thoughtful speech.
If we don’t remain mindful of our own shortcomings, which would inspire forgiveness and restoration, then the result is cultural tyranny, destroyed lives and outright madness. We’re there now.