It is something which is almost bound to end in failure, but if you do find yourself in the position of having to engage with progressives or social justice warriors here are some tips.
1) Realise that you are at a disadvantage, you believe in truth, progressives don’t. In discussion, conservatives tend to use logic, reason and verifiable facts. Progressives use emotion, abuse, emotion, political correctness, emotion, no platforming, and if these fail they fall back on emotion. It doesn’t matter how many studies you reference or how many think tank reports you quote or what statistics you offer, you will be effectively countered by a variation of ‘What about the children, will no one think of the children’. Baby seals are much more photogenic than Canadian fishermen whose way of life is being harmed.
For the progressive, facts don’t matter. Progressives do not employ facts they employ dogma with all the fervour of fundamentalists everywhere. Greenland’s ice will shortly melt, the oceans will rise by 20 feet and inundate much of Western civilisation. Progressives know this for a certainty because Al Gore said so in 2007. That this shows no sign of happening does nothing to dampen their certainty that disaster is just around the corner unless we start putting windmills on our roofs, travelling by horse and cart and living in straw houses. Progressives, especially environmentalists, are like apocalyptic Bible students who, when the Second Coming doesn’t arrive at their appointed time, merely readjust the figures and proclaim with utter certainty that it will arrive tomorrow. Progressives are fundamentalists and fundamentalists are impervious to reason.
2) Never apologise, at least not for anything for which a progressive might wish you to apologise. Apology is bread and butter to progressives, they constantly do it and expect everyone else to follow their lead. It is not only regrettable historical events such as potato blight in Ireland or buying slaves from Africans for which progressives apologise. They will apologise for bringing education to Africa, preserving the Elgin marbles, establishing functioning government in much of the world, and making incredible scientific advances for the betterment of mankind; if there is anything positive which the West has done we can find progressives apologising for it. Apologising makes them feel virtuous and, given their attitude to traditional morality, anything that makes them feel virtuous has rarity value in itself.
Don’t join in the apology-fest. To do so is to validate their position and place you at a disadvantage. Instead counter-attack. If there are any MacDonalds out there expecting an apology for the events of 1692 (The Massacre of Glencoe) they had better lay in some sandwiches because it’s going to be a long time coming. If there was anything wrong with Glencoe it was that it was a botched job and the Campbells (upstanding fellows to a man) have been traduced by bleeding heart apologists for treason.
3) Don’t begin by surrendering; this is the tactic usually employed by Conservative Party MPs. Conservative politicians reckon that if they want to get a hearing, and a television appearance, they must reject any socially or politically conservative position and try to reach cross party consensus. They fail to realise that with progressives consensus is a one-way street and gradually the centre ground moves ever leftward.
Through politicians wishing to appear reasonable and thus enhance their career chances, we have been left with virtual abortion on demand, a NHS that is about to disintegrate, an education system slipping down the world rankings, and an army that can fit comfortably into Wembley Stadium. Social conservatives must choose their battles wisely, but once battle is engaged every fight is a last ditch stand, don’t give an inch.
4) Avoid the mainstream media like the plague, because that is what it is, a highly infectious pestilence which is usually fatal. Unless you have the quick wit and are as gallus as TCW’s Laura Perrins you are liable to be sliced and diced. On live programmes you will be the only conservative on a panel of progressives with a progressive chairman and an audience opposed to common sense. If it is a recorded programme you can be sure that an hour long interview will be edited down to 30 seconds showing how off-the-wall extremist you are.
If you feel the need to engage progressives do so using the conservative’s weapon of choice, the alternative media. Reasoned arguments can be put forward with clarity and developed without the screeching meltdown of sensitive snowflakes disrupting you. Not many progressives are open-minded enough to read or watch anything conservative, but some even read TCW and if you can cause even a couple of them to have second thoughts you will be saving the rest of us from a great deal of trouble later on.
5) Realise that if at the end of the conversation your progressive friend is not red faced with eyes popping and spluttering with rage, you have been doing something wrong. Because conservatives tend to have manners and be polite, we don’t enjoy causing distress and this is difficult for us. However, the only way to avoid causing distress to a progressive is by agreeing wholeheartedly with him, anything else results in meltdown. If you are not accused of being egregious then you are not being egregious enough. Start hard and finish harder, it’s called tough love, you are doing it for their good.
(Image: Neil Cummings)
