By Peter Pavarini
This Christmas, after years of unrelenting political discord, the American people are weary – wearier than they’ve been in my lifetime. I was not alive during the Great Depression or World War II, but some who were (such as my 92-year-old mother) have said today’s turmoil surpasses the troubles of those times. This has been manifested by unprecedented stress in the adult population[i] and staggering levels of mental health issues among our nation’s youth. [ii] We seem to be a country on the verge of emotional burnout.
Bigger Than COVID
Until recently, all of this could have been attributed to the COVID pandemic. But in the wake of that crisis, what lingers seems to be something bigger, more insidious than a public health emergency. As I’ve frequently said in earlier blogs, America is in the throes of a cultural war – one that has shaken the very foundations of our society and way of life.
It can’t be spun any other way. The Progressives have been winning this battle. Whether or not elections are being conducted legitimately, with the exception of Florida and most of rural America, the Left has in a few short years accumulated enough political power to have its way on almost every domestic issue. One can certainly argue that elections are no longer a true gauge of what Americans actually think and feel about issues of importance. Public opinion polls have become less reliable at predicting how people will vote no matter what they say in response to pollsters. However, the failure of a Red Wave to materialize on November 8, 2022 (despite bipartisan predictions to the contrary), demonstrates a profound misalignment of our hopes and fears and the government we elect to manage those expectations.
A Conspiracy of Sinister Forces
We the People have been so beaten down by a conspiracy of sinister forces that have manipulated American institutions to favor an incredibly small portion of the population at the expense of everyone else. In 2016, before Donald Trump unexpectedly won a term as President of the United States, political scientist and author John Marini said:
“This sweeping cultural transformation occurred almost completely outside the political process of mobilizing public opinion and political majorities. The American people themselves did not participate or consent to the wholesale undermining of their way of life, which government and the bureaucracy helped to facilitate by undermining those institutions of civil society that were dependent upon a public defense of the old morality.”[iii]
Few Americans, regardless of political persuasion, expect a sudden reversal of this cultural megatrend. The Left is obviously delighted to have achieved so much of the “fundamental transformation” promised by Barack Obama in his presidential campaign of 2008. The Right, in turn, has become resigned to fighting for small victories at the level of local school boards and hoping that a new, more youthful leader will emerge from an increasingly more diverse GOP. But neither end of the political spectrum is truly content with the status quo. Americans are starting to wonder whether today’s instability will lead to an extra-constitutional re-ordering of our governmental systems similar to what is happening elsewhere in the world.
A Divide That Won’t Be Resolved at the Ballot Box
Personally, I’ve lost any hope that the nation’s political woes will be resolved at the ballot box anytime soon. There’s no way for the electorate to “work out” their ideological differences under the weight of total cultural and intellectual degeneracy. The Rule of Law provides no buffer against the autocratic abuses of the Administrative State when the law itself is being used to persecute, rather than protect the minority.
Ben Franklin once said: “Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.” [iv] Notwithstanding Elon Musk’s daring retooling of Twitter and his exposure of how far the social media giants went to suppress free speech, the mainstream media remain a “no-go” zone for conservatives. Recent revelations of the FBI’s collusion with corporate America confirms what the Right has long suspected and negates the Left’s self-serving claims of being anti-fascist and “protecting democracy”.
Steering the Culture by Nonelectoral Means
More and more, I’ve come to believe that individuals have a better chance of steering the culture at large through nonelectoral means, such as voting with one’s wallet, carefully choosing which charities to support, raising one’s kids to be skeptics rather than conformists, widening one’s circle of influence. Throughout history, standing up to powerful elites has never been an easy or safe choice. Their hatred of anyone who challenges their authority is real and deep. They are not so much opposed to the conservative traditions of the non-elites as they are unwilling to yield their privilege to those viewed as their inferiors. The elites especially hate having their hypocrisy exposed. That’s why, in order to maintain their power, they need ill-informed, easy manipulated masses who value the illusion of security more than their God-given freedom.
When Jesus walked the earth 2,000 years ago, the scribes, Pharisees and chief priests were the elites of his day. They controlled and intimidated the masses and expected them to submit to their authority. As an outsider, Jesus represented a threat to the order the elites had established. He exposed their failures and hypocrisies and rapidly won favor with the common people. When the religious leaders couldn’t answer his arguments, they resorted to ad hominin attacks and attempted to drive him from the public forum. When their censorship failed to silence Jesus, the elites had him arrested in the middle of the night (a la FBI raid) and took him to the Romans – the corporate authority of that time. Even the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, could see this was more than a spat over the fine points of Jewish law. Nonetheless, to curry favor with the ruling class, he had Jesus executed.
The Source of Our Hope
And therein lies the “thrill of hope” which inspires and encourages Christians at Christmastime. By being born only to die an unjust death, Jesus brought to “a weary world” the freedom to be released from the bondage of sin and corruption. Even Placide Cappeau, the agnostic French writer of the carol “O Holy Night,” understood the true meaning of Christmas:
“A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Truly he taught us to love one another. His law is love and his gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.”
All over the world, our brethren are beginning to throw off the chains of totalitarian, bureaucratic bondage. Witness Giorgia Meloni’s recent election as Italy’s prime minister; the Brazilian people’s unwillingness to accept the fraudulent election of a Socialist felon as their president; the removal and jailing of Peru’s Socialist president; growing public unrest in the European Union; even the Chinese people are beginning to stand up to the autocratic regime of Xi Jinping.
As Paul said in his letter to the Romans:
“For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hopes that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.[v]
Postscript
I’ve been blogging at www.AlessandroCamp.com for nearly four years. Beginning in early 2023, there will be a noticeable change in the subject matter of my posts. Although current events will continue to influence what I write about, I am determined to focus on what initially inspired me to blog – the creative life and matters of eternal importance. Thanks for reading, and thanks especially to those who have taken the time to comment on my posts.
If you’re looking for a little humor to brighten your day, I encourage you to visit https://2DocsOnABoat.com. That will link you to the wit and wisdom of my good friends, Doctors Russ and Dave.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.
[i] More than three-quarters of adults (76%) say that the future of the country is a significant source of stress in their lives. Sixty-eight percent (68%) say the current time is the lowest point in the nation’s history they can remember. “Stress in America 2022”, American Psychological Association, October 2022.
[ii] Children’s Mental Health, Data & Statistics, 2022, www.cdc.gov.
[iii] Steven Hayward, “Thought for the Day: John Marini on Trump”, Power Line Blog, December 7, 2022.
[iv] Newman Times-Herald, “Benjamin Franklin Quotes on Liberty and Freedom”, January 28, 2021.
[v] Romans 8:19-21.
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