Amid last week's Budget business, I found some time to
do some thinking — and I thought about how important
labels are — not on food, or on fragile boxes, but on people.
I remember a time, a brief time, around 8 years ago, where
western society’s attitude towards labels was that they were
“not for people”, and that the fullness of human expression
and complexity could not be placed into neat boxes, and that
swathes of people could not be tarred with the same brush.
That lasted up until about 2016, when the one-two punch of
Brexit and the election of Donald Trump upset the ruling
progressive elite to such an extent that they changed tactics
— the message of individual empowerment and self-
determination had yielded dissatisfying results: people were
deciding to think the wrong thoughts.
And so, the powers-that-be arranged for a return to cultural
tribalism — no longer would there be the individual, varied
and unique, there would only be the labels placed on them
— based on what they supported, or chose not to support
unquestioningly and unreservedly.
Someone who had concerns about BLM? Easy, they’re just a
racist.
Someone who asked questions about uncontrolled
migration? Xenophobe.
Someone who thought that life in the womb is vulnerable
and worthy of protection? Obviously, they just hate women.
And 2016 gave us the worn-to-death, catch all phrase for
when you knew you didn’t like something and had to slap a
label on it to de-platform, discredit, cancel and silence — far-
right.
Wanting houses for your own citizens? Far-right.
Wanting Irish girls and Irish women to be safe, and to have
their identity as women respected and protected? Far-right.
Asking for robust mental health assessments by professionals
prior to subjecting children to irreversible medical
intervention? Far-right.
Wanting to protect your communities from crime? Far-right.
Supporting women in politics, not just those with the “right
ideas”? Far-right.
Not supporting gender quotas, and believing that the right
woman or man should get the job based on merit? Far-right.
Opposing the commodification, buying and selling of children
via contract? Far-right.
Allowing each man and woman to have their own national
and religious identity, and to be proud of it? Far-right.
It’s a cheap trick, it’s political and intellectual laziness, and it’s
a crying shame that this low level of discourse has infiltrated
Irish political through social media.
But at the end of the day, when you’re sitting on the far-left
and you’ve zero perspective, everything looks far-right.