The Conservative Imagination: Orthodoxy and Popular Culture

Russell Kirk spoke often of imagination, specifically the "moral imagination". It was, in his eyes, perhaps the keystone of a conservative mind. He defined "moral imagination" as,

a man’s power to perceive ethical truth, abiding law in the seeming chaos of many events. Without the moral imagination, man would live merely from day to day, or rather from moment to moment, as dogs do. It is a strange faculty—inexplicable if men are assumed to have an animal nature only—of discerning greatness, justice, and order, beyond the bars of appetite and self-interest.

Refletions on the Race Racket Part II: The Great White Privilege

I still remember the first time I heard the term "white privilege". Though I can't recall the exact topic of the conversation that brought this concept to my attention, I can certainly remember my utter incredulity that such nonsense was, as my fellow conversant insisted, a "real thing", not to mention my horror that someone who I had hitherto assumed to be intelligent and sane could believe such blatant cultural marxist bunk. 

In theory, "white privilege"' refers to the alleged inherent advantages afforded to white people by virtue of their being the dominant group in society (for the purposes of this article the society in question is the United States). A closer examination, however, reveals that these so-called privileges are not inherently tied to race, and certainly not privileges which every white person can expect to claim.

Merry Christmas, Everyone (except heathens and militant atheists, of course)

It's the most wonderful time of the year again, so I thought I would share a short piece I wrote around this time last year for Trending Central. 

Christmas time is easily one of my favourite times of year. Yes, there’s the wonderful ubiquitous smell of pine, clove, orange, and cinnamon, the beautiful sights of greenery, red ribbon, and bright lights, communities coming together for things like carolling, tree-lighting ceremonies, and nativity scenes, and of course, the food. Oh, the food.

Then there’s that feeling – paradoxically both satisfying and depressing – that comes with the realisation that for a significant number of people everything I just described is a sort of kryptonite. I’m talking about the sorts of people who feel the need to do things like this. Now, I realise one doesn’t have to be a Christian to enjoy Christmas, but one certainly does have to be an anti-Christian to go out of one’s way to ruin Christmas for those who are. Being a modern liberal must be terribly tiring, to constantly take offence at everything, to live in perpetual fear of racist witches, sexist bogeymen, and old dead white monsters under the bed.

Reflections on the Race Racket Part I: Inconvenient Truths

Michael Brown. Ferguson. Race. Racism. Cops. These words have been hovering around for the last few months like a swarm of mosquitoes, draining the life out of the country's already-pitiful ability to have a meaningful conversation with itself.

I wanted this piece to be somewhat civil, I really did. I spent the longest four and a half minutes of my life trying to come up with some vaguely even-handed, even conciliatory, way of discussing such a divisive issue. But the truth is that I am fed up. I'm fed up with The Narrative the left propagates and their twisting every single negative thing that can conceivably happen to a black person into an issue of racism.

I'm fed up with their Orwellian abuse of language, having effectively redefined the word racism in order to continue accusing others of practicing it. I'm tired of their ludicrous theories about "latent racism" and "white privilege", and I'm tired of the culture they created: a culture in which the media acts as a lynch mob, blacks who don't vote Democrat are seen by other blacks as race traitors, and countless young whites across the country are ashamed of their own heritage. Most of all I'm tired of the blood-sucking charlatans who don't give a damn about dead black kids unless their killers are white.

Reflections on Ethno-Nationalism

There is much discussion amongst those on the alternative Right about race, nationalism, and tribalism. These issues are of crucial importance in the modern world. One cannot deny the unique influence of both race and ethnicity in shaping individual cultures and societies, and the more we learn about genetics and human biodiversity the more likely it appears that race and ethnicity may even be significantly important factors in individual human behaviour. However, whilst race and ethnicity are undeniably important factors in any community, relative homogeneity being arguably imperative for social cohesion, that does not mean that individual ethnic groups are or ought to be the only valid basis for state boundaries and political power.

Organic v. Contractual Society: Libertarian Assumptions Challenged

Social contract theory is a cornerstone of libertarian or classical liberal thought. In essence, this foundation myth posits that human beings, while in the "state of nature" - a time prior to the existence of any discernible society, first contracted with one another to form a civil society for their mutual survival and protection of their "natural rights" - life, liberty, and property - and then proceeded to agree to create the foundations of the state, a government which was contracted to act as a third party judicator of disputes between members of society, administrator of justice to those found guilty of violating the society's laws, and protector of society from foreign aggressors; in essence to prevent the violation of individuals' "natural rights" from threats without and within.

This fantasy tale is certainly more palatable than the completely abstract, modern liberal notion of "human rights". It reflects the existence of natural law, and is based at least on part on certain actual rights - namely those of the English people (and, arguably, by extension the Anglosphere). This of course is the first fact that belies the abstract notion of contractual government as classical liberals perceive it. All modern ideas surrounding liberty, rights under the law, and representative government are based firmly in the English political experience.

Reflections on Gay Marriage

I am frequently asked about my opinion on "gay marriage". In truth I have none, for in truth "gay marriage" does not exist; the premises on which the debate surrounding "gay marriage" is built are entirely false.

As is often the case, one needs look no further for evidence of the left’s stupidity on the matter than the words of Hilary Clinton:

[Homosexuals] are full and equal citizens and deserve the rights of citizenship. That includes marriage. That's why I support marriage for lesbian and gay couples. I support it personally and as a matter of policy and law.

This is the primary problem with the left’s arguments for allowing ‘gay marriage’: it takes for granted that marriage is some kind of right. What's interesting is that even if it were strictly a social right, under our current legal system it is arguable that gays are not actually discriminated against, as there is no law barring them from entering a normal (i.e. real), heterosexual marriage (having to write such a ridiculous tautology is painful). But the reality is that marriage is not a right of citizenship, and we need to stop talking about it as if it were.

The Egalitarian Rage Awakened

Living in New York I’m surrounded by all sorts of liberals and leftists, so it’s hardly surprising that I’m constantly finding myself in incredibly frustrating conversations about politics.

Of all the various species of leftist that inhabit this fair city, the one most likely to leap at the opportunity to start an argument with me seems to be the Feministus Novus Eboracus. Honestly, telling the average girl in this city that I’m a conservative seems to elicit the same reaction I’d expect were I to tell them I have the clap.

I know that as soon as one of my friends or I mention my political leanings it will be followed inevitably by a chorus of shrill, harpy-like screeching about the “war on women”. What drives me up the wall about many of these “feminists” is that in the same breath with which they attack traditional Western civilisation for being patriarchal or misogynistic or whatever other ridiculous slur some leftist pseudo-intellectual was able to come up with, they will attack our modern society for its “rape culture”, seemingly oblivious to the fact that said “rape culture” is a direct result of the destruction of the traditional values they claim were so awful and oppressive in the first place.