Audience Capture and the Anti-Woke Movement | TaraElla Clips

This is an excerpt from The Problem with the Anti-Woke Movement Right Now by TaraElla.

As I often say, tribalist peer pressure is the most dangerous thing in this world, and we need to be able to resist it if we are to have a healthy cultural and political discourse. However, this is often easier said than done, especially for those whose living depend on like-minded people paying to read their work. Perhaps those whose income isn't dependent on their audience in this way, like myself, need to work extra hard to counter this.

An additional problem is, your audience does not always stay the same either. What you need to remember is that, they too can be exposed to biased reporting from various media sources, and their own Overton Window could be unconsciously shifting as a result. In the world of anti-woke media, this situation is particularly of concern, given the unevenness of the playing field. Much of anti-woke media, like most other English-speaking news media, is either based in America or has heavy American involvement, and is therefore inevitably connected to certain parts of American politics. In the current American political landscape, forces aligned with the Republican Party are much more likely to want to invest in setting up anti-woke media outlets, given that wokeism actually divides the base of the Democratic Party due to demographics. It is simply a matter of political self-interest. This means the most well-funded anti-woke media outlets tend to be Republican-aligned, with Democratic-aligned anti-woke media being almost non-existent, even though there are many anti-woke Democrats out there. This situation, in and of itself, creates a strongly uneven Overton Window, where there is an overall effect of ideas and voices from the Right being treated more generously than those from the Left, in the anti-woke world.

To be the lone liberal anti-woke voice pushing back against Republican-aligned anti-wokeism requires principles and bravery, principles and bravery that unfortunately many commentators don't have. Personally speaking, I started opposing wokeism because of my commitment to the Moral Libertarian principle of Equal Moral Agency for every individual, which required me to take a strong stance against postmodern activists' challenge towards free speech norms in many parts of Western society. I guess the fact that I entered anti-wokeism on the basis of principle means that my work has been less affected by tribalist forces.

How Tribalism Defeated 2010s Classical Liberalism | TaraElla Clips

About five to seven years ago, there was a lot of energy around the idea that we should seriously explore and debate big ideas, that nothing should be taboo, and more good faith debate can only lead us closer to the truth. It really felt like a classical liberal revival was in the air, with irrational postmodernist forces being the only thing that could stand in our way.

Yet, by 2020, this energy seems to have receded, and after the 2020 US Elections, I haven't even seen a hint of this optimism anywhere in (relatively) mainstream media. Nowadays, everywhere you look, there is negativity, us-vs-them sentiments, moral panics, and more negativity. The thing is, when one embraces negativity and fear, classical liberal values no longer make that much sense. They could even be seen as showing weakness towards the enemy. The summer of optimism for big ideas has given way to a harsh and bitter winter.

So why has this happened? I think, unfortunately, the answer is that too many people have fallen for something that I consider to be the root of most of the evil in this world: something we can broadly call tribalism. Tribalism has destroyed meaning, and created fear of the unfamiliar in its place. As a result, too many people adhere to dogma that they probably know is wrong (or at least questionable) in their hearts, just to demonstrate loyalty to their tribe. For these people, nothing matters, except being part of their tribe. I think this is very dangerous. I mean, major errors have been made, minorities have been persecuted, wars have been started, and people have been killed, all because of this kind of tribalism.

What's Next for Free Speech and Classical Liberalism | TaraElla Clips

This is an excerpt from Two Perspectives: The People Don't Want Culture Wars by TaraElla.

Many people out there have been talking about a 'vibe shift' throughout this year. Even President Obama has become bolder on pushing back against extreme wokeness. I mean, cancel culture still exists and is still a problem, and woke voices will always be part of the cultural landscape absent attempts at censorship, but the ideological movement has met great resistance, and support appears to have somewhat collapsed, at least for now. With high profile 'woke' incidents becoming less and less common, the 'anti-woke' energy among classical liberals has diminished. A void has been left behind, and it has been taken up by hardline right-wing forces aligned with movements like National Conservatism, Christian Reconstructionism and Catholic Integralism.

So where do those of us who were opposed to 2010s wokeness go next? There are two options, basically. Given that the original criticisms about 'woke' cultural changes were rooted in classical liberalism, we could simply rebuild the classical liberal consensus, and move on from the 'woke vs anti-woke' disruption of the previous decade. This would prove that our intentions in pushing back against the 'woke' were noble after all, and that social justice minded people really have nothing to fear from our victory over wokeism. Or we could allow the 'anti-woke' movement, now dominated by reactionaries, to continue to drive the conversation, pushing the pendulum way to the other direction, and discrediting the original premise on which we opposed wokeism in the first place. History is actually full of these over-corrections, and allowing them to proceed is certainly not a good idea. Indeed, the 2010s 'woke' wave are sometimes thought to be due to the overreach of the Religious Right in the 1980s to 2000s. If we don't prevent over-correction towards the reactionary side, there will certainly be another, perhaps even bigger, 'woke' wave in the not too distant future.

Creating Space for a Liberal Conservatism | TaraElla Clips

This is an excerpt from an article by TaraElla.

To include liberal conservatives in the liberal discourse doesn't mean that progressives need to give up their values, beliefs and policy goals. It merely requires that conservative ideas and voices be given an equal hearing, as long as they are within the classical liberal consensus. It would also require progressive liberals to be aware of, and consciously reject, some ideas that have their roots in postmodernism and critical theory. These include Michel Foucault's idea that speech and discourse are exercises of power, and Herbert Marcuse's idea that indiscriminate tolerance is repressive, expressed in the famous Repressive Tolerance essay. These ideas were gradually mainstreamed by radical activists in the past 50 years, and they have caused a crisis of confidence in old-school liberal values like free speech and freedom of conscience, as well as a distortion in how liberalism is practiced more generally. These ideas need to be consciously rejected once and for all, by those who are truly committed to liberalism.

Within the framework of classical liberal norms, there is still much unique ground a liberal conservatism can cover. Liberalism must remain committed to values like individual liberty, free speech, equality before the law, and civil rights guarantees for everyone, including minorities. These principles must not be compromised, and we must take a firm stance against the illiberal positions of culture war reactionaries. On the other hand, there is still plenty of room for a conservatism that doesn't violate the aforementioned principles. For example, there can be a focus on building stronger families, curing the problem of high divorce rates, restoring public decency and modesty as a norm, and so on. Indeed, without the divisiveness of culture war politics, we can better bring people into a coalition to achieve these aims.

How to Win the Argument with the Illiberal Right | TaraElla Clips

This is an excerpt from an article by TaraElla.

While those on the Left often end up basically attacking all of conservatism, I believe this is the wrong approach. Conservatism represents a basic pattern of human thinking, and many people are inclined towards that way of thinking, at least to some degree. Conservatism exists because it is evolutionarily adaptive, and it is not going to go away, despite the wishful thinking of the Left. Therefore, the only way to fight against an illiberal conservatism is to build up a liberal conservative alternative.

It all starts with making room for conservative minds and voices within liberalism, and ensuring that they are on an equal playing field. One thing I have advocated for over the years is the inclusion of liberal conservatives, i.e. conservatives who agree to uphold the classical liberal consensus, in liberal culture and politics.

Liberalism is actually a set of commitments, based around respecting individual freedom of conscience, favoring objective evidence over superstition and dogma, and building a good order based on these principles. As such, it actually does not exclude conservative-leaning minds, as long as they too support these principles.

Why Anti-Woke Politics is Ultimately Harmful for Free Speech | TaraElla Clips

This is an excerpt from an article by TaraElla.

Previously, I argued that the postmodern critical theory approach to politics, which has been behind what some have described as extreme 'wokeness', is essentially a kind of anarchism. Elsewhere, I expanded on this argument, focusing on the fact that it is the rejection of all forms of coercion and hierarchy, and the intention to deconstruct the status quo (without a concrete goal to build something else) that makes postmodern criticalism a form of anarchism. I also said that:

"...the order upheld by liberal society must be a good order, one that is fair to all and one where individuals living under it can truly thrive. Critical anarchists in particular have used liberal society's past and present injustices to justify attempts to dismantle it. The best way to disprove the case for critical anarchism is therefore to maintain a good and just order. This is why reactionary 'anti-woke' culture war politics isn't helpful."

To summarize, the best argument against all forms of anarchism, including this new postmodern critical anarchism, is to demonstrate that order is conducive to justice in practice. We need to demonstrate that, in practice, the social contract of the classical liberal consensus can fulfill its promises of liberty, equal opportunity and the chance to pursue happiness for all.

Why Free Speech Shouldn't be an Anti-Woke Thing | TaraElla Clips

This is an excerpt from an article by TaraElla.

Far too often, cancel culture that comes from the supposedly 'non-woke' is not taken as seriously. It's like how when, earlier this year, Florida governor Ron DeSantis used the power of the state to 'punish' Disney for speaking up against his Don't Say Gay law, and 'anti-woke' free speech forces didn't unite to oppose the move as some might have expected. This just shows how the 'woke' vs 'anti-woke' lens is of limited utility in defending free speech, and well past its expiry date, in a time when cancel culture can almost equally come from all sides.

This is why it's time we moved away from a 'woke' vs 'anti-woke' narrative, towards a narrative that opposes cancel culture and defends free speech on the grounds of traditional classical liberal ideals. We should highlight the fact that free speech holds the promise of getting us closer to the truth, and also therefore building sound consensus and good order in society. Cancel culture destroys this promise, no matter what direction it is coming from, and no matter who is being targeted. Moreover, taking sides in culture wars would also harm this promise, because this would make it impossible to be committed to the objective truth, and building a good order for all. This is also why we need to be very wary of people who want us to join a tribe and play the culture war game.

Why Cancel Culture Isn't About Accountability | TaraElla Clips

This is an excerpt from an article by TaraElla.

Cancel culture isn't simply holding someone accountable. The aim of cancel culture is silencing people, rather than holding people accountable. It's an attempt by activists to silence voices and ideas they don't like, with an intention to gain an unfair advantage in the marketplace of ideas. The (unspoken) logic of cancel culture is simple: if the opposition's argument isn't heard, it would be easier to win the debate. It is therefore basically a form of cheating. As I previously said, the promise of free speech is that it will get us closer to the truth, and lead to good order in society. However, this would only work if ideas are truly put on a level playing field, and the flow of information isn't hindered or distorted. This is why cancel culture is the enemy of truth and good order. It's a shame that too many 'intellectuals' in the West don't seem to understand this nowadays.

The Key to Liberalism is Diversity of Thought | Rebuilding Liberalism

The marketplace of ideas is the key to a successful reformist politics

Welcome to Rebuilding Liberalism, a series where we look at how to rebuild the classical liberal consensus, and build a rational and successful reformist politics on top of this consensus.

Recently, in an article about the 2022 US midterm election results, I've analyzed how 'woke' activists are creating a dilemma for the Democrats (as well as their counterparts in other countries). The 'woke' agenda, consisting mostly of postmodern critical theory inspired activism, is broadly unpopular, and the Republicans have successfully painted the Democrats as supportive of it. Even if they stay silent on cultural issues, they can't seem to shake off the 'woke' vibe. This is because, unlike back in the 1990s, party establishments don't control the conversation in the media anymore, and hence can't control how they are perceived. The solution I suggested was to develop an alternative platform that addresses the social justice demands out there, but rooted in the long-standing classical liberal consensus instead of postmodern critical theory, including upholding values like free speech and freedom of conscience.

However, one might still ask, how would the (classical) liberal alternative be heard over the postmodern critical theory agenda? The answer actually lies in one of liberalism's most cherished values: diversity of thought. Of all the ideologies that have existed in the history of the West, liberalism is uniquely committed to diversity of thought, as reflected in its values like free speech, freedom of conscience, encouragement of rational debate, and so on. Until recently, liberal media was well known for giving all sorts of unusual views airtime, in contrast to conservative media's habit of running the same message over and over again. This kind of coverage was well suited to liberal audiences, because of their open-minded nature. However, in recent years, this liberal diversity has greatly diminished. I believe it has a lot to do with the rise of cancel culture. Journalists and media outlets, who used to take interest in diverse viewpoints across the spectrum, have been increasingly leaning towards the argument that 'harmful' ideas shouldn't be platformed. As to what is harmful, it could range from actual racism (which I agree shouldn't be entertained), all the way down to proposals for compromise solutions on issues related to racial justice and LGBT issues (which are probably essential to building consensus for reform). Activists have also attacked liberal media outlets that feature 'harmful' voices, leading to the calculation that, for reputation's sake, it might be better not to invite certain people on. All this has meant that progressive-side media has increasingly toed the activist line. I even suspect that this is actually one of the biggest reasons for the current polarization.

Restoring the diversity of thought in liberal media would stop the conservative attempt to paint everyone to their left as 'woke' on everything. The 'everything is woke' narrative would naturally be discredited in a world where diversity of thought and sincere debates are clearly the norm among those who want to reform society. Yes, 'woke' voices would still be there, they will still be part of the conversation, but it would be clear that they are not the only perspective on offer on the progressive side. Free debate would also lead to the exchange of ideas, the refinement of proposals, and yes, the formation of compromises most people can get behind, which is what needs to happen for any progressive reform to occur, or indeed, to stop reactionary policies from winning. For example, parents are rightly concerned that sex education in schools need to be age appropriate, and they need to have a say in it. Polls have repeatedly showed that a majority of Americans agree with this position, for example. However, activists on the left have made the issue taboo to discuss in liberal media. This has created an opening for people like Ron DeSantis to come up with 'Don't Say Gay' bills. A similar dynamic also exists in relation to discussions on history and race, again allowing reactionary politicians to run a culture war in that area. Restoring liberal diversity would short circuit these dynamics, and likely stop the rising tide of reactionary culture war politics.

The other important thing is that, those in favor of social reforms should welcome a re-diversified landscape, and adapt to it accordingly. This way, they can potentially greatly expand the coalitions supporting their policy goals. To do this, they need to learn to build coalitions in favor of reforms, which can include a diverse range of views about the underlying reasons for embracing particular policies. For example, I have long argued that the pro-environment coalition needs to include people who are still skeptical of climate change, but would support climate action as an 'insurance policy'. Similarly, the pro-choice coalition needs to include people who are personally against abortion, but believe the government shouldn't be involved, or otherwise believe that banning abortions isn't the answer. The LGBT rights coalition should welcome people who believe that marriage is between a man and a woman in the religious sense, or who don't believe that 'trans women are women', but are still compassionate enough to support civil rights to make life easier for LGBT people, for example. The attitude they should take is, 'you shouldn't have to agree with us on philosophy to agree with us on policy'. This is the only way to build broad coalitions to achieve needed reforms.

Finally, it is only to be expected that critical theory-aligned activists will not be kind towards any attempt to develop and articulate an alternative progressive agenda that doesn't entertain their ideological point of view. Those advancing a truly liberal agenda must be prepared for smears of not being committed to social justice, or even throwing minorities under the bus. The best way to argue against these smears would be to show a genuine commitment to equal opportunity for everyone in society, regardless of race, gender, or other immutable characteristics. It is the only way to win the argument against postmodern critical theory.

Why Liberalism is Anti Chaos | TaraElla Clips

This is an excerpt from the article by TaraElla.

In the most basic terms, liberalism is a belief that society should be built on a social contract that ensures an ordered liberty, where all can equally enjoy this liberty. Different factions within liberalism differ on what the social contract should include, or what liberties should be upheld, but one common element present in all versions of liberalism is the belief that liberty's existence is dependent on the existence of order. Thomas Hobbes, who argued that an absolute sovereign was necessary to avoid the brute natural state of "the war of all against all", is often considered an important thinker in the liberal cannon. While modern liberals are certainly more democratic than Hobbes, we still agree fundamentally with his belief that an order needs to be imposed, in order to ensure a sustainable liberty.

In this way, liberalism stands in stark contrast to anarchism, the other major ideology that has some notion of freedom at its center. Unlike liberalism, anarchism does not believe in an ordered liberty. Indeed, it does not accept the need for any enforced order at all, because its ultimate goal is to remove all 'coercive' and hierarchical relationships between humans. Given that any imposition of order must inevitably be 'coercive' and hierarchical to some extent, anarchists reject the liberal goal of an ordered liberty as oppressive in their worldview. As to how to avoid the natural state of "the war of all against all", anarchists have never provided a convincing answer.

What Graham Norton Getting Cancelled Over Trans Comments Teaches Us | Post Woke

Opposing cancel culture should be untied from the woke vs anti-woke lens

In a recent interview at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, Graham Norton shared his views on cancel culture. Basically, he thought that those of us who decry 'cancel culture' are using the wrong word. "I think the word should be accountability," he said, echoing what many others who are in denial of cancel culture have said. But then, this being in the UK, the topic of JK Rowling and trans issues inevitably came up. Norton responded by saying that he is only a 'bloke on the telly', and those who want to explore those issues should talk to trans people, doctors, and psychiatrists, people who can 'illuminate this in some way'. Which is totally sensible and fair. However, because of some kind of association of his words with the Rowling controversy (which had something to do with musician Billy Bragg apparently), Norton ended up receiving a barrage of abuse on Twitter, forcing him to shut down his account. I think this kind of shows how the Western cultural landscape is extremely dysfunctional right now. Anyway, Graham Norton, who did not believe cancel culture existed, has now been ironically cancelled himself.

Some commentators have said that Norton should have learned a lesson about cancel culture now, and I agree with them. Cancel culture isn't simply holding someone accountable. The aim of cancel culture is silencing people, rather than holding people accountable. It's an attempt by activists to silence voices and ideas they don't like, with an intention to gain an unfair advantage in the marketplace of ideas. The (unspoken) logic of cancel culture is simple: if the opposition's argument isn't heard, it would be easier to win the debate. It is therefore basically a form of cheating. As I previously said, the promise of free speech is that it will get us closer to the truth, and lead to good order in society. However, this would only work if ideas are truly put on a level playing field, and the flow of information isn't hindered or distorted. This is why cancel culture is the enemy of truth and good order. It's a shame that too many 'intellectuals' in the West don't seem to understand this nowadays.

However, there is another lesson about cancel culture here that everyone, especially the 'anti-woke' people, should learn: cancel culture can come from all sides, including from people who are not usually considered 'woke'. In this incident, Norton was basically cancelled for being perceived to be supportive of trans people and trans rights. The people doing the cancelling could be broadly described as 'gender critical', and these people are not generally considered 'woke' for some arbitrary reason. (Gender critical feminism is considered part of the 'non-woke' Left, even though it is a form of identity politics, for reasons I don't fully understand.) I guess this is why this incident has received lower than expected levels of attention, compared to say, last year's controversy over Dave Chappelle. Many 'free speech activists' who fought for Chappelle's free speech back then simply failed to come out and support Norton this time. Far too often, cancel culture that comes from the supposedly 'non-woke' is not taken as seriously. It's like how when, earlier this year, Florida governor Ron DeSantis used the power of the state to 'punish' Disney for speaking up against his Don't Say Gay law, and 'anti-woke' free speech forces didn't unite to oppose the move as some might have expected. This just shows how the 'woke' vs 'anti-woke' lens is of limited utility in defending free speech, and well past its expiry date, in a time when cancel culture can almost equally come from all sides.

This is why it's time we moved away from a 'woke' vs 'anti-woke' narrative, towards a narrative that opposes cancel culture and defends free speech on the grounds of traditional classical liberal ideals. We should highlight the fact that free speech holds the promise of getting us closer to the truth, and also therefore building sound consensus and good order in society. Cancel culture destroys this promise, no matter what direction it is coming from, and no matter who is being targeted. Moreover, taking sides in culture wars would also harm this promise, because this would make it impossible to be committed to the objective truth, and building a good order for all. This is also why we need to be very wary of people who want us to join a tribe and play the culture war game. 

Why Western Politics has Gotten So Abnormal | TaraElla Clips

This is an excerpt from the article We Need a Normie Trans Rights Discourse by TaraElla.

Like deBoer, and also many other people out there, I have been frustrated at how a particularly loud faction in the left is consistently pushing anti-normie politics into the mainstream. It is making many people confused and scared, and culture war reactionaries have been increasingly able to make inroads with these people. The reactionaries argue that liberalism, in its pursuit of individual autonomy, inevitably leads to extreme 'wokeness'. However, not only is this reasoning absurd (given how 'wokeism' isn't pro-free speech, for example), it is also easily debunked by an analysis of the ideologies involved. So-called 'wokeism' is rooted in postmodernism and critical theory, philosophies steeped in a worldview where power and oppression is everywhere, and liberation from oppressive social constructs is the highest goal. I think this hostility towards social institutions and paranoia about power means that what we are dealing with is a form of anarchism, not a form of liberalism. However, unlike old school anarchism, this new, postmodern neo-anarchism locates power not only in government and organized religion, but also in culture, which they believe is full of social constructs that enable privileged groups to oppressed marginalized groups. This line of thought is clearest in the call by Foucault to 'cut off the King's head' in political theory, but it is also present in the works of other thinkers like Althusser and Marcuse. This worldview explains the 'movement' to deconstruct most of what we consider common sense. This, in turn, is why postmodern critical theory politics is inherently anti-normie (and hence anti-liberal).

We Need to Call Out the Biased Coverage of Trans Issues | Post Woke

The credibility of free speech liberalism depends on it

Welcome to TaraElla's Post Woke series, where we consciously aim to move beyond the woke vs anti-woke culture wars, and towards a post-woke model of culture and politics.

In the previous article in this series, I focused on the LGBT community, and argued that it is strategically wrong for the LGBT community to embrace critical anarchism and abandon the classical liberal consensus. If you look at the history of the West, you would see that it was the rise of classical liberalism that gradually put an end to arbitrary exercises of power based on superstition. The core of my argument was that the destruction of classical liberal norms would allow the return of religious authoritarianism, which would be disastrous for LGBT people.

However, elsewhere, I have also said that I fully understand why critical anarchism is appealing to many LGBT people, especially trans people, at the moment:

"Many trans people feel like the current social order does not treat them fairly, and as a trans woman myself, I think it is fair they feel this way, unfortunately. As a result, a substantial number of trans people have rejected society as it currently exists, and embraced postmodern anarchist ideas."

So how can we change this, and encourage the LGBT community to embrace the classical liberal consensus again?

***

In the previous article, I argued that the postmodern critical theory approach to politics, which has been behind what some have described as extreme 'wokeness', is essentially a kind of anarchism. Elsewhere, I expanded on this argument, focusing on the fact that it is the rejection of all forms of coercion and hierarchy, and the intention to deconstruct the status quo (without a concrete goal to build something else) that makes postmodern criticalism a form of anarchism. I also said that:

"...the order upheld by liberal society must be a good order, one that is fair to all and one where individuals living under it can truly thrive. Critical anarchists in particular have used liberal society's past and present injustices to justify attempts to dismantle it. The best way to disprove the case for critical anarchism is therefore to maintain a good and just order. This is why reactionary 'anti-woke' culture war politics isn't helpful."

To summarize, the best argument against all forms of anarchism, including this new postmodern critical anarchism, is to demonstrate that order is conducive to justice in practice. We need to demonstrate that, in practice, the social contract of the classical liberal consensus can fulfill its promises of liberty, equal opportunity and the chance to pursue happiness for all. Including for LGBT people.

***

This leads into the most important part of what I want to say today: the so-called 'anti-woke' cultural forces are not being helpful here. Previously, I have said that I am becoming increasingly concerned about 'the uncritical treatment of gender critical views, and the effective silencing of moderate pro-trans views, in the genre of new media that prides itself on free speech, skepticism and giving a fair hearing to de-platformed or censored people'. As I explained then, gender critical views might be excluded from the liberal wing of mainstream media, but they are prominently featured in basically every conservative media outlet, plus all the aforementioned 'free speech' orientated media outlets. However, reasonable trans people are almost never featured on the kind of media that eagerly promotes gender critical perspectives, and this imbalance, for some reason, hasn't bothered free speech activists too much.

As I said before, the best way to persuade the LGBT community to stop embracing critical anarchism is to demonstrate that the classical liberal approach works as promised in practice. In particular, the promise of free speech is that it will help everyone come to a fair and objective view of things. With truly free speech, the best ideas will prevail, and we can build a better consensus moving forward. However, for this to work effectively, ideas and perspectives must be placed on a level playing field in the first place. This is why de-platforming certain ideas and perspectives is bad. Whilst not as directly authoritarian, biased coverage can have a similar effect. This is especially true when it comes from media outlets backed by lots of money, that can easily drown out independent voices when they 'move in the same direction'. In recent years, the coverage of trans issues in many 'anti-woke' leaning media outlets has not been a level playing field, to put it mildly. There has been a strong emphasis on covering the most extreme parts of trans activism, while everyday, reasonable trans people who just want to get on with their lives are rendered non-existent. Consumers of this media often end up with very skewed perceptions of trans people. The skewed media coverage has essentially made us into 'the enemy', and a tool for negative partisanship, and dehumanized us in the process. This is very different from simply disagreeing with postmodern queer theory, or the tactics of certain trans activists. Moreover, the selected examples of trans activism often fit right into the most extreme gender critical stereotypes of trans people, and help to bolster the most hardline gender critical arguments, while examples that would support the case against gender criticalism are left out. This means that gender critical ideology is being placed in a much more favorable position in the trans discourse, and the playing field is clearly not equal.

To effectively make the case for the classical liberal social contract, we must make it work properly in practice. This includes making an effort to correct things that are not working well. At the very least, we need to call out the aforementioned unfair coverage of trans people and trans issues. If nothing else, free speech liberals taking a firm stance on this issue would at least stop the critical anarchists from painting all of us as hypocrites driven by a 'right-wing' agenda. This will save the reputation of classical liberalism in the long run, long after the current culture wars end up discrediting the ideologues on both sides. Moreover, by trying our best to call out bad practices, we might even end up changing them, at least to some extent. If we can use classical liberal means to fight the 'anti-woke' culture war reactionaries, and limit the damage that they can do, we will gain credibility among the LGBT community and its allies, and young people more generally. This will be a win-win situation, for both the LGBT community and classical liberal values like free speech.

We Need to Understand the Postmodern Left | TaraElla Clips

This is an excerpt from the article Dismantling Liberal Norms Endangers the LGBT Community by TaraElla.

To consciously return to being committed to the classical liberal consensus, we also need to understand why that consensus was being eroded in the first place, so as to stop it from happening any more from now on. Much has been said about the illiberal ideology of the 2010s identitarian far-left, including where those ideas came from, and even what the ideology itself should be called. Much of the discourse has focused on the roots of this ideology in various philosophical traditions. However, what is most important is the core essence of this ideology, as reflected in its substantive goals. The fact is that this ideology essentially aims to 'deconstruct' all existing social norms, justified on grounds of liberation from power and oppression, and the various postmodern critical theories basically serve this purpose. I've argued that this focus on power, coercion and hierarchy, and the denial of the possibility of a liberal social contract to make society just, means that what we are dealing with is a form of anarchism. Anarchism has always been opposed to the liberal project on ideological grounds, and anarchists have long attempted to overturn liberal norms.

Dismantling Liberal Norms Endangers the LGBT Community | Post Woke

The only way to stop us going over a cliff is to rebuild the liberal consensus. ASAP.

Welcome to TaraElla's Post Woke series, where we consciously aim to move beyond the woke vs anti-woke culture wars, and towards a post-woke model of culture and politics.

It is something I have been warning of for many years now: the dismantling of liberal norms puts LGBT people in danger. The fact is, liberal norms like upholding free speech, respecting everyone's freedom of conscience, and respecting individuals' right to privacy, are essential to preventing minorities from being crushed by the tyranny of a misguided majority. Most importantly, the liberal consensus protects everyone from being subject to arbitrary authority, something minorities are most vulnerable to. Despite my warnings, supposedly progressive activists went ahead and trampled on the long standing liberal consensus of Western society during the 2010s, often in the name of 'social justice'. Perhaps it felt good and righteous for some, to help 'de-platform' voices they deem hurtful to minorities. However, what these people didn't (and still don't) understand is that this erosion of liberal norms is bound to have future implications. Implications that are much uglier than having to put up with the occasional homophobic or transphobic speaker.

Indeed, today, the tables have turned, at least to some degree. The reactionary culture warriors are on the march, and the weakening of liberal values and norms has given them much more room to trample on minorities, including LGBT people. In Florida, Ron DeSantis has repeatedly used the power of the state to enforce his beliefs on everyone else, often to the detriment of the LGBT community. He has punished Disney, simply for speaking up against his controversial 'Don't Say Gay' law. His administration has also ended Medicaid coverage of trans related health care. Most concerningly, he has even indicated that he might send Child Protective Services after parents who take their kids to drag shows. Now, I personally don't think it's a good idea to take kids to drag shows, but to use government power to meddle with families for this is scarily authoritarian indeed. Even some conservatives and Republicans have voiced their concerns over this. In the current climate, many LGBT people and families living in states like Florida and Texas are seriously considering whether they might have to leave.

As you can see, the weakening of the liberal consensus has begun to really hurt LGBT people. I believe the only way to turn it around is to re-embrace and re-strengthen the liberal norms and values that were eroded during the last decade. We need to take a firm, fair and consistent stance for free speech, against cancel culture, and especially for freedom of conscience and the right to privacy. This must be applied to individuals, ideas and actions on the Left and the Right alike, in exactly the same manner, because liberal norms are only credible when they are truly unbiased, when they truly provide a 'level playing field' for all. Right now, on the Left, this would mean opposing cancel culture in all forms, and encouraging the return of respectful and rational debate as the norm. I've heard several people on the Left say that to be in the Left nowadays, you just have to accept its limitations on free speech. This kind of nonsense should be challenged every time we see it. On the Right, we need to be especially wary of those who justify an increasingly authoritarian program on anti-woke grounds. We need to firmly insist that woke excesses are to be dealt with using liberal means, rather than illiberal means. Our resistance against cancel culture on the Left would give us the credibility needed to argue against 'anti-woke' authoritarianism from the Right.

To consciously return to being committed to the classical liberal consensus, we also need to understand why that consensus was being eroded in the first place, so as to stop it from happening any more from now on. Much has been said about the illiberal ideology of the 2010s identitarian far-left, including where those ideas came from, and even what the ideology itself should be called. Much of the discourse has focused on the roots of this ideology in various philosophical traditions. However, what is most important is the core essence of this ideology, as reflected in its substantive goals. The fact is that this ideology essentially aims to 'deconstruct' all existing social norms, justified on grounds of liberation from power and oppression, and the various postmodern critical theories basically serve this purpose. I've argued that this focus on power, coercion and hierarchy, and the denial of the possibility of a liberal social contract to make society just, means that what we are dealing with is a form of anarchism. Anarchism has always been opposed to the liberal project on ideological grounds, and anarchists have long attempted to overturn liberal norms.

What we need to remember is that liberalism has been responsible for basically all the social progress of the West since the Enlightenment. The liberal dedication to individual liberty, equality and the objective truth has been essential in the fight against arbitrary power based on superstition, which is what is at the root of the religious right's opposition to LGBT equality. The anarchist wish to overturn liberal norms would lead to the return of the pre-Enlightenment dark ages, and empower the religious right's authoritarian tendencies. It must therefore be resisted tooth and nail by those who support LGBT rights.

 

A Conservative Liberal Approach to Social Progress? | TaraElla Clips

This is an excerpt from the article Standing Your Ground and Being Fair in an Age of Polarization by TaraElla.

My views on most issues haven't changed much since 2003, the year I started college. It was at that time, with things like the Iraq War in the background, that I began to understand the importance of liberal values like free speech and freedom of conscience, and started being seriously committed to them. Since then, the political landscape of the Western world has shifted multiple times, but my core values have remained the same, and my views on most issues have remained largely the same. I guess, over the years, I also gained an appreciation of a certain strain of conservative philosophy. I became aware of the fact that people are naturally attached to what is familiar, and continuity is an important thing in life. This conservatism also informed the way my more progressive, reformist impulses pointed: back in 2012, then British Prime Minister David Cameron famously stated that 'I support gay marriage because I'm a conservative'. I think that quote sums up what the best kind of progress looks like: an emphasis on the continuation and refinement of tradition and commonly held values, while making society truly inclusive of everyone. I also came to see that approaching issues of social justice this way helps us to avoid going down paths where we could inadvertently make things worse.

What Free Speech and Classical Liberalism is About | TaraElla Clips

As I have previously said multiple times, the anti-woke movement has evolved to become a mirror image of the 'woke' movement, and thus inherited most of its problems. Two of the biggest problems with the woke movement are its inability to be committed to objective reality, and its deliberate use of exaggerated language to rile up people's emotions. These features stem from the postmodern view that language and discourse are about power. It is a rejection of the classical liberal premise that discourse should be about getting us closer to the objective truth. In recent years, some anti-woke activists have, by mirroring the most extreme forms of woke culture, effectively adopted the postmodernist view that discourse is about power, and the NatCon style of politics is the ultimate culmination of this view. Hence, from the (classical) liberal viewpoint, woke and anti-woke, cancel culture and NatCon politics, might be different, even opposite, in content, but they are very similar in essense.

The problem with this false 'choice' between woke vs anti-woke, criticalism vs NatCon-ism, is that they ultimately represent only one choice on the most important issue: whether you believe that discourse is about getting to the objective truth, or about power struggle. Whether you believe that the outcome of the competition of ideas should be determined by merit, or by might means right. The false 'choice' between woke and anti-woke leads to the obscuring of this question, and the default acceptance of the power struggle, might means right worldview. Therefore, those of us who are still dedicated to the view that discourse should be about the objective truth need to clearly take a stand on this most fundamental of issues, and call out those who essentially want to put an end to the Western Enlightenment.