Culture and Politics

I've just finished reading an article describing the Chinese government efforts to promote Chinese culture and reject (neo)liberal nihilism.  The effect this article had on me is remarkable.  Putin just gave a speech with a similar theme.  These views highlight the essential question of our times.  How can we regain common societal values? 

I just wrote a piece advocating changes to our electoral system has a step in the right direction.  The problem with liberal democracy isn't the democracy part, rather it's that we're not doing it well.  This is not some pie in the sky ideal. Other countries have multiparty democracy today and have stronger societies.  I can't prove the correlation, but it seems logical and this book provides some supporting evidence.

Can we solve our cultural problems by doubling down on liberal democracy?  This is only part of the answer, in my opinion.  We need to respect and promote the good things in our inherited cultures.  In other words, we need conservatism as well as liberalism.  We need shared cultural values and institutions in addition to liberal democratic ideals.

It turns out I've thought of this before, and the culture wars are being extensively discussed by many other people.  So I'm using this occasion to review my previous writing and to highlight some other thoughts on the subject. Then I'll draw some conclusions.

My previous writings:

• Authority, Common Sense, and a New Mythology
• Thoughts on Unitarian Universalist Principles

Anti-woke thoughts by others:

• Ruth Bader Ginsburg on kneeling athletes and flag burning
• Dave Chappelle's language and views on LGBTQ and race

In my view, the zeitgeist is changing.  America's neoliberal surge to sole superpower status is on the way out.  The (former) Communist superpowers are rebounding with more conservative nationalist platforms.  The American left is splintering as the anti-Trump "woke" consensus falls apart  The enduring points which we on "the left" should get behind are:

• Technological restraint in the face of global warming, weapons of mass destruction, etc.
• Intercultural cooperation.
• Greater economic equity.
• Support for families and cultural traditions. 
• Human rights, including freedom of speech and limits on "intelligence" agencies.

To me, the Green Party does this best with these ideas at the present time, but I am open-minded.