The Authoritarian Left, By James Reed

Spiked-online.com has given an interesting take on the present-day tyranny of Leftist authoritarianism, based upon a review of a book by American psychologist and sociologist Luke Conway, who was of the traditional Left centre. Conway's new book, Liberal Bullies: Inside the Mind of the Authoritarian Left, has detailed these developments.

"You will see authoritarian leftists censor, bully, silence, harass and destroy their enemies," says Conway, where numerous people "have all been fired for expressing conservative views," that is of course steered away from more controversial matters like criticism of mass immigration and killings, let alone child grooming scandals.

So why has the Left become authoritarian? The answer: "The reason for the Left's drift into authoritarianism is, of course, the result of the expansion, conquest and tightening hegemony of woke ideology over the past decade. This seductive dogma views the world strictly in terms of right and wrong. It's a simplistic, highly moralistic doctrine that has no room for, or understanding of, shades of opinion. It is underpinned by a logic that heretics and evil-doers cannot be reasoned with or talked to, but instead must be silenced and crushed.

But I believe that this authoritarianism has always been in the Left, as witnessed by the directions taken by the USSR and Maoist China. It is part of the Left-wing personality, a social pathology that now dominates the West, and must be washed away as part of the universal draining of swamps.

https://www.spiked-online.com/2024/12/15/how-the-left-fell-to-authoritarianism/

"We all know what authoritarians are when it comes to politics, don't we? They are the people who enjoy telling others what they can and can't do or say. They are reactionaries, the 'hang 'em and flog 'em' types. At worst, they are 'fascists', a word deployed to describe the most heinous authoritarians. This epithet accords with the long-standing assumption that the nastiest folk in politics are right wing.

Anyone who's been paying attention to the news since the 'great awokening' of nearly 10 years ago will appreciate that this stereotype is now hopelessly outdated. As the recent inquisition of the Telegraph journalist Allison Pearson (regarding a reputedly 'offensive' post on social media) has laid bare, the forces of authoritarianism today have their origins most assuredly in the 'progressive' or 'woke' left. The urge to bully wrongthinkers and silence the views of others now invariably comes from those who think of themselves as most compassionate.

American psychologist and sociologist Luke Conway has been observing this development for some time. Like countless others who write about this topic, he is of the traditional centre left. While he hasn't so much moved to the right, he has seen how the left in the US and beyond has drifted to the extreme. Seduced by voguish and outlandish narratives about race and gender, it has adopted an absolutist mindset that has little patience for disagreement. Conway's new book, Liberal Bullies: Inside the Mind of the Authoritarian Left, does exactly as it says on the tin, so to speak. It explains how today's autocratic spirit derives from erstwhile liberals.

'You will see authoritarian leftists censor, bully, silence, harass and destroy their enemies', says Conway. Conway points to the example of Mumford & Sons co-founder Winston Marshall, whose decision to speak out against Antifa in 2021 led to his social ostracism and eventual departure from the band.

Many actresses, baseball personalities and Google employees 'have all been fired for expressing conservative views', Conway writes. This is not to mention the countless number of ordinary men or women in the street who, if not being sacked for their opinions, now keep quiet about them lest they be met with unforgiving judgement.

The picture in 2024 is grim, particularly in universities and the public sector at large. The compulsion to bully for the sake of progressive values is enforced without pity – by individuals, institutions and the state.

What has caused liberals to become the main motors of authoritarianism, a state of mind once associated with puritan and moralistic conservatives? After all, progressives have always considered their tribe synonymous with allowing people to think for themselves and live whatever life they choose. They forever champion 'diversity' and 'inclusion'. Surely a 'liberal bully' is a contradiction in terms?

This is why hyper-progressives can't accept their behaviour for what it has become. They can't even understand the concept of a left-wing authoritarian, writes Conway. They're in denial. He quotes a telling article from Salon, which asserts: 'Yes, dictators sometimes cloak themselves in "socialism". But tyranny, here and elsewhere, is always right wing.' To paraphrase a famous Mitchell and Webb comedy skit, left-liberals don't even realise they have become the bad guys.

The reason for the left's drift into authoritarianism is, of course, the result of the expansion, conquest and tightening hegemony of woke ideology over the past decade. This seductive dogma views the world strictly in terms of right and wrong. It's a simplistic, highly moralistic doctrine that has no room for, or understanding of, shades of opinion. It is underpinned by a logic that heretics and evil-doers cannot be reasoned with or talked to, but instead must be silenced and crushed.