Why Liberalism Failed

Liberalism has failed because liberalism has succeeded. That's the thesis of Patrick Deneen's book, "Why Liberalism Failed." Liberalism redefined liberty as unrestrained individual autonomy free of what it saw as old, paternalistic constrains on individuals. Traditional norms and social structures that would foster virtue and self-control were seen as oppressive, arbitrary, out-of-date, and limiting "progress."
Unrestrained individualism requires statism. Liberalism empowers the state to set the rules of behavior in a society---as liberalism destroys the traditional communal groups that set norms constraining individuals and preventing anarchy. As Deneen writes, "statism enables individualism; individualism demands statism."
Both modern day "conservatives" and "liberals" are both liberals in a traditional sense. Conservatives, typically Republicans, are classical liberals. Neoliberals, Democrats, are progressive liberals. Both political parties are two sides of the same coin of liberalism. Conservatives defend individualism. Neoliberals defend statism. But liberalism advances both. You cannot have autonomous individuals---unconstrained by virtue and self-discipline---without increasing the power of the state.
All the problems facing America today---the financial crisis, inflation, crime, open borders, transgenderism, climate alarmism, techno-fascism, unaccountable "deep state," subversion of citizenship, globalization and loss of jobs, breakdown of families and morality, government dependence, wokeness, engineered viruses and global pandemics, etc.---arise from the failure of liberalism (i.e., paradoxically, liberalism's achievement).
The "noble lie" of liberalism has been exposed. The liberal elites---the hollow elites as the great Charles Murray calls them---continue to deny their privilege and virtue-signal with a veneer of social justice in the name of self-interest and self-preservation while the working class suffers. Previous ruling classes knew they were rich and privileged and acted like it. They understood they had a duty to help the less fortunate and to pass down the traits and behaviors that made them succeed because when everybody succeeds America succeeds. Modern liberal elites pretend they are victims and sufferers of great injustices while accumulating more and more wealth and power at the expense of everybody else. And all of that power is used to suppress, control, and neuter the voices and rights of the working class.
We discuss the failure of liberalism, Deneen's book, Elon Musk acquiring Twitter; and connect the dots on this episode.

And remember: No bias. No bull. No fear. Just hard truths.
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