Political Implications of Postmodernism, I

“(1) Social Constructivism.  Meaning, morality, and truth do not exist objectively; rather they are constructed by society.” — Gene Edward Veith, Postmodern Times, p.158.

Restoring America

“It is time to organize a new American restoration movement.  The focus should not be on political ideology or partisanship, but instead on an all-fronts mobilization of individual Americans to improve the social and moral infrastructure of America.  The movement must attempt to forge a new consensus on the basic values upon which a free society rests: values almost entirely embodied in the concepts of respect and responsibility. 

The restoration of America will begin within each individual.  And so we must enlist leadership from all sectors of society to rebuild American greatness around the tripod of character, community, and culture.  The mission of the business and professional community should be ethics and quality.  The focus of education should be character and classical virtue.  The effort of politics should be to restore the integrity and competence of our public institutions.” – Don E. Eberly, Restoring the Good Society, p.22-23.

No Moral Standards?

“Muslims may be hypocritical and support censorship, but these facts provide no basis for a defense of Western or American cultural depravity.  An accusation cannot be refuted by pointing out that the accuser is guilty of the same offense.  Moreover, the Muslims are not guilty of the charge that they launch against the West.  Muslim societies can be faulted—I would fault them myself—for being excessively harsh or repressive in the enforcement of their standards….Traditional societies can also be exposed for failing to conform to their own standards.  But they cannot be accused of not having standards.  Muslim leaders charge that Western culture—and specifically American culture—has no moral norms that it is willing to defend or uphold.  In this view, the offenses of Western culture are especially frightening because they have no built-in remedy.  Many people in traditional societies regard Western culture as a kind of malady for which there is no antidote or cure’” — Dinesh D’Souza, The Enemy At Home, p. 125.

What Kind of Freedom Do We Want Them to Have?

“We have heard a great deal from critics of globalism about how America is corrupting the world with its multinational corporations and its trade practices.  But surveys such as the Pew Research Center studies of world opinion show that non-Western peoples are generally pleased with American products.  In fact, the people of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East want more American companies, more American technology, and more free trade.  Their objection is not to McDonald’s or Microsoft but to America’s cultural values as transmitted through movies, television, and music.  Huge majorities of more than 80 percent of people in Indonesia, Uganda, Kenya, Senegal, Egypt, and Turkey say they want to protect their values from foreign assault.  The Pew study concludes that there is a ‘widespread sense’ that American values, often presented as the values of modernity itself, ‘represent a major threat to people’s traditional way of life.’  These sentiments are felt very keenly in the Muslim world.  As an Iranian from Neishapour told journalist Afshin Molavi, ‘People say we want freedom.  You know what these foreign-inspired people want?  They want the freedom to gamble and drink and bring vice to our Muslim land.  This is the kind of freedom they want.’”  (Dinesh D’Souza, The Enemy At Home, p. 121).