In order to have a functional democracy in which every person has a voice and in which the ideas that are generated by citizens are given serious consideration by political leaders, it is important that conversations take place in a context in which only the merit of the ideas that people raise are discussed, as opposed to the worth of the ideas being prejudged based on the characteristics of the person who is voicing their views. For example, a core principle in Canada – and one to which the Atlantica Party adheres – is that the worth of an idea is dependent only on the value of the idea itself as opposed to that same idea being better if a man voices it than if a woman voices it or the other way around. In other words, the Atlantica Party is opposed to prejudice and instead believes in common humanity politics instead of identity politics – a topic that has worked its way from the fringes of academia into all parts of our society and is now covered as fact in the public education system, often without parents’ knowledge or consent.
The Atlantica Party’s position on identity politics is that it is a pox that has no place in a free society because it seeks to divide and conquer our society instead of recognizing that we are all human beings – with each of us having our own strengths and weaknesses.
Some readers may be asking themselves: What exactly is identity politics (IP)? Simply put, IP builds on the Marxist idea of there being a rich and poor class of people by now stating that people in our society can be categorized in a countless number of ways, which include:
- Class
- Race
- Ethnicity
- Religion
- Biological sex
- Sexual orientation
After listing the ways that people can be categorized, the next step in IP is to combine these categories when describing people, e.g., Person A is a white, homosexual, Christian male, whereas Person B is a black, heterosexual, atheist female.
After placing individuals into categories, the next step is to classify these individual as one of two types of people:
Using the example above, Person A would be an oppressor while Person B would be oppressed because Person A is white, Christian, and male, whereas Person B is black, atheist, and female. The fact that person A is a homosexual would be considered irrelevant from the perspective of IP because any oppression that Person A would experience by virtue of being a homosexual would be offset by the fact that this person is white, Christian, and male. By this logic, the same view expressed by both people would be worth more if the idea is voiced by Person B than by Person A.
If the description you just read sounds arbitrary and nonsensical, that is because it is! An unstated assumption in Marxism and IP is that, for example, someone who is rich or successful is always categorized as an oppressor whereas someone who is poor is always categorized as oppressed – regardless of any other information that is presented. In this hypothetical example, the person who is rich will be classified as an oppressor regardless of whether they were born in a wealthy family or were born in an impoverished environment and became successful due to their work ethic and life choices (e.g., avoiding street gangs or experimenting with drugs).
Many workplaces routinely rely on “anti-bias”, “anti-oppression”, or “diversity” sessions, which are often marketed as “training sessions”, to “address” the problems that IP created.
The reader may be wondering: What is the purpose of IP? The purpose, quite simply, is to attack the Western Enlightenment ideas that underpin free societies by redefining language. When reasonable people think of the term “white supremacist”, the image that often gets conjured is one of people with white skin colour owning people with black skin colour as slaves. IP redefines “white supremacy” to refer to:
- Individuals being judged solely by their actions.
- Traditional family (be it extended or nuclear).
- Independence.
- Objective, rational linear thinking.
- Property rights.
- Planning for the future.
- Being on time.
By the logic of IP:
- If you are on time for work, you are a racist and support white supremacy.
- If you believe in working hard, saving, investing, getting ahead, and owning your own home, you are a racist and white supremacist.
At this point you would certainly be forgiven for thinking that this must be a crazy right-wing conspiracy theory. Sadly, it is not. Above are two graphics from the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of African American History and Culture: If you read through the graphic, the components of a free society are redefined as “white supremacy”.
While the graphics from the Smithsonian Institute is an example of IP in mainstream society, there are countless other examples that can be found on social media platforms and other parts of the internet. In a video titled “Science Must Fall?” that was posted to YouTube in October 2016 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9SiRNibD14), for example, a student calls for the abolition of science because it is based in “Western modernity” and is therefore “racist”.
The student’s argument ignores the fact that much of what we take for granted (e.g., technology, which came through science) was enabled by Western Enlightenment and centuries of academic pursuits in the Catholic Church. Contrary to what many people believe, the Catholic Church has made significant contributions to knowledge and science. For readers who are interested, we recommend a video titled “The Catholic Church - Builder of Civilization” that is hosted by Dr. Thomas E. Woods (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5siHd1P5zk&list=PL57857981F3CC5D78).
In summary, the Atlantica Party’s position on identity politics is that it is an anti-human ideology that seeks to demonize the moral foundation of our society by vilifying anyone and anything that is connected to virtue. Instead, we believe in the sanctity or sovereignty of the individual and the importance of self-ownership or personal autonomy. We also value our natural (“God-given” if you prefer) rights, such as property rights and mobility rights.
Contact your local MLA now and voice your concerns. You can find your MLA's contact information here:
https://nslegislature.ca/members/profiles
The Atlantica Party
If you agree that identity-based politics is anti-freedom, please consider donating $20 to the fight.
The Atlantica Party is Nova Scotia's newest registered political party. The Atlantica Party is Nova Scotia's only political alternative committed to fixing Nova Scotia's democracy and making Nova Scotia a have province.
The Atlantica Party's Democracy Revolution is a comprehensive plan to fix Nova Scotia's democracy and empower the voter.
For further information about The Atlantica Party:
http://www.atlanticaparty.ca
info@atlanticaparty.ca