The Religious Wars

The American Prospect ^ | December 1, 2003 | Robert Reich

[NYer]

Unrestrained abortion and its death list numbering in the tens of millions of the most innocent and helpless, radical feminism and its implacable and irrational hatred of fatherhood, gay marriage and its open and shameless mockery of the traditional family, and the welfare state and its fascist-inspired apotheosis of "progressive" activist government are symptoms of a profoundly sick society imprisoned by reckless appetites and demands for instant gratification. These are not the hallmarks of a free people.

Thirty years ago, a close friend, educated in Italy, cautioned me that the US was headed down the same path as the 'ancients' of Rome, Greece, et al. He pointed to the feminist movement and predicted that, as history has already shown, when women rise to power, homosexuality soon follows. These two movements, he claimed, would be followed by a weakening of the American society and eventually, its fall. At the time, I laughed myself silly, but I never forgot those words.

Yesterday, in researching those comments, I came across this web site. While the author detests Bill Clinton, he is no fan of the current president either. However, his statements corroborate everything that my friend said! It's definitely worth a cursory read. I have it bookmarked. For example, he writes:

"Starting around the decade of the 60s, there began to be observed a marked change in the character of the White male students enrolled in U.S. colleges. This change was commented upon by some of the more astute professors, and had to do with the tendency of these young men to be too soft, too timid, too lacking in what had always been considered normal male aggressiveness. Now, it must be said, there have always been men who were softer, more effeminate, more "girlish," than average; just as there have always been women with a tendency towards masculinity,  but this was not what these professors were observing. What they saw was a relative increase in the number of such men, and this phenomenon has been growing at an ever accelerated pace ever since. "

Now, one may well ask, just what all of this has to do with the feminization of our young White men; the ever-growing number of "sensitized" males and outright homosexuals we see all around us? Well, the answer lies in the  replacement of spiritual man's aristocratic values, which foster honor, ambition, discipline, and self-control, with economic man's democratic and feminine values, which foster safety, comfort, security and  the home. In a democratic society the role of the government shifts from that of a father, who maintains order but allows for the incentive and freedom necessary for success, to that of a mother whose function is to provide security and comfort to all of her children; to make sure that their demands are satisfied.   

As the role of the government changes, individual behavior follows suit. Children begin to be raised differently, and a disciplined environment gives way to a permissive one. Such things as spanking or disciplining a child become subject to censure, and the result is a failure on the part of the child to learn from his mistakes, to mature and grow up. This move from a masculine idealism to a feminine materialism leads inevitably to hedonism and self-absorbed egoism.  The young -- both male and female -- put self-gratification as their most important goal in life, and it is this urge to satisfy the senses that economic man exploits and encourages. In the case of the male, it is not the acquisition of honor, glory or esteem that is encouraged; what  is touted as most important is indulging in whatever happens to satisfy one physically and emotionally: if it feels good, do it; if it's something that discomforts you, avoid it. Honor, glory, and self-control are not encouraged by economic man because there is no money to be made from such things in his world, and money, as a means to power, is what counts for him."

ECCE AMERICA