If you examine a U.S. dollar bill, you will discover the Latin phrase “Novus Ordo Seclorum.” This expression translates to “New Order for the Ages.” Historically, America did institute a new world order, ushering in ideals of freedom, liberty, and democracy into the world’s framework of politics. President Ronald Reagan in a speech commemorating the Battle of Yorktown, commented “[The Declaration of Independence’s] themes [have been] adopted in places many of us have never heard of”, and “[The American Revolution] was a philosophical revolution that changed the very concept of government.” Recently, it would seem that a New Order for the Ages is emerging and continues to grow in popularity in America and the world. This New Order affects the way we communicate in both the public sphere and with friends. Whereas America was once defined by freedom, liberty, and democracy, we now live in a culture dominated by gaslighting, cancelling, and soft totalitarianism. Amid a society rapidly forgetting its heritage, it is critical to understand the scope of this new assault and to fight the abandonment of the ideals that first defined America.
The term gaslighting describes a “form of manipulation and psychological control” where victims strategically hear false information, culminating in victims “doubting their memory, their perception, and even their sanity.” The term originates from a British play in which a husband, covering up a secret, convinces his wife she is insane, by manipulating the gas lighting in the house. Today, political gaslighting occurs ubiquitously, and conservatives are desensitized to the constant media duplicity. For example, the media constantly preaches “Follow the Science”, yet conveniently ignores biology when it contravenes their pro-abortion and pro-gender dysphoria narrative. One of the most recent egregious forms of gaslighting is the claim that Republicans are the ones who actually “want to defund the police,” which could not be further from the truth. Gaslighting intentionally obscures the truth, and escalates the partisan divide. It decreases the ability for individuals to effectively communicate and is deleteriously affecting the future of America.
Most individuals have seen how cancel culture affects anyone posting political or social views online. If one says anything culturally unacceptable publicly, one faces the risk of being exiled out of the conversation altogether. They are effectively “cancelled” from communicating in the public sphere. More often than not, these cancel culture bullies are unrelenting until a public apology is made or until they’ve exacted their pound of flesh. Cancel culture directly attacks our constitutionally protected freedom of speech, which is particularly robust in America and regarded by many as the foundation for American ethos. From Dr Seuss to J.K. Rowling, to Aunt Jemima, anyone can be cancelled in the New Order of society. This instills a level of fear in our communication, and a majority of Americans– nearly 62% to be specific – believe the current political climate “prevents them from saying things they believe” in the public sphere. Over 32% of Americans believe that their political beliefs could harm their career goals and trajectory. This is remarkable considering that the documents that founded this country are the result of dialogue and debate between individuals with different values and goals. This reality of cancel culture is a dangerous threat to American free speech and American unity.
Gaslighting and cancel culture are both tools of a larger cultural phenomenon called “soft totalitarianism”. Rod Dreher explains that “Soft totalitarianism exploits decadent modern man’s preferences for personal pleasure over principles, including political liberties” and that the population will largely support the trend not necessarily due to the “imposition of cruel punishments”, but rather cultural acceptance and personal convenience (Dreher 10). Our current culture has largely drifted from American values of freedom and liberty, and instead succumbed to the flood of “woke” ideologies that now permeate all the institutions of power. Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, soft totalitarianism was already ascending, and now its presence is undeniable. The unfortunate reality is that most individuals in America are blind to the increasing totalitarianism present in society, and fail to hear the warnings of immigrants who once lived in authoritarian countries. Even more startling is the ignorance of history that is pervasive in our society and my generation. In my next article, I hope to share more details of how soft totalitarianism is growing, and becoming normalized in our ever-changing society. It is crucial to be aware of this “New Order of the Ages” rising in our time, and once we understand the goals and tools being utilized, we can be better equipped for engaging in the culture war.
Sources:
Dreher, Rod, Live Not By Lies: A Manual For Christian Dissidents, Penguin Random House LLC, 2020
About The Contributor
