Progressivism: Conform or Be Cast Out

By Douglas V. Gibbs

This morning on one of my favorite radio stations they played a song by a band called "Rush." The song was "Subdivisions," and the words that caught my attention go as follows:

In the high school halls,
In the shopping malls,
Conform or be cast out. . .

The piece of societal commentary put to song ran in sync with the attitude of non-conformity of the day. You can call it anti-establishment, but I took it as meaning "being different is a good thing."

While I navigated the years where I was into Punk Rock, and Heavy Metal, on my vest I work a number of buttons, or pins, and one of them (which I also wore on my letterman's jacket later) I wore upside down, and it read: "Why be normal?"

The belief had been instilled into the children. Think for yourself, don't be like everyone else, be a non-conformist. Don't be what society considers to be normal, be whoever you are. To a certain degree, that is good advice. We should think the way we wish to think on certain matters. In other words, I believe in diversity - in the arena of ideas. There is nothing wrong with believing what you believe, and thinking the way you think - but, be prepared for opposition, and understand that in a free thinking society there will be those who disagree with you, and that is fine.

I would rather someone come to a conclusion because they thought about it, than to be just another one of the rats following the piper over the cliff and into the water.

Now, here is what is so fascinating about all of this; the people behind trying to convince everybody to be a non-conformist (peace, love, dope man!), were the same people accusing The Right of trying to fit everyone into one big homogeneous mass (when in reality conservatism teaches individualism, personal responsibility, and self-reliance). So, the people behind the non-conformist movement, the folks the kids were looking up to, were quite liberal. That was the liberal message. Their message was, and still is, "We are here to embrace your differences. To embrace your diversity. To embrace your uniqueness. To embrace your unwillingness to mindlessly conform to the rules society tells you that you must follow."

Honestly, to a degree, I agree. Be an individual. But don't forget you are an American, and that diversity of thought is also important.

The very same liberals that have been telling you to be unique, and to be a non-conformist, are also the ones behind socialistic programs that are designed to treat everyone the same, and to foster uniformity. In these programs they want everyone to be the same. They are saying to us that everybody must have government paid healthcare, nobody should be taking risks (it could, they are saying, damage our financial market), they want you to be a conformist that conforms to their policies, follows the other sheep into their programs, and don't be a part of the opposition.

If you are different from them, if you disagree, if you have an opposing view, like the Tea Party Movement, you will be cast out. You will be subject to their attacks. If you refer to history, and use the teachings and writings of the Founding Fathers as the basis of your political beliefs, and your conclusions are in opposition to what their beliefs are (like Glenn Beck's for example), you will not only be cast out. . . you will be attacked. That is the message of this administration. That is the message of the Congressional Democrats.

In the high school halls,
In the shopping malls,
Conform or be cast out. . .

As for me, I will choose free will.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary