I continue to be disappointed as I look around the American scene today at the “voices of value” lacking in the national discourse. They are few and far between, and they grow more silent and distant every day.
Voices Of Value in The 20th Century
The 20th Century had many such voices. Three who come readily to mind are three of my favorite authors: G.K. Chesterton, Eric Hoffer, and Richard M. Weaver. These three gentlemen wrote close to the bone about human nature and the human condition. They knew whereof they wrote. All three were excellent writers and wrote on many topics that have relevance for today.
Voices Of Value In The 21st Century
The 21st Century has not given voice to comparable thought leaders or writers. Moreover, when a voice of value does speak out, whether, in economics, science, politics, or another discipline, he or she can expect to be ridiculed and, in many cases, become a victim of the “cancel culture.” Any voice that is not aligned with a politically correct narrative or meme is drowned out by a cacophony of name-calling of the worst sort. Free speech is going the way of the infamous Dodo bird.
Conversely, the voices of nonsense, blather, and palpable poppycock are ever more apparent across the journalistic and intellectual landscape. I love the last term in that triad at the beginning of this paragraph. Palpable poppycock is an apt phrase. It describes quite fittingly what we see in our newspapers and on the nightly news. I first recall seeing the term in a cartoon in The New Yorker Magazine of all places. In my view, we have more palpable poppycock than anything else.
New Voices Of Value
What we need today in America are men and women who write and speak with clarity and objectivity about difficult and controversial topics. That is a challenge of the first magnitude because the educational system has been corrupted by cultural marxism. At present, we are not educating our younger generations to become critical thinkers. Sadly, the educational system teaches our young people what to think, not how to think.
A Call To Action
Let me leave you with a powerful quote which is the motto of the Royal Society of England: “Take the word of no one and follow where the evidence leads.” Put more simply: Do your homework and become a voice of value. Our survival as a nation of free men and women may depend on it.
Links
External: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-guinosso-7687177/
Internal: https://whitebeardwisdom.com/many-words-have-lost-their-power-and-their-meaning/