my view

On the dangers of ideology

By SHANE ANDREWSKI
Posted 5/5/21

The tragic fact of today’s political climate is that you can more-or-less derive every viewpoint of a random sample of Americans by simply asking the question, “Who did you vote …

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my view

On the dangers of ideology

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The tragic fact of today’s political climate is that you can more-or-less derive every viewpoint of a random sample of Americans by simply asking the question, “Who did you vote for?” This is a symptom of ideological subscription and it is, in my view, not only annoying but dangerous to the entire Western world, considering the invisible arms race that is currently taking place. This race is towards a “quantum computer,” and my purpose in writing this is to bring attention to the fact that America is sorely losing. Armed with this technology and a compatible quantum network, the common 2,048-bit RSA encryption code that protects the information of the United States government and every citizen will be cracked. It is not a matter of if, but when. Foreign entities actively try to fan the flames of America’s culture war to keep us from advancing technologically. Thus, it is truly imperative that we stop hating each other over political nonsense and get back to work. Over the past few years, I have been particularly troubled by the identity-centered ideology of many of my leftist peers and equally so by the modern-day worship of Donald Trump.

I am compelled by irony to use the word worship as, anecdotally, I once drove into a small town where there hung a large banner over a candy shop reading: “IN TRUMP WE TRUST.” The irony to me is that so many of Trump’s supporters are self-proclaimed Christians yet feel comfortable replacing the very word “God” with “Trump,” blissfully bypassing the blatant blasphemy. American culture has been consumed by trivial entertainment for decades and it culminated in the election of an actual reality-TV star as president. Whether or not you hated Hillary Clinton is completely irrelevant to the fact that this was indeed the case. The Republican Party has become so unpalatable to the younger generation because of the ongoing contradictions within their stances. On one hand, the right-wing desires that government should not interfere with business or personal life yet, on the other, will seek to make abortions or drugs federally illegal, hence forcing big government into the private life of citizens. In addition, with little to no understanding of the scientific literature, they call into question whether or not excessive emission of greenhouse gases, due to global industrial advancement, accelerates the change of the climate. This is not such an issue for the planet itself as nature will eventually return to equilibrium, but this will come at the unfortunate cost of extreme weather conditions that may render Earth uninhabitable for human life.

As for my identity-focused peers, many wonder how college has become so expensive, and yet they feel comfortable that universities hire entire teams of diversity and inclusion experts that have salaries between $90,000 to $400,000 (judging by a simple Google search). I would be curious as to what these diversity directors actually accomplish. For instance, I have encountered several “implicit bias” training requirements that seek to “help” students or staff “understand and minimize the role of unconscious bias within their organization.” How does one hope to reduce the role of unconscious bias if it is indeed unconscious? These diversity experts are not neuroscientists and they have no scientific understanding of how to induce or change unconscious thoughts in any significant way because there currently exists no such science. In my humble opinion, these thought-conditioning mandatory requirements are a slippery slope into a “Brave New World” type of scenario where a small group of intellectual elites are allowed to arbitrarily rewrite the rules of our culture’s morality. May I remind you that “diversity and inclusion” by no means signifies the diversity of ideas, it only seeks to bring racial identity into account rather than judging applicants solely on merit. It does not help minority communities or the academic integrity of universities to lower the standards of entry for certain groups, which is exactly what has been done. Rather, it instills a psychology of victimhood and imposter syndrome where students may believe that they were accepted not because of their hard work, but because of the color of their skin. “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”

In conclusion, we must collectively strive for unity in the face of division; liberty over suppression; freedom of thought and expression; love in spite of hate. Together and only together can we truly “make America great again” and defend ourselves amidst the current technological arms race. Let this article be a call—not to send your children to war, but to science! Right-wingers, stop equating higher education to money-draining indoctrination and start tearing down your altars to Donald Trump. Left-wingers, stop paying for your kids to get degrees in fields like “gender studies” and start undressing your postmodern Marxist pig disguised as diversity.

Shane Andrewski is a Narrowsburg, NY native with a love for music. He is currently a quantum information science researcher and graduate student at Stony Brook University with a background in mathematics and philosophy.

identity politics, political climate, voting, right wing, left wing, democrats, republicans

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