The Code Words of Elite Leftists

Nobody uses code words as much as Elite Leftists.  To describe themselves, I trust you've noticed the recent transition from "liberal" to "progressive"?  Whatever terminology they use, have you ever stopped to think about the implied meaning behind these words?

When a Leftist says something like "progressive people still stand by Barack Obama", what they're actually thinking is, "ultra-intelligent, enlightened, worldly, caring people still stand . . . ."  And of course the clear implication is that if you don't support the policies of the Left then you are:

1. Stupid
2. Unenlightened
3. A local, uninformed hick
4. Selfish

What bothers me about all of this is not so much that neither half of this preposterous viewpoint is true but that the group think mentality of the Leftist herd has convinced themselves that it is.  The only question in my mind is whether such thinking is a result of arrogance or brainwashing.  Probably a bit of both, I imagine.

I have hope for the future though and I'll tell you why.  In 99% of the cases where I sit down with a self-proclaimed Leftist face-to-face and discuss individual issues slowly and respectfully, I find that such folks actually have conservative, common-sense views.  Why they vote the way they do I have not completely figured out yet but I suspect it has much to do with guilt and traditional voting patterns of their elders.

Here's a perfect example: Suppose we were conducting a simple poll over the telephone:

Question #1: Do you believe that all cultures are equal?

1. Very much agree
2. Somewhat agree
3. Neutral or not sure
4. Somewhat disagree
5. Very much disagree

To this initial question I have no idea how most people would answer but I bet there'd be a pretty high number answering 'a' or 'b'.  Wait though.  Here's the next question for the pollster:

Question #2 (only ask if the respondent answered 'a' or 'b' to Question #1) : Since you agree that all cultures are equal then would it be correct to conclude that you also believe that female genital mutilation and honour killings are perfectly acceptable in those cultures that have them and Canadians should not be critical of such practices?

1. Very much agree
2. Somewhat agree
3. Neutral or not sure
4. Somewhat disagree
5. Very much disagree

This is where I believe there'd be a long pause amongst a huge majority of people in democratic countries, as they fully understood, perhaps for the first time in their lives, what it actually meant to support the notion that "all cultures are equal".

Question #3: If the respondent pauses for a long time or answers 'c', 'd', or 'e' to Question #2 then ask them this question: Now that you better understand a practical example of cultural equality, do you believe that all cultures are equal?

1. Very much agree
2. Somewhat agree
3. Neutral or not sure
4. Somewhat disagree
5. Very much disagree

If such a poll were ever conducted, and done fairly, I firmly believe that 97%+ of people in democracies would answer 'd' or 'e' to Question #3.  Yet, such answers are diametrically opposed to a primary tenet of Leftist philosophy, namely "Equality" above all else.

I've provided just one example but have strong anecdotal evidence that issue after issue after issue will have similar results.  But rarely, in public discourse, do real world implications of assorted political views get the antiseptic treatment of direct sunlight.  Society is the lesser for it.