On the Never-Ending High-Tech Lynching of Justice Thomas

May 12, 2023 | Family, Free Speech, Freedom of Association, Friendship, Isolation, Media, Political Correctness, Politics, Propaganda, Society, Weaponization of Loneliness

Over the past 32 years, the anti-freedom brigade in Congress and their allies in the propaganda media have waged a constant war against Justice Clarence Thomas. Clearly, he stands in the way of their agenda to un-do the Constitution, which is why their smears are all discredited and steeped in pure animus. In this post, I want to offer two resources for understanding what’s going on. The first is the phenomenal documentary “Created Equal: Justice Thomas in his Own Words.” Since the propaganda media won’t allow us to see the real man, I hope you will watch this spellbinding film. Here’s the trailer:

Indeed, as Justice Thomas, said, “We knew exactly what was going on: ‘This is the wrong black guy. He has to be destroyed.'”

The current Supreme Court is all that stands in the way of the Left’s quest for total control of every branch of government. They find Justice Thomas a threat because he is so honorable and so courageous a defender of the Constitution. And, of course, because he’s black. if people were allowed to see the man as he really is, he would be admired. So it shouldn’t surprise us that the demonization campaign against Justice Thomas has ramped up — along with an assassination attempt on Justice Kavanaugh, and other forms of harassment outside the homes of members of the Court who dare to defend the Constitution.

Secondly, there is a new and insidious aspect to the current attacks on Justice Thomas, which I wrote about at American Greatness. In my article titled “Targeting Thomas,” I discuss how the manufactured scandal against Justice Thomas and his family accepting hospitality from long-time friends reflects a growing war on friendship. This has never been an issue before, but as I’ll write in the future, the Mass State is preparing to invade private life as never before. I’ll have more on that later. In the meantime, here’s an excerpt from my American Greatness article:

Ultimately, this is a much bigger war than we realize. Demonization of the Thomases is a high-profile battle, but it reflects a deeper conflict—a war against friendship and against independent thought. It is actually a prelude to atomizing all of us, and threatening us with social isolation if we don’t adopt the Left’s anti-thought and dehumanizing agendas. 

New Interview on The Weaponization of Loneliness — with Bill Walton

May 10, 2023 | Books, Conformity, Free Speech, Freedom of Association, Friendship, History, Identity Politics, Isolation, Loneliness, Media, Persuasion, Political Correctness, Politics, Propaganda, Society, Weaponization of Loneliness

I love The Bill Walton Show. He and his wife Sarah are so insightful and interesting. They keep important conversations going, bringing light into the chaos of our times. I recommend you subscribe to Bill’s Youtube channel if you’re looking for in-depth discussions of the most critical issues of the day. Bill has interviewed many prominent thinkers, including George Gilder, Naomi Wolf, Arthur Laffer, James Lindsay, and Winsome Sears–to name a very few.

So I was honored to return to Bill’s show, this time for an in-depth conversation about my book The Weaponization of Loneliness. You can watch the discussion below:

We talked about the uses of isolation as a political weapon today, as well as throughout modern history. I’m actually amazed at the many points we covered in one short hour, though there was a lot more we could have said on this topic. My hope is that more Americans become conversant with the dynamics that lead to our self-censorship so that we can overcome that fear of ostracism and start speaking out. Because self-censorship gives a lot of oxygen to destructive agendas. Worse, it opens the door wide for far more punitive forms of top-down censorship.

Bill and I ended on a hopeful note. There is so much even one person can do to overcome the darkness and chaos that surrounds us today. Just one honest conversation with another person can open the door to new ideas and influences that that strengthen civil society. This causes the sort of ripple effect of freedom that tyrants always seek to squash through censorship. We talked about the revival of beauty in the public square. And the revival of comedy! We talked about my book club project on the topic of the Weaponization of Loneliness, and we discussed all of the parallel polises springing up. Please give our conversation a look and a listen! And please subscribe to Bill Walton’s wonderful podcast!

Stanford Law is a Case Study in how Mobs Enforce Social Isolation

March 27, 2023 | Conformity, Cults, Education, Free Speech, Freedom of Association, Friendship, Identity Politics, Isolation, Law, Loneliness, Political Correctness, Propaganda, Society, Weaponization of Loneliness

In today’s essay at the Federalist I try to dissect the recent travesty at Stanford Law School in which a mindless mob shut down yet another campus speaker. The designated speaker was a federal judge, invited by the Stanford chapter of the Federalist Society. You can read the whole piece here: Stanford Mob Shows How Speech Restrictions Reinforce Social Isolation. Video of the disgraceful scene appeared on Twitter:

Clearly, Fifth Circuit judge Kyle Duncan’s dedication to natural law, due process, and civil society is why he and others like him are constantly targeted by mobs that despise the idea of real conversation. There’s no question we will descend into barbarism as members of such mobs get credentialed to practice “law.” They will be sure to shut down speech everywhere, right down to your personal relationships. This is exactly what they are being taught to do by University administrators (their tepid letters of apology notwithstanding) who are ruled by deans of so-called “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI.)

As I’ve written many times before, free speech is a use-it-or-lose it proposition. And mobs of mindless narcissists like those at Stanford are hellbent on making sure we all lose it. We can’t let that happen because it is the path to total social atomization. And that means the end of social trust, the end of civil society, and, yes, the end of any path to friendship at all. Because if you can’t speak openly to people, you simply cannot develop real relationships with people. That’s exactly why totalitarians throughout history have always made a point of shutting down speech, even between two people: they see it as a threat to social engineering and control.

I love a recent Twitter post in which a young man duly spouts off woke narratives and apologizes about how he’s unfairly “privileged.” He has been conditioned to do that by mob enforcement. When challenged by his interviewer, a young woman of color named Savanah Hernandez, he discovers he can actually speak openly. He is able to have a REAL conversation: “Wow, these are the kinds of conversations I love having!” he says. “Now I know where we’re at and I can go for real!” Watch:

Indeed. People are starving to break free of the isolation–and the loneliness–that mobs are enforcing on them. People are starving for the real conversation and real friendship that’s impossible to have without free speech.

There’s a Connection between Loneliness and Political Censorship

March 1, 2023 | Conformity, Culture, Free Speech, Friendship, Isolation, Loneliness, Political Correctness, Society, Weaponization of Loneliness

Ask yourself this: If you cannot speak openly to people, can you develop relationships? Not really anything beyond the shallow. If you are always terrified of saying something “politically correct” and therefore constantly self-censor, how easily can you get to know anyone? Not very easily. When a government puts up roadblocks to open conversation, people become more atomized, more socially isolated, and therefore more lonely.

My piece in today’s Daily Caller considers all of this in light of Gov. Ron DeSantis’s call for a “Digital Bill of Rights” that would allow people to have more open conversations. I explore it in light of my thesis, which is the basis of my book The Weaponization of Loneliness.

Here’s a link to my essay: https://dailycaller.com/2023/03/01/morabito-after-defeating-disney-desantis-latest-legislation-might-solve-the-loneliness-epidemic/

And here’s an excerpt:

Intentionally or not, the enforcement of political correctness atomizes people.  The resulting isolation creates a vacuum for terror and social control. Americans must develop an awareness of this connection. It’s obvious from the history of totalitarian systems in which saying anything politically incorrect could land you in a Soviet gulag or put you at the mercy of Mao’s brutal Red Guard mobs. These are just two examples of many such recurring tragedies in human history. 

Furthermore, our loneliness epidemic both results from and contributes to the practice of self-censorship. Too often we self-silence in order to avoid social rejection for saying something that might be politically incorrect. This is a trap. Power elites use this fear of ostracism to enforce their narratives. They know instinctively that the human need to be accepted – coupled with the natural terror of social rejection – is a powerful driver of conformity. 

Interviews on my book, The Weaponization of Loneliness

December 31, 2022 | Books, Conformity, Cults, Education, Family, Free Speech, Freedom of Association, Friendship, History, Identity Politics, Isolation, Loneliness, Political Correctness, Politics, Propaganda, Society

I’ve probably done more than 50 interviews so far about my book The Weaponization of Loneliness, often on talk radio as well as on podcasts, and some TV. Each one has been gratifying and all so different. I will post more of them to this blog, though in no particular order. For example, even though the subject matter is so serious, this interview with Michael Savage posted on December 6 was so much fun. He’s very engaging and doesn’t mince words. It’s no wonder he’s been cancelled in the past and considered so controversial! He loves real conversation — and it shows. The intro begins at about 4:08 below, and the actual interview begins at about 7:50. Click on this link for more convenient, listenable audio — https://www.iheart.com/podcast/256-the-savage-nation-podcast-31142973/episode/the-weaponization-of-loneliness-how-tyrants-105572802/

There’s a deeper purpose to the First Amendment: It Protects Your Right to a Private Life and Personal Relationships

June 2, 2021 | Culture, Family, Freedom of Association, Friendship, Isolation, Loneliness, Propaganda, Society

In my latest Federalist piece I explore a much more profound reason for the First Amendment than we’re used to thinking about. It protects your right to form families and friendships. To better understand the connection, try this thought experiment. Imagine being unable to express your ideas to others, while they are unable to express theirs to you. No one may deviate from Big Media’s and Big Tech’s approved narratives in what they may say or write. Where do you end up in that state of affairs if it’s allowed to persist? You end up in a vacuum in which there’s no real conversation or thought exchanged. Relationships, and the potential for relationships, drastically erodes in such a vacuum. As does all private life. We end up in a miserable state of social isolation, an isolation that prepares the ground for a more authoritarian state.

Here’s an excerpt from my essay:

Political philosopher Hannah Arendt noted that all totalitarian systems depend upon cultivating social isolation in people. Isolation renders people powerless. So it’s no wonder that freedom of expression is always first on the chopping block during and after authoritarian takeovers. A cursory look at communist and fascist governments in the 20th century confirms that they’re always intent on destroying the entire sphere of private life and relationships.

I think if more people understood free speech in this light, they’d be more inclined to protect it. Because no one wants to be alone. You can read the whole piece at this link: How Ending Freedom of Expression Gives Up Your Right to a Private Life

I refuse to be labelled “White.” I am “racial non-conforming.”

December 11, 2020 | Brainwashing, Bureaucracy, Culture, Freedom of Association, Friendship, History, Identity Politics, Political Correctness, Society

It’s been a long time since I checked a box for race when filling out a nosy form.  I used to find the question merely annoying. Today I find it enormously hostile as well as hopeless. Think about what you’re being ordered to do when you “check the box.” You are commanded to allow a faceless bureaucracy to define who you are. What’s your “color?” What’s your “ethnicity?” And so on.  Well, screw that.

Such questions are demeaning and dehumanizing because they obviously try to force us all into identity boxes. They insist you shut yourself into a darker time of history where you are pre-judged and demonized. Forever. I’d feel that way no matter what I looked like. To get a picture of how the “intersectionality” game works, take a look at this youtube video (which will likely be taken down for being politically incorrect) showing how people are “scored” according to their oppressor or victim status:

Let’s face it. If we are going to be living under a socialist/communist “Administration” we have to expect to be dehumanized through such pigeon-holing in more and more areas of life.  Critical Race Theory (CRT) is the re-packaging of an ancient tactic that poisons human relationships by shoving people into roles of oppressor or victim — or, today, the moniker “ally” which is intended to give “oppressors” a false sense of security.

One of the worst things about identity politics like CRT is how it serves to cultivate and enforce hostilities, especially where no antagonisms ever existed before. It worms its way into family relationships and friendships. Today we are being told that if you are defined as “white” you are automatically a racist whether you know it or not. There are no solutions, just false confessions. This is disastrous for any hope of a civil society, for any hope of goodwill or friendship. Don’t play that game. The least we can do is to REFUSE to allow others to define who we are based on what we look like.

Refuse to check the box

So I refuse to identify as “white,” and I hope you will too. I will also take to task anyone who casually insists I am “white.” I’ll try to be polite, but I’ll use their language and flatly state that I’m “racial non-conforming.”  I also reject any other classification such as “cis-gender” or “heteronormative” or any such bullshit.  It’s all poison intended to sow dehumanization and misery and loneliness in society.  No person of good will participates in such things, at least not if they are self-aware.   

The good news is that we are all human. We have names. We have unique personalities and experiences. If only we could clear the fog to see all of that. Or at least to WANT to see the real people behind the phony labels.  I hope you will agree.  Imagine how much more joy we could all take in life if we weren’t such pathetic navel-gazers. We could create real art. We could have real conversations.  We could build things. We could make real friends.  Love would prevail over the hostilities and fear. Isn’t that what we all should want?

Morale Booster: A Riot of a Dance Party!

September 10, 2020 | Community, Culture, Freedom of Association, Friendship, Hollywood, Politics, Society

I recently posted a depressing little follow-up on my Federalist article about the connection between social isolation and totalitarianism. As promised, today I offer a morale booster as a happy chaser to that bitter shot. You may have already seen the Ricky Rebel YouTube video “BLM Riot Turns into MAGA YMCA Dance Party” in Beverly Hills. It’s up to two million views now. If you haven’t seen it, take a look here! (assuming YouTube hasn’t yet censored it):

First off, I never heard of Ricky Rebel until this, even though he’s a relatively famous performer. I imagine he’ll be invited to some Trump rallies after this. Second, and more importantly, this little number should cheer up any American no matter how they feel about Trump. Most of us have had enough of the dismal division. People are starving for friendship and fun and happiness. This song is all about coming together as Americans, about being happy instead of miserable, about American optimism and our common humanity. The “YMCA” tune is, as always, catchy. There was some grumbling by activists that “YMCA” is supposed to be the “anthem of the gay movement” and is therefore “sacred,” and shouldn’t have the letters MAGA replacing it in parody. Really? Oh, please. Please.

Just watching this thing is uplifting — and gives a brilliantly hilarious retort to all of the violence and intimidation thrown our way by self-supremacists who pretend to be for “social justice.” The backdrop is the “Trump Unity Bridge” driving through Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills. That’s a large festooned SUV towing a trailer that carries a multitude of Trump-mania — colorful signs and flags and slogans and a replica Statue of Liberty — and more. Ricky Rebel is absolutely effusive prancing and dancing around the intersection at Beverly Dr. as police officers make sure he doesn’t step over the boundaries. The mood is ecstatic. You’ll want to watch this more than once. It’s a shot in the arm. A blast out of these dreary times!

Here’s a Try at some 2020 Foresight — on Human Interaction

December 31, 2019 | Community, Culture, Friendship, Loneliness, Media, Political Correctness, Society

Hi. I’m back.  I thought I’d write one post just before 2019 bites the dust.  Yes, it’s been a long hiatus since I posted the video of Marshall McLuhan explaining how “the medium IS the message.” Maybe I’ll explain the hiatus in a future post.

In the meantime, going into 2020, I’d like to pick up on where I left off with McLuhan.  Consider his amazing insight: that we are shaped more by the environment a medium creates than by the content within the medium itself.

So here’s a little thought experiment. Imagine you cross paths with someone you know to be a nasty troll on Twitter, but the person doesn’t know you know that. You strike up a friendly conversation. Maybe you just ask a question about something local, perhaps the parking situation outside the coffee shop or store you’re in.

The person might still be “off.” But I think your face-to-face experience would be very different and likely more positive than any experience contaminated by the environment of social media. 

Why is that?  McLuhan might say that it is because media — especially electronic media — take us out of our natural human context. Media environments set us up more easily for deception too, because they conceal parts of the big picture of whole human interaction.  For example, when someone’s on an audio phone call, they can roll their eyes without offending the listener no matter who it is. And people driving down the highway feel freer to honk (or worse) showing annoyance with other drivers. This is not news, of course. We treat people differently in environments that provide more anonymity than we do face to face.  Even simple written communication causes a lot of human context to get lost, including texting. We lose the big picture: mood, tone, eye contact, body language, nuances, true intent.

So it’s no wonder Twitter is such a cesspit.  There are no real rules of decorum and a lot of anonymity, which is a nasty combination. (Twitter’s censorship policies are, of course, purely political and not about maintaining any sort of decorum)

Anonymity can be a good thing, just as privacy is.  But anonymity does not make for the building of personal relationships.  Or community.  So the foresight going into 2020 is that a better world depends in large part on the health of our personal associations. Which in turn depends on more direct communication. A big key is to understand that loneliness — or fear of social rejection — is often the root of a lot of negative behavior in people.

Maybe you feel as much as I do that 2020 will be a pivotal year with some strong headwinds ahead. If so, one resolution might be to cut back on the digital stuff and increase more direct communication with others. And let’s all resolve to have a happy new year.

Let’s Build More Awareness of Mob Psychology

July 21, 2018 | Community, Culture, Freedom of Association, Friendship, Political Correctness, Propaganda, Society

Zombies from 1968 horror film “Night of the Living Dead.” (Wikipedia Commons)

The weird thing about mobs is that they tend to be made up of individuals with little or no self-awareness.  Participation in a mob mentality strikes me as a way of compensating for that loss. People tend to lose themselves — and get a false sense of purpose — from taking part in mob action. For example, consider the persona of “social justice warrior.” Those who adopt the SJW persona pretend to be aware of inequality.  Why?  My guess is that’s because they are so unaware of what true inequality is — that it stems from ignorance and a lack of experience in dealing with real people on a real level.  They resist honest interaction, honest relationships.  And nothing could be more self-destructive than that. It’s a zombie-like attitude that actually perpetuates inequality.

Take the case of “Barrett Wilson” — a pseudonym.  He recently wrote a piece for Quillette, entitled “I was the Mob Until the Mob Came for Me.”  He provides a chilling picture of mob behavior.  Having been a part of the “social justice industry” Wilson participated in ganging up on others and smearing them as “racists” and “sexists.”  Why?  Because it felt good.  He explained that he got an emotional rush from behaving that way: “For years, I was blind to my own gleeful savagery.”  Of course, at a certain point the savage mob turned on him.  That’s the nature of the beast.  He lost his well paying job because of the accusations and total lack of due process in the social justice industry.  Now he delivers food for a living.  He’ll lose that job too if the mob finds out who he is.

The silver lining is that Wilson realized that getting off the mob train — and doing honest work — has allowed him to recover some sanity in life, and best of all, appreciation for others:   “It’s led me to rediscover how to interact with people in the real world.  I’m a kinder and more respectful person now. . . ”

I wrote up a piece about this in the Federalist last week.  You can read it here:  What to Learn from the Social Justice Warrior Who was Eaten by His Own Mob.”  The more aware we become of mob psychology, the more able we are to think on our own and relate to others.