By Rob Scovell
Rob Scovell is a graduate of Edinburgh University with degrees in Astrophysics, Theology, and Mathematical Modelling. His interests are in political analysis and in bridging the illusory gap between Faith and Science. He is a classical liberal in a world where that position is under attack from both left and right-wing Identitarians.
BREAKING NEWS! There is no ?consensus? on CGT, so it?s not going to happen. One of Jacinda?s toys is broken?
The postmodern Left is so opposed to individualism and so wedded to a group-power-dynamic understanding of society, that their one and only tool for maintaining power is through consensus.
This is why they opened themselves up so easily to the NPC meme. It?s also why they pour scorn on that bizarre habit of conservatives, ingrained by educators past, of doing your own analysis of primary sources.
The Collective is all that matters to them: there are no individuals. This is why it is so important to each person on the Left to conform to the Collective Consensus.
The Left has skilfully appropriated the symbols of the ancient institutions of our societies to bestow upon themselves the imprimaturs of those institutions while hollowing out all of the traditional value from them and burning it in dumpsters.
If you want to take upon yourself the label of ?expert?, you need to enter into the consensus of those who have taken over the institutions.
If you deviate just a little from the consensus, you are ejected.
This is how a climate paper can contain data that does not prove the posited hypothesis, but still end with a contradictory conclusion that affirms the hypothesis in principle.
Consensus only has power over those who seek the validation of the group that confers it. Independent individuals threaten the consensus, so they have to be
maligned in the most extreme way possible.
You are either part of the consensus group, or you are the most disgusting creature imaginable.
Social media is used to induce this self-generated torture: say something outside the consensus, and the Pavlovian feedback of likes, hearts and smiles disappears.
But it is breaking down.
Consensus could not be built around CGT — so it?s simply not going to happen. The Pepe Clown is now laughing and honking at the Consensus absurdities. Fewer people are feeling the fear because now they can laugh at how ridiculous it all is.
This is why the Pepe Clown meme is such a powerful means of disempowering the Left.
I am optimistic. It looks like we are in a dark place at the moment, but the Left?s sets of consensus opinions are built on such absurd contradictions, they will surely just collapse in a moment of hysterical laughter and manic honking.
In the meantime, the Jordan B Peterson boys can start rebuilding the hierarchy of competence?