It is said European progressives often draw on communist ideals, while American progressives are often said to stem from anarchism. But Lionel Shriver argues it’s not anarchism—it’s narcissistic nihilism.
She agrees with Gad Saad’s “suicidal empathy,” but sees it as inaccurate; there’s no real empathy, just performative theater. (They don’t actually help the disenfranchised, but don the garb of caring and outrage until they fool themselves into belief.)
The difficulty is the conversion from Richard Rorty’s “liberal ironist” (who grasped the illogic of the struggle to universalize “anti-cruelty”) into the “non-liberal non-ironist.” This new (extreme) progressive demands instant, whole-hearted allegiance based on emotive beliefs and status rather than reasoned progress.
The other side: American Conservatism’s Evolution