Not a good time for liberalism

Everywhere I look, I see depressed liberals. They are depressed in Israel, they are depressed in Europe, they are depressed in the US. American liberals thought that they scored big with the election of Obama, and now walk around feeling betrayed and discouraged. But the problem is not Obama, nor any other person or group. This is simply not a good time for liberalism.

It is not a good time for socialist reforms. Basically, globalization gave the rich more power, and they have us by the balls. If they don't like the policies of one country, they can take their business elsewhere, and find plenty of better offers in many places around the world. In such an environment, the people will not want to hear our ideas, and if we do manage to implement some reform, it will fall flat on its face. But globalization will also gradually level the economies around the globe, until the markets become more equal. When this happens, we can think of big reforms again. Until then, no chance.

It is not a good time for peace. The enemies of the West at the moment are fundamentalist Muslims, and they are driven by an ideology of non-compromise. Until they change and become more pragmatic, there is no sense in talking peace to them.

It is not a good time for multiculturalism. The fundamentalists are using the West's multiculturalism not to integrate better in Western society, but to maintain and spread their anti-Western ideology. Again, we liberals have to face up to this reality.

It is not a good time for liberal immigration policies. The West is being swamped by immigrants from all over the world, and until the situation in their countries becomes better and the stream slows down, immigration policies will have to be more restrictive.


You get the idea. So, what should liberals do, until the environment becomes open to liberal thought again?

Play defense.


No point in getting frustrated or discouraged. Face reality, and realize that now is the time to defend and bolster what we have achieved since the sixties. This time can be used to rethink, to reevaluate, to reassess what has been done and what we should do in the future. There are also many small battles that can be fought and won. But don't waste energy on trying to bring on big progress. Conservatives have the wind in their back at the moment, they are on the offense, and our job is to hold our ground until the wind blows in our direction again.


That's all I had to say for today. Happy Superbowl!