Simple questions can help us determine whether calls for “progress” are morally justified. Who will be footing the bill? Worthy social movements will answer: “Whatever the price, we will pay it and if necessary, we will take on all the burden ourselves.” That’s what people who believe in their cause do. Naturally, they may not want to sacrifice as much as others, but they are willing to sacrifice because (they think) genuine good is more important than comfort or safety. I will pay. It is a test of integrity, and one that the moral movements of our time are failing with aplomb.
For example, consider the DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) movement. DEI is based on the belief that all institutions in society, both public and private, are infected with “systemic racism” in the form of “white supremacy.” In response, corporate, university, and private sector leaders have used taxpayer funds to create departments and bureaucracies whose sole mission is to enforce racial “equality” in the workplace. They have jointly invested billions of dollars, includingHowever, it will be difficult to find even one A CEO, provost, provost, dean, or other senior person who promotes white DEI who voluntarily resigned from his position and offered it to someone lower in the circle of power and privilege. (Often a staple “educational” aid for DEI training).It’s not too much to ask about mass resignations: If “white people” have too much organizational power, DEI logic suggests that the most The fair and efficient course of action would be for the most powerful people to resign, which certainly includes CEOs, more than 88% of whom are white. But strangely that didn’t happen. Despite their enthusiastic support for the cause, executives are trying to cut the real costs of the policy.
The “defund the police” movement has shown a similar allergy to following the consequences of its rhetoric. Perhaps the most egregious example comes from the founders of the political action group Black Lives Matter. While calling for drastic downsizing and even abolishment of police departments across the country (calling those who question the wisdom of the policy “racists”), they are calling for the most exclusive and safest neighborhoods in Southern California. Millions were donated to buy a mansion in Studio City, one of the. Members of Congress Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Cori Bush (often referred to as “The Squad”) also speak out in the “defund the police” movement. It’s here. But they spend the most on private security in the federal government, security that individuals in their respective congressional districts can never afford, even as they endure a nationwide surge in violent crime. He is one of those who do. Ultimately, it is the poor who pay the price for this attitude, those who cannot afford to move to safer communities.
“Climate justice” rounds out the trifecta of hypocrisy. Former President Barack Obama, who famously pledged that his election would mark the moment when “the oceans begin to rise slower and the planet begins to heal,” owns two mansions in his real estate portfolio. One is on Martha’s Vineyard near the ocean. The other island is Maui, which is right by the ocean.Mr. Al Gore inconvenient truth He also has a mansion, which uses 12 times more energy than the average home in the area. Famous Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg once sent a professional captain from the UK to the US to pilot a catamaran to attend a climate change conference in Spain, but the navigational stunt caused emissions. The reduction effect was completely canceled out. Just recently, Spain’s Minister of Environmental Transition got out of his car to go to the European Climate Conference and cycled the last 100 meters to his destination, followed by a car. (She also violated Spanish traffic laws, such as driving the wrong way on a one-way street and not wearing a helmet, but was not fined for the violations.) On the other hand, these Policies promoted by cultural elites and other cultural elites have brought about artificial energy. The shortage is driving up heating and cooling prices around the world. Again, it is the middle class and the poor who ultimately pay.
None of this is an indictment of social justice per se. The pursuit of social justice, when properly defined and implemented, is a good in itself and necessary for maintaining stable and prosperous societies. And there have always been principled champions like Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez, and Nelson Mandela who practice what they preach and are willing to pay the costs. It is also important to recognize that it continues to exist today. It would also be a mistake to conclude, as all suicide bombers have horrifyingly attested, that sincerity alone is sufficient to make a cause truly legitimate.
Nevertheless, the presence of widespread hypocrisy in sociopolitical movements remains a reliable sign that both salespeople and their products are up to no good. The prudent response to individuals and groups who ask us to sacrifice income, job security, transportation, physical safety, or anything else for their cause has been and will continue to be: Go ahead.