Editor’s note: Recently The XYZ praised Cory Bernardi for beating the left at their own game. Today, Adam Piggott is critical of Cory Bernardi for refusing to sink to their level, and thus ceding a win. What do you think?
Adam Piggott
I just received Australian senator Cory Bernardi’s weekly email to his supporters, his ‘weekly dose of common sense’ as he puts it. Bernardi is just about one of the only political voices in Australia today who stands as a bulwark against the forces of the progressive left. In other words, he fights. Something which those on the conservative side have forgotten how to do. But this week Bernardi has got it completely wrong.
His post this week is how freedom of thought and expression are under fire from SJW activists everywhere, and how they pressure private businesses to conform to their agenda. This is what the left are good at doing – fighting. I may not agree with them, hell, I hold them in complete contempt, but I have to admire their strength and singularity of purpose. They are like some ravenous army of insects that carry mindlessly on until they have devoured their prey and achieved their objective. It not only matters how many of their comrades fall in the process, it is a matter of pride.
Bernardi uses an example that is undoubtedly close to home for him. Connor Court Publishing, a small Australian publishing house that specialises in books that might be described as somewhat politically incorrect (the same company that published Bernardi’s book The Conservative Revolution), found itself in a quandary this week when the business it uses for its printing purposes refused to print one of their latest books (all quotes are from Bernardi’s email).
“Their usual printer, McPherson’s, refused to print the book Stealing from a Child: the Injustice of ‘Marriage Equality’ due to the subject matter and content.”
So far fairly typical of the political climate in which we live.
“However, I cannot help but contrast the reaction if the boot was on the other foot, so to speak. If a printer refused to provide services to one of the sanctioned SJW causes I can only imagine all hell would break loose.
“Complaints would be made, protests organised, owners named and shamed and legal action would be forthcoming.”
He is absolutely right. With the situation reversed, the left would have come screaming from the inner-city cafes, pouring out in an endless stream of demented banshees ready to do battle. And they would win because they fight. But what did the author of the book say?
“Van Gend said ‘…it is within their right as a private company to discriminate against people like me on ideological grounds …We are not like some people who would take anti-discrimination action. We do not think those sort of laws are worthy of a free society and we do not use them.’
“Not everyone shares Dr van Gend’s views but in this instance he is right.”
No, Cory, he’s not right. He’s wrong and he’s demonstrating the loser mentality that has gotten us into this mess to begin with. It’s a known fact that SJWs always project. So when they scream about intolerance you can have no doubt that they are the intolerant ones. Van Gend, however, is being eminently tolerant in his steadfast refusal to not lower his principles by using the tactics of the left. And the result of this?
He loses, thereby demonstrating once again that conservatives are really very good indeed at retaining the moral high ground while ceding all actual ground to their enemies. Surrendering with honour. Van Gend can sleep happily knowing that he is of good conscience, deluded in the belief that by doing so he has struck a blow somewhere for something which is not readily identifiable but still there nonetheless.
The truth is that fighting is hard. It takes effort. You need to get in there and get dirty and take risks. When the Germans sent over poison gas in WW1, the Allies didn’t exclaim that they would never stoop to such a dastardly trick. They sent it right back at them. And nobody judged them precisely due to the fact that in the end they won. Winners get to write the history at the expense of the vanquished.
Van Geld might well argue that he is fighting the good fight by writing his book, but what good is that when it can’t even be printed unless his enemies allow it? For now they will find another printer but in a few year’s time? What then?
The sad thing about all is this is Bernardi’s agreement. You’re wrong, Cory. I just hope that that is clear to you now. You need to retract your statement in your email and state that this business is wrong. Connor Court needs to sue them for breach of contract and losses suffered by the publishing delay. And those on the right need to step up their game. The printer in question needs to be flooded with emails denouncing their position on this matter. You don’t become the left by using their own tactics against them. You beat them. Somehow we seem to have forgotten that.
This article was originally published at https://pushingrubberdownhill.com/ where Adam Piggott blogs regularly and brilliantly.
Photo by Rodger_Evans 