Will Witt - How to Win Friends and Influence Enemies: Taking On Liberal Arguments with Logic and Humor

G OD IS DEAD. God remains dead. And we have killed him.

Many people read this Friederich Nietzsche quote as a celebration of the collapse of the monotheistic worldview in the west. Young atheists champion this phrase as a heroic pronouncement, that the destruction of God and these types of worldviews are something to be cheered and applauded. But in reality, this is a misinterpretation. Nietzche said this in grieving, referring to the removal of Christian morality from the west and its replacement with scientific discovery and government control. Nietzsche knew that without the belief system imposed on us from Christianity, the world would face certain collapse.

Although Nietzsche was in fact an atheist most of his life, he understood the importance of a belief system to bring cohesiveness to a group of people. Nietzsche realized that although God was dead, people would find a replacement for that system of beliefs.

Enter leftism. Although Europe and America became more and more secular throughout the 20th century, there was no shortage of belief systems and religions that people latched on to to give their lives some sort of meaning. Whether it was communism, the environmental movement, Malthusianism, or any other system of belief, people found solace in their herd morality, and their impacts have had long-lasting and detrimental effects on the world as a whole.

Leftism has become the dominant religion in America. It is quite ironic that Karl Marx claimed, Religion is the opium of the people, while leftism and many of the principles he preached have become the ascendent dogmatic beliefs throughout western culture. And just like any other religion, it has a set of values. The tenets of this faith are that you stand against inequality, you stand against hate, you love the earth. These are some of the commandments the church of leftism preaches, and they sound pretty good, right? I mean, who isnt against hate? Who doesnt love the earth? These values sound like a wonderful way to live life, that is, until you put them into practice through the lens of leftism. Fighting against inequality becomes demonizing the successful. Standing against hate means silencing and attacking anyone who disagrees with you. Loving the earth translates to humans being parasites on our planet.

Also akin to other belief systems, there are consequences for sinning within this religion. If you go against the dominant agenda, you will be canceled and slandered by the mob. If you dont post a black square on Instagram in support of Black Lives Matter, you are a racist bigot who should be shamed. If you choose to throw away your plastic straw instead of recycling it, you are an immoral person who is killing the planet.

Whats even more ironic is that I used to be a disciple of the church of leftism. I grew up in a household where my father was never there; he was in prison for most of my childhood, and so I was raised primarily by my mom and older brother, who was my half brother. My older brother Zach acted the role of father for me, and I took everything he said as fact, so when he made claims, such as politics is all a waste of time or God and religion are stupid, I took these things incredibly to heart. I became a politically apathetic atheist for most of my life, eating up the leftist religion my teachers and peers preached and making it my primary belief system. When I got to high school, I ended up interning for a Democratic state senator, who pushed me over the edge even further. At that point in my life, I couldnt tell you what the difference between a Republican and a Democrat was, I couldnt tell you what socialism was, and I couldnt tell you what the First Amendment was. But I could tell you that global warming was a catastrophe, I could tell you that cops were racist, and I could tell you how stupid God and Christianity were.

It is important to note at this point in my life story that I wasnt a happy person. Throughout high school I felt like my life had no purpose. I partied all the time, most of my friends were terrible influences, and my relationships with my family members were shaky at best. I tried to find meaning in my life in all sorts of different places, various girls, odd jobs, and partying, and none of them did anything to make my life seem worthwhile. I was depressed on the inside, but on the outside, I was the poster child for your next president of Young Democrats of America.

But everything changed when I finally graduated high school and made it to university. For the first part of college, I was as depressed as ever and continuing my antics, exponentially increasing the levels at which I performed them and growing more and more hollow with each passing day. My connection with my mom was worse than ever, and I disregarded my family as a hindrance to my success. I ended up failing many of my classes, blaming the world for being unfair, and victimizing myself for my circumstances. Things seemed to be at a dead end for me, that is, until I entered the classroom for one of my most left-wing classes.

The class was Sociology 101, a class that conservatives today reference to justify the assertion that universities are brainwashing the youth of America, and justly so. This class ticked every leftist propaganda checklist. White privilege? Check. Sexism and the patriarchy? Check. Capitalism sucks? Double check. This class was complete leftist garbage, but at the time, I had no idea I was being brainwashed. That was until one day in class, when I sat next to this nice black girl in my class. The topic of the day was how African Americans had been oppressed for centuries by the white man and how they are still being oppressed. I listened to my teacher, nodding along and understanding the things she said, until she pointed at me. She stuck a finger out at me and then pointed a finger at the black girl sitting next to me and said something I will never forget: You are oppressing this girl next to you because of the color of your skin.

I was shocked. I looked at the black girl sitting next to me, and she shrugged at me, feeling just as awkward as I did in that situation. I didnt say anything; I just sat there in my lecture hall chair until the class was over. I remember being on the bus on my way back thinking about what she had said to me.