Eric Zorn declares victory

Eric Zorn declares victory May 28, 2015

Chicagoland readers will recognize Eric Zorn as one of the Tribune’s columnists, whose writing has evolved over the years to become much more political and much more unapologetic on his stands, has declared “mission accomplished“:  citing the Pew-reported rise of the “nones”, gay marriage in Illinois and Ireland, the rejection of the death penalty in Nebraska, and the decriminalization of pot in Illinois, he declares,

taking the long view, this era-defining set of cultural debates — this “war” — looks like a rout. The soul of the country has been won by a larger, more diverse group of people than those who tried to claim it. And, look around, the winners aren’t about to let it go.

Who are the “losers”?  A straw man people who believe

that the government should censor obscenity, that women should not have all the rights and opportunities afforded to men, that teachers should lead public school students in prayer but offer no sex education, that the state should be able to ban contraception, that single mothers and cohabiters should be marginalized and that rock ‘n’ roll is the devil’s music.

What’s really going on?

The death penalty?  That’s a red herring.  That’s not a culture war issue.  But the two other issues he cites, gay marriage and pot-smoking, are connected, I suppose.  Not in the “justice for all” way that people supporting “marriage equality” imagine, but in the fact that supporters of liberalization in both those regards, can’t or won’t look beyond the tangible immediately-visible impacts (happy couples, claims of healing or generally well-being by pot smokers) — in the same way as the increasing secularization has much to do with a general not-looking-beyond.

Zorn also claims that our new era is one of live-and-let-live.  What do you think?


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