Don't Burn This Country

1. Welcome to the Woke Dystopia: Freedom Under Attack

The unfortunate truth is that most Americans, it turned out, were happy to submit while our country burned.

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed how quickly freedoms can be eroded under the guise of crisis. Initial "two weeks to flatten the curve" turned into prolonged lockdowns, mandates, and restrictions that tested the limits of public tolerance. Leaders, media, and corporations used the crisis to exert control, from shuttering businesses to pressuring citizens into specific behaviors.

Life feels dystopian, not like Orwell's factory slaves, but a system where problems are created, people blamed, and terrible solutions manufactured. The narrative shifted from Trump being an "evil orange monster" to a focus on mandates and social unrest, yet "normalcy" never returned. The same forces that targeted the former president now target everyday citizens.

Classical liberalism's values of tolerance and free expression have been weaponized, leading to censorship and mass shame. The author, once a defender of these values, questions their salvageability when they've morphed into a "politically correct mafia" where questioning the narrative makes you the worst label imaginable: a conservative. This moment is presented as a last chance to defend America from tyranny fueled by wokeism and media manipulation.

2. Individualism is the Antidote to Collectivist Control

To fight for individual rights is to be, in essence, an individualist.

Individualism values each person as unique, thinking beings, prioritizing individual power over government, groups, or institutions. Rooted in the Declaration of Independence, it asserts that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are birthrights the government cannot grant or take away. True democracy and individualism are intertwined, fostering progress and authentic inclusivity.

Alexis de Tocqueville warned of the "tyranny of the majority" in American democracy, fearing centralized systems would make individuals reliant and devalue freedoms. This fear manifests today as a "creepy little monster" called the collective, which seeks to diminish individual thought and expression, leading to group-based judgment rather than seeing people as unique.

The woke mob, though small, creates a tyranny not by numbers but by being loud and oppressive, demanding conformity. This collectivist pressure leads to judging people based on immutable characteristics like race or sexuality, rather than individual merit. The solution is to fight for the right to freedom, recognizing that the collective doesn't truly exist and its power comes from our fear and silence.

3. The Progressive Postmodern Parasite Infects Institutions

Social justice has arranged things in such a way that it can treat its belief as undeniable fact.

A subtle parasite, woke social justice, has infiltrated academic institutions like Oxford and the entire education system. It began as academic skepticism about objective truth but mutated into applying these ideas to political realms like race and gender, culminating in "reified postmodernism" that demands real-world activism. This leads to absurdities like questioning if math is racist or if hard work is a "white value."

Postmodern Theory is at odds with liberalism, rejecting objective knowledge, individual value, and universal human values in favor of group identity and power structures. It uses "language games" to redefine terms like "anti-racist," shifting the focus from individual belief to systemic destruction. This ideology cannot be criticized, as any critique is seen as reinforcing dominant oppressive discourses.

This parasite infects institutions, making them crumble from within by prioritizing ideology over truth and academic rigor. While the parasite itself has no new ideas, it gains power by deconstructing existing ones. The irony is that the woke mob, which arose in opposition to objective truth, has become dogmatic and intolerant, often relying on the very institutions (like government) they claim are oppressive to enforce their agenda.

4. Protect Yourself from Propaganda and the War on Reality

The media doesn’t reflect reality; it filters and shapes it.

We are in a "war on reality," where different media consumption leads to living in different universes. Mainstream outlets prioritize world-shaping narratives over delivering truth, acting as filters rather than windows to the world. This aligns with Walter Lippmann's observation that mass media acts as the main connection between the world and "the pictures in our heads," often based on ideas rather than facts.

Trust in traditional media is at an all-time low, with a majority believing journalists intentionally mislead or prioritize ideology over facts. Fake news exists in various forms:

• Narrative-driven (editors work towards a predicted outcome)
• Algorithmic (Big Tech manipulates news feeds)
• Institutional (respected organizations present biased studies as fact)
• Blatant falsehoods (outright lies)

The most dangerous fake news is what the media doesn't cover, selectively ignoring stories that counter their narrative. This was evident in the differing coverage of sexual assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh versus Joe Biden, or the downplaying of Hunter Biden's controversies. This selective reporting forces individuals to question everything and can push people towards paranoia when labeled "conspiracy theorists" for questioning the approved narrative.

5. Big Tech and Big Government Form a Dangerous Alliance

If you aren’t paying for the product, then you are the product.

Big Tech companies, initially granted immunity as impartial platforms under Section 230, have become strategic curators of information, suppressing and amplifying voices based on their own biases. This was starkly evident in the differing treatment of political figures and the unprecedented deplatforming of a sitting U.S. President and entire platforms like Parler.

The alliance between Big Tech and Big Government is growing, fueled by massive political donations and lobbying efforts from tech giants. This financial influence raises concerns about regulatory capture, where regulations are shaped to benefit the very companies being regulated. Examples include:

• Amazon's cozy relationship with the CIA and its strategic location of HQ2 near D.C.
• Facebook's history of deboosting/suppressing content and its leadership's political ties.

This merger creates a giant monopoly over information and communication, threatening basic civil liberties like freedom of speech, press, and assembly. While some argue private companies can do what they want, the scale and control wielded by Big Tech make them more powerful than states, raising moral questions about allowing corporate power to trample individual liberties. The government, often incompetent in technology, risks making problems bigger by trying to regulate it, potentially prolonging the lifespan of failing tech models.

6. Embrace Your Inner Black Sheep and Resist Conformity

A nation of sheep will beget a government of Judas goats.

History shows a correlation between infectious diseases and the rise of authoritarianism. The "parasite stress" theory suggests that in regions with high disease prevalence, people are more likely to conform and submit to authority to minimize infection risk. The COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity for leaders worldwide to capitalize on fear and push oppressive restrictions, demonstrating how easily citizens can fall in line with unquestioned obedience.

The pressure to conform is deeply ingrained, as shown by the Asch Conformity Experiments where individuals often yield to group pressure even when the correct answer is obvious. Neuroscientific studies reveal that conforming activates the brain's reward center, while standing against the group activates the fear center. This makes people naturally inclined to follow the majority, even if that majority is small but loud.

Judas goats in politics are leaders who impose strict rules on the populace while exempting themselves, demonstrating hypocrisy and a desire for control rather than genuine concern. Examples include politicians breaking their own lockdown rules for personal convenience. Resisting this requires courage and a philosophical compass grounded in principles, not partisanship. Being a "black sheep" means thinking for yourself, questioning authority, and refusing to blindly follow the herd, even when it's difficult.

7. Self-Reliance and Preparedness Build Resilience

The reality is we don’t need self-care; we need self-reliance.

The modern wellness movement, despite its popularity and economic size, hasn't made people happier or healthier. Instead, it often promotes fads and external solutions. The pandemic highlighted our dependence on systems (grocery stores, utilities, services) and revealed the need for self-reliance and self-sufficiency. Preparing for emergencies, like stocking food or learning skills, isn't paranoia; it's building confidence and reducing worry.

Self-reliance, as championed by Ralph Waldo Emerson, means trusting one's own intuitions and avoiding conformity to societal expectations or institutions. Dependence on external systems or handouts (like welfare) can lead to complacency and a loss of individual freedom and accountability. The goal is not just survival, but thriving, which comes from cultivating personal capabilities and independence.

Physical and mental preparedness go hand-in-hand. Being able to handle crises, from flat tires to larger disasters, requires both practical skills and mental fortitude. Great leaders, like Rudy Giuliani during 9/11, demonstrate how prior experience and mental readiness allow individuals to rise to the occasion. Cultivating self-reliance means taking responsibility for your own well-being and being a dependable person for yourself and others.

8. Capitalism Empowers Individuals, Socialism Creates Dependency

The vision of the left—and I think many conservatives underestimate this—is really a more attractive vision in itself. The only reason for not believing it is that it doesn’t work.

Progressive welfare policies, like rent control and minimum wage hikes, often have catastrophic consequences despite good intentions. Economist Thomas Sowell's research showed that minimum wage laws, for example, disproportionately harm unskilled workers and contribute to higher unemployment rates among marginalized groups. These policies, while sounding compassionate, can create dependency rather than lifting people out of poverty.

The "War on Poverty," despite trillions spent, has shown minimal progress in alleviating poverty rates, which only significantly declined when government intervention lessened and pro-growth policies were implemented. This suggests that dependency on government handouts hinders individual initiative and responsibility, keeping people in cycles of welfare rather than empowering them to produce and thrive.

Capitalism, at its core, is about voluntary trade for mutual benefit, recognizing individual rights and productive achievement. It's not inherently greedy but relies on individuals creating value and exchanging it ethically. The 2008 financial crisis, often blamed on capitalism, was a result of government intervention (Federal Reserve policies, GSEs) distorting the market. A truly free market would allow failing, unethical companies to collapse, while ethical ones would succeed, promoting innovation and opportunity for all.

9. Rethink Work and Education for a Thriving Future

College can be good for learning about what’s been done before, but it can also discourage you from doing something new.

The traditional nine-to-five workday and office structure, a relic of the industrial revolution, is becoming obsolete. The pandemic-induced shift to remote work revealed benefits like increased productivity, reduced commute times, and more personal freedom. This suggests a future workplace prioritizing autonomy and results over arbitrary hours and physical presence, fostering a kind of "corporate individualism."

Higher education, particularly college, is presented as an outdated institution that swindles students, burdens them with debt, and often fails to prepare them for the workforce. It's criticized for promoting conformity of thought ("what to think" over "how to think") and becoming a "luxury brand" disconnected from real-world innovation. Many successful entrepreneurs and companies no longer require degrees, valuing skills, work ethic, and unique thinking over credentials.

The future of work and learning lies in adapting to new realities and prioritizing individual growth and creativity. This means questioning the necessity of traditional college, leveraging free or inexpensive online resources, and focusing on lifelong learning and skill development. For employers, it means hiring based on merit and potential, empowering employees, and fostering a culture of responsibility and mutual self-interest, rather than adhering to outdated corporate structures or diversity quotas.

10. Build Community, Not Collective: Be a Hero, Not a Comrade

People don’t have ideas. Ideas have people.

Totalitarian regimes seek to destroy the nuclear family because it's a fundamental unit of human connection and individual development that competes with state control. Dystopian fiction often depicts isolated protagonists lacking family ties, as the collective (like Orwell's Party) fills the void left by personal relationships, demanding loyalty and conformity.

Cultural Marxism, embodied by organizations like Black Lives Matter (as stated by its co-founder), aims to destabilize the nuclear family and individualism, replacing them with the collective or the state. This leads to harmful ideologies like intersectionality, which divides people into subgroups based on immutable traits, fostering victimhood and resentment rather than seeing individuals as whole, complex beings.

Building a strong community is the antidote to collectivist control. Unlike a collective (a monolithic, unthinking group), a community is made up of unique individuals who support each other, starting with family and extending outward to friends, neighbors, and local areas. Prioritizing personal relationships, being a good spouse, parent, friend, or neighbor, and investing in local communities are pragmatic steps towards creating a better world, one individual connection at a time.

Last updated: June 26, 2025