By David Deming

One of the most insidious ways the political Left operates is by controlling thought through language. The classic example in literature is George Orwell's novel, 1984, in which a totalitarian government promulgates three slogans through its Ministry of Truth: "war is peace," "Freedom is slavery," and "ignorance is strength."

Another example of thought control through language is found in Jack Vance's science-fiction novel, The Languages of Pao. The population of the planet Pao is transformed from an apathetic and pacifistic people to an aggressive and militaristic population simply by changing their language. In the following paragraphs I describe some of the illegitimate terms the Left uses to control our minds and thoughts.

Homophobia. Anyone who criticizes, or expresses any negative opinion concerning homosexuality is said to be homophobic. A phobia is an "an irrational fear or dread." The key word here is "irrational." Thus the acceptance and use of the term "homophobia" presumes what must be demonstrated: that objections to homosexuality are irrational. But the burden of proof ought to be on those making the assertion. If we even use the term "homophobia," we have already conceded that there can be no rational objection to homosexuality.

The gay agenda is to convince the heterosexual population that homosexuals are fundamentally the same as heterosexuals in their behavior and impact on society. Any prejudice against homosexuality must therefore be an irrational phobia. The gay agenda is promoted endlessly through propaganda in the form of television programs such as Desperate Housewives and films such as American Beauty. Heterosexual relations are portrayed as dysfunctional, while homosexuals are invariably depicted as well-adjusted, smart, well-dressed professionals. What's not to like?

Hollywood depictions of gay people bear about as much resemblance to reality as the movie Bambi does to forest ecology. Medical statistics tell a different story. According to the Centers for Disease Control, men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) are disproportionately at risk for syphilis, AIDS, gonorrhea, papillomavirus, and anal cancer. Differences between the gay and the heterosexual population are astronomical. MSM are only 2 percent of the US population, yet in 2009 they were responsible for 61 percent of all new HIV infections.

Thus differences between homosexuals and heterosexuals are not superficial, nor is prejudice against homosexuality necessarily irrational. Society has a legitimate interest in restricting activities that spread disease.

Assault Weapon. There is no meaningful or objective definition of an "assault weapon." The goal of using the term is to demonize a certain category of firearms so as to get the general population to acquiesce in the surrender of their Second Amendment rights. There is nothing new about this. Several years ago, inexpensive handguns were demonized by calling them "Saturday Night Specials."

School shooting such as the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School are rare. What is commonplace is for people to defend themselves with firearms. Even the probability that people own guns prevents home invasions. Thus gun owners help keep non-owners safe in their homes.

The saying is that "the exception proves the rule." But with television propaganda running day and night, the exception becomes the rule. Common defensive uses of firearms go unreported, while exceptional misuses are highlighted and exploited ceaselessly. People acquire a distorted sense of risk and rational decisions become impossible.

Social Justice. The concept of justice was first explored by the ancient Greek philosophers. Plato's dialogue, The Republic, is an attempt to define justice. What Plato and the philosophers concluded was that it is impossible to arrive at an objective definition of justice because everyone defines justice to be what is in their self-interest.

When the Left invokes the term "social justice," they have implicitly concluded that our system of free enterprise is incapable of producing just results. There is a small kernel of truth in this. Free markets in fact do not function perfectly. There are market failures. To address these market failures, the Left produces interventions in the form of government actions. But they never contemplate or deal with the unintended consequences of their interventions. It has now been about fifty years since Lyndon Johnson and the Democrats sought to eliminate poverty in the US through their Great Society programs. Yet the poverty rate has remained virtually unchanged. Why don't we abandon programs that don't work? Because "social justice" has never been about "justice." People want something for nothing and there are always demagogues who will pander to them.

The pertinent question is this: what economic and political system produces the greatest prosperity and freedom? We obtained the definitive answer to this question after WW II when Korea was divided into a socialistic North and a capitalistic South. Capitalism is not a perfect system -- it is merely the best system. The results produced by free enterprise are therefore the most socially just that can be obtained. Freedom produces equity, not equality!

The best way to fight the Left and degeneration of our culture, society, and government is through education. We have to first educate ourselves, then our family and friends. We must speak out publicly by writing and publishing. We should be assertive, but always calm and rational. Above all, never surrender the moral high ground. There is nothing more effective than a reasoned argument supported by facts. At its core, the political Left is darkness and ignorance. It is best dispelled through the light of knowledge.