Phrases I Hate

"Right side of history."

Worst. Phrase. Ever.

It's very Hegelian and Marxian. That is, as if history unfolds neatly and under systematic schemes. 

It also presumes 'your side' has human nature figured out and the course charted is preordained. How else to claim you're on the 'right side of history'? It pretty much shields you and if anyone dares challenge your position just beat them off with a wave of the hand and dismiss them as 'reactionaries'.

And of course, they merely define ‘right side of history’ as agreeing with progressive notions and ideals.

As someone put it:

"The left tends to foster their delusion that they were ‘on the right side of history’ by claiming descent from all sorts of people who had nothing to do with them and would have despised their ideas. So for example the Levellers get held up as proto-commies (despite their strong insistence on property rights), and the role of Christian fundamentalists in abolishing slavery is completely ignored. Meanwhile Progressive support for eugenics is nothing to do with them, squire."

And the Catholic Church's immeasurable role in science.

*****

I grabbed this line from the usual hit piece at The Guardian which I've since lost about libertarians who have a, 

"visceral dislike of political correctness that caused them to turn against democracy"

And the left's interpretation of democracy is mob ruled because they're on the 'right side of history' which I'm surprised wasn't worked into the line.

Using the word ‘visceral’ suggests there’s no intellectual argument against political correctness.

Which is absurd. And notice how they always frame things as if there’s no room for debate. Ergo, you get logical fallacies like: Your (emotionally) driven visceral hatred of political correctness means you’re against democracy’.

You question public education policy means you hate kids.

You challenge Obama means you’re racist.

And so tiresomely on…