A Repressive Regime of Illiberal Liberals
Today's liberals have betrayed the principles of free thought and open-mindedness they proclaim to profess by using "authoritarian control" to silence conservatives and others who don't share their opinions, conservative author Kim R. Holmes said Wednesday.
Holmes, a historian of political movements and a distinguished fellow at the Heritage Foundation, was the featured speaker at a Heritage Foundation discussion in Washington, D.C. that focused on his recently released book The Closing of the Liberal Mind: How Groupthink and Intolerance Define the Left.
Although the definition of liberalism is to permit the free flow of ideas and protect freedom of expression, Holmes asserts that liberals today have "turned the cause of equality into a weapon that could be used against freedom of speech."
Holmes argues that liberals today have become quite "illiberal," as they have tried to "stifle" objection to certain progressive agenda items — like same-sex marriage and climate change — through public shaming, government coercion and collegiate demands for conformity.
