Gavin Newsom‘The Idealist Who Became an Ideologue’ and Other Poetry by Brian Yapko The Society October 2, 2023 Culture, Poetry, Rondeau Redoublé 42 Comments . The Idealist Who Became an Ideologue a rondeau redoublé To heal the world he treasured this ideal: Unite the many into one great whole. He preached the view that truth is what you feel, Convinced he played a messianic role. He’d speak of virtue. Then he would extol World government as one great commonweal (Though some dismissed this as rank rigmarole) To heal the world. He treasured this ideal. He spoke of love but coldly clicked his heel. He analyzed and censured every poll To squeeze support to legislate this deal: Unite the many into one great whole. Since leading revolutions takes its toll He’d turn the screw more oft than any wheel. Identifying as part saint, part prole, He preached the view that truth is what you feel. He soon became as oily as an eel— Manipulation helped him meet his goal. Vast crowds would vote for him, kowtow and kneel Convinced he played a messianic role. How well he learned to maim, defame and steal, Advancing hate to help impose control! Esteeming power over all that’s real He rendered bankrupt his immortal soul To heal the world. . . Critical Thinking A modern cult bows down to Dionysus. A reader fumes believing in false news. A scientist invested in his thesis Would rather alter facts than change his views. A covid fearer masked tight in Toronto Demands all cities must defund police. An old professor teaching Esperanto Believes its words are still the key to peace. An angry rabble loses all control And wrecks a statue honoring a hero. A leader worried for our nation’s soul Is libeled as a tyrant worse than Nero. A riot grows from some misunderstanding As paranoia fuels an ethnic war. A vote is cast based on no more than branding Or bias or who has the loudest roar. Imagine if men’s reasoning were based On evidence and careful introspection! But politics and history and taste Are built on thoughts deformed by misdirection. . . Brian Yapko is a lawyer who also writes poetry. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to print (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Trending now: 42 Responses Phil L Flott October 2, 2023 Brian, thanks for articulating what I believe the majority of us have noted about the current world that attempts to govern us. Reply Brian A. Yapko October 2, 2023 Thank you very much, Phil. “Attempts to govern” which are thinly-disguised attempts to control! Reply Roy Eugene Peterson October 2, 2023 Brian, perceptions of Kennedy vary widely between his idealism and his ideology, as well as his successes and his failures. His great rhetoric disclosed his idealistic world view of democracy which no doubt was fueled by his ideology of uniting the world. History books also debate his success and failures, such as his policies toward Cuba, among other things. On one side of the ledger, he stood up to Nikita Khruschev, but on the other he failed to commit sufficient military assets to take down Fidel Castro with the Bay of Pigs invasion. This is where his idealism got his administration in trouble that the people of Cuba would rise up and support the ill-fated invasion and overthrow Castro themselves. “Critical Thinking” in the modern era is at a premium and hard to find, not just in politics, but in everyday life. You make excellent points that should be obvious to the casual observer, but are glossed over, as you point out, by the roaring of the leftist lions. Great work. Reply Brian A. Yapko October 2, 2023 Thank you very much, Roy, for your insights on one of our most idealistic presidents. I have never considered that JFK might have been an ideologue, but your point regarding his failure to properly address Cuba for ideological reasons is well-taken. I expect that the thin line between idealism and ideology is frequently crossed over — often by the same person depending on the situation. My concern in this poem, though, is mostly to focus on those ideologues who actually veer into fascism because they reach a point where there ideology is more important than democracy, justice or truth. Robespierre, Trotsky, leaders of their ilk. They fight for what they think is justice and become monsters in the process. Reply Susan Jarvis Bryant October 2, 2023 Brian, in the ‘The Idealist Who Became an Ideologue’ you manage to get right to the core of our modern-day dilemma and to explain in adeptly crafted, crystal-clear stanzas exactly how easy it is to cross over that fine line… and it is chilling. The penultimate stanza is superb… I can see that ‘as oily as an eel’ oppressor… and it comes with many faces. I am a fan of the rondeau redoublé, and this form highlights your message perfectly – the ‘messianic role’, the aim to ‘heal the world’ – you expose the bullying virtue signalers in all their devilish duplicity. I am surprised so many have fallen for their lies. Very well done indeed! In ‘Critical Thinking’ you paint some stark images of those with “thoughts deformed by misdirection” – that scientist who”… invested in his thesis /Would rather alter facts than change his view” is my favorite, and says so much about a Western world that has adopted “settled science” as its new religion… a world willing to turn a blind eye to evil because the protocols are put in place by ideologues who want ‘to heal the world’. Brian these admirably crafted poems complement one another beautifully. They educate as they entertain – thank you very much! Reply Brian A. Yapko October 2, 2023 Thank you so much, Susan, for this detailed and perceptive comment. You grasp exactly who and what I am attacking and why. Bullying virtue-signalers is exactly the type who love to control others and will violate any ethical proscriptions in order to do so. Because they’re so nice. I’m glad the rondeau redouble form works for you because, as with the regular rondeau, it was you who introduced me to it! For which I profusely thank you! I’m especially glad you liked my “Critical Thinking.” Ideological scientists… woke academics… It allowed me to get some resentments off my chest! Reply Joseph S. Salemi October 2, 2023 “Critical Thinking” is a beautiful set of ABAB quatrains, with alternating feminine-masculine endings. The rhymes of “Dionysus – thesis” and “Toronto – Esperanto” are truly inspired. Also, the syntactical flow of the poem’s elegant English is a pure pleasure to read. As for “The Idealist..”, is it really about JFK? It’s true that he had some stupid liberal ideas, but for the most part he was a Cold-War Democrat of the old school. Evan’s illustration shows Bill Clinton, but in his case he was just an Arkansas grifter with no real ideological commitments except to make noises that kept the freaks in his party’s leftist base happy. I think that Brian Yapko is not referencing any particular person, but rather a type. Reply Brian A. Yapko October 2, 2023 Thank you very much, Joe! I was rather pleased with those unusual rhymes and am grateful that the syntax works well. It was your question in the second paragraph of your comment that prompted my explanatory comment below. No, this poem has nothing to do with either JFK or Bill Clinton. In fact, I liked Bill Clinton and voted for him twice. (Hilary’s another matter.) If there is a popular leader at present who this poem connects to it would probably be Justin Trudeau or Gavin Newsom. But there are a hundred others as well, from Bernie Sanders to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (we lovingly refer to her as “Occasional-Cortex.”) More generally, my poem is about the tendency in human nature to allow idealism to become so encrusted or fosslized in the psyche that flexibility flies out the window, along with justice and reason. People have a tendency to become so invested in their narratives and pet theories that they refuse to budge, no matter what the evidence shows. That’s when the real fun begins, because these people — in order to preserve their narrative or pet theory — will begin to cherry-pick only those facts which support what they think or the result that they want. Then it gets worse. They bury contrary evidence, they manufacture evidence, they manipulate evidence… all in the name of their twisted sense of justice. I’ve seen it a thousand times in litigation, in historical interpretation, in expert scientific testimony… that scientist/politician/doctor/teacher/social justice warrior, who is “so invested in his thesis/That he would rather alter facts than change his views.” Reply Shaun C. Duncan October 2, 2023 Joe, I agree completely with your remarks about Clinton’s character but I thought the choice of picture was inspired. It’s not so much for Bill himself but the characters flanking him: Gore the so-called Idealist who pushes “global governance” to unite humanity in the face some invented existential threat, and Reno the cold-hearted Ideologue who would happily burn children alive to advance her own agenda and then blame the crime on her victims. Reply Joseph S. Salemi October 2, 2023 Reno was a sick bitch, but she couldn’t hold a candle to Madeleine Albright, who celebrated and defended the starvation of half a million Iraqi children. If both of them aren’t burning in Hell right now, I can’t imagine who else might be there. Brian A. Yapko October 2, 2023 Thanks for this comment, Shaun, because although the original Clinton image was exchanged for the present Gavin Newsom image at my request, I had not considered the Janet Reno and Al Gore parts of Evan’s original photo choice. You’re quite right — both are/were ideologues of the worst order and worthy of our contempt. There is no shortage of ideologues who deserve skewering on these pages. Brian A. Yapko October 2, 2023 I will reply individually to comments shortly. But it should be noted that this poem was not written with Clinton or Kennedy in mind. It refers to a type — these days typified by Gavin Newsom or Justin Trudeau — politicians who are so invested in ideology that they can’t recognize their crossing of an invisible line into tyranny. It’s an.old story and one which Marxists know only too well. Reply Julian D. Woodruff October 2, 2023 Brian, these seem like rare archeological finds of the finest quality, carefully cleared of the accumulated grime and crud of modern habits of mind and instinct. One can only shake one’s head that Biden, or Trudeau, or Newsom can count on anyone’s vote at this point, let alone have a real shot at being re-elected. Reply Brian A, Yapko October 2, 2023 Thank you very much indeed, Julian! I very much like your imagery of poems that have been “cleared of the accumulated grime and crud of modern habits of mind and instinct.” Yes, I suspect Biden has a real shot at reelection, but I’m even more worried about what a Newsom presidency would look like in 2028. His gloating, smug, supercilious wokitude irks me like few others. The ideologue of my nightmares, he is utterly convinced that he’s out there “fighting the good fight.” Reply Julian D. Woodruff October 3, 2023 As we go on with our “humdrum little lives” (Lina Lamonte, in Singin’ in the Rain). Shaun C. Duncan October 2, 2023 These pair nicely to describe, expertly and with great economy, the problems of the current political situation, examining not only the psychology of our wannabe rulers but also that portion of the demos who encourage them in their demented schemes. Of course “The Idealist…” could be one of seemingly countless political figures which have come and gone over the past century – it describes a style of governance rather than any individual – but I think we all have our own examples which spring immediately to mind. For me it was “Dictator” Dan Andrews, the recently departed Premier of Victoria. Reply Brian A. Yapko October 2, 2023 Thank you very much, Shaun. I’m especially glad for your focus on the psychology of ideologues and how readily they go from idealism into the demented schemes that you describe. Of course, this is nothing new, but it seems to have particularly dramatic and far-ranging consequences in this particular age. We can go back well before the past century to find leaders who perpetrate heinous acts in their twisted pursuit of what they think is justice. The leaders of the French Revolution come to mind, and I’m sure there are many other pre-20th Century social-justice ideologues along with the more modern Bolsheviks, the Cultural Revolutionaries, and many others who have promoted cockamamie utopian schemes. I know nothing about Dan Andrews and will now look him up. Thanks for the comment and insights. Reply Cynthia Erlandson October 2, 2023 I agree with the comments above which express that this is quite brilliant! Reply Brian A. Yapko October 2, 2023 Thank you very much, Cynthia! Reply Yael October 2, 2023 This is a nice pair of poems, which read very smoothly and pack a lot of meaning into their well constructed lines, great job! Reply Brian A. Yapko October 2, 2023 Thank you very much, Yael! Reply Margaret Coats October 3, 2023 Brian, I am trying to apply critical thinking to your idealist become ideologue. The title seems to depend on a clearly pejorative connotation for “ideology” in contrast to a favorable connotation for idealism. Then the argument implies that good idealism easily becomes evil ideology. You say the poem describes a type, and that hundreds of examples exist. But is there really a process from holder of ideal to speaker of ideology? The only ideal I see is the vague “heal the world.” If we take the texte as starting point, the aim of unification and the obfuscating denial of truth and the messianic self-identity are present at the beginning. There is practical imposture throughout. The esteem for power to effect revolution does not seem to change; rather, there is learning or development only through the accumulated experience of sin and crime. What I see is a Machiavellian villain without illusions about his goals–except that a Machiavellian ruler need not be a revolutionary; his aim is usually to control a working social order rather than transform or destroy it. And he is not an idealist. This leads into the question of why and when we have public men who feel the need to spout ideals. A king regarded as sacred did not need to justify his actions, nor did he establish the ideal of kingship. Rather, he was judged in accord with it. Historic tyrants did not gain or maintain power by idealism; they used practical force. Your poem, Brian, is an ambitious one in its attempt to describe a type of political success that involves idealism but can end in utter spiritual degradation. Reply Brian A Yapko. October 3, 2023 Margaret, thank you for this deeply considered comment. There are certainly some subjective aspects to my poem. I believe idealism is a good thing – it’s what allows for concepts like abolition, democracy, universal suffrage, the creation of institutions like the Salvation Army or the Nature Conservancy. But what happens when this veers into insanity…? Riots in the name of social justice, Antifa, BLM? Every statue toppled is the result of an idealism that has become distorted by rage and a refusal to recognize nuances. In one sense, ideology is a good thing if it is a logically-constructed description of a political/social/religious/environmental/economic position. But it is not ideology I have a beef with so much as that branch of ideologue who becomes so invested in his ideology that he dismisses evidence contrary to his position, fabricates evidence, builds a movement around lies and crosses the line into “power at any cost” no matter who it hurts or what lies it’s based upon. I’ve mentioned examples of this type, but one which now comes to mind is Vladimir Lenin, who – in the interests of justice – destroyed a monarchy, and nearly destroyed a great country and that country’s Russian Orthodox Church. He also opened the door to the murder of millions of Russians. All because his “ideals’ were fanned into the flame of a rigid ideology which lost touch with the real world. The “heal the world” theme in my poem is general enough to cover practically any leftist cause whether economic, international relations, or environmental. The Machiavellian villain that you see is absolutely correct, but my hope was to show the innocent source of this villainy – in good intentions and a personal narrative of what is right for other people – that quickly veers into becoming a loveless control-freak and, in turn, into someone truly dangerous as a fact-suppressing tyrant. Robespierre started out as an idealist, as did Karl Marx, Malcolm X and Emma Goldman. And just about every terrorist starts out thinking “if only the world would do what I say… everyone would be so happy.” As for spiritual degradation… Yes! This is what happens when people believe everything they think and abandon the ethical influence of a Supreme Being. When everyone gets to be their own cherry-picking theologian – when God is abandoned along with objective standards of good and evil – anything becomes possible. Reply Margaret Coats October 3, 2023 The “Critical Thinking” poem is almost dizzying due to the wide range of unreason in its catalogue of attitudes. How can defunding police accomplish anything to alleviate fear of covid? Yes, many multitudes of thought are “deformed by misdirection.” These are choice words for your conclusion, as we do direct our own thoughts, or at least choose what influences we allow to direct them. And there exists a serious responsibility to “form conscience” in accord with truth such that this God-given faculty can make ethical decisions. A question about lawyers, since you have mentioned their behavior above. Does the professional duty to provide the best legal services and the most advantageous outcome possible for a client override any other obligation? Reply Brian A. Yapko October 3, 2023 Thank you for this “dizzying” comment, Margaret! You get it exactly! The range of behaviors and attitudes based on people’s refusal or inability to think critically is substantial! But I think the worst offenders are self-referential narcissists who — as I said above — believe everything they think. This is coupled with a sense of entitlement which sabotages any possibility of objectivity and awareness of meaningful standards of good and evil, all of which undermines the possibility of a disciplined, harmonious and ethical society. I love your question about lawyers. The short answer is: in theory, no. In practice, yes. The way our system works is as follows: lawyers are supposed to zealously advocate on behalf of clients to the full extent allowable under the law and the relevant Rules of Professional Responsibility. But what this means in the real world is that there are a great many lawyers who will exploit every possible loophole and stretch every ethical provision until it snaps like a rubber band. Lawyers largely end up in a bubble of believing that they are entitled to do all sorts of awful things in order to win. Our system is geared towards winning and losing rather than identifying truth. Most lawyers probably won’t manufacture false evidence, but they will probably use it if their clients bring it to them. They’ll certainly bury harmful evidence. If they think they won’t get caught, they’ll suborn perjury. For fun, you should look at the Discipline Reports which come out monthly on the California Bar website (I believe all state bars publish such reports.) These reports will answer your question and then some. Reply Joseph S. Salemi October 3, 2023 “Idealism” has just as much to answer for as “ideology.” The idealist is fixated on some mentally constructed image (that’s where the word “idea” comes from — an “eidos” in the mind) that he connects with his notions of what is Good, True, or Beautiful. Once that happens, it is a fairly easy step to start believing that your “ideal” must be enfleshed in how the world is run. And that’s where the trouble starts. Ideology is simply idealism rationalized and weaponized to be effective in changing the world. This is why people with that glazed look of “commitment” in their faces are profoundly dangerous. Reply Brian A. Yapko October 3, 2023 Agreed, Joe. As I’ve mentioned in other comments, people seize upon some idea and then — instead of testing it with actual evidence and experience – – start cherry-picking whatever it is that supports their views. Cherry-picking rapidly progresses to manufacturing and burying, and before you know it the truth is getting suppressed by legal mandate. It’s an old story with grave consequences. Don’t get me wrong — it’s great to have ideals. But once those ideals become so ossified in the psyche, deep character flaws take over. Best to have ideals which are allowed to become modified or even discarded as better information becomes available. Reply Mike Bryant October 3, 2023 Brian, both of these poems are beautifully constructed, a pleasure to read and simply instructive. Whenever a single person, a small group, a state, a nation or a world begins to demand uniformity, then the progression from freedom to tyranny has begun. I am proud and thankful for the diversity of thought (and fearless poetry) still available courtesy of SCP and many other islands of freedom on the internet. Let freedom ring. Reply Brian A. Yapko October 3, 2023 Thank you very much indeed, Mike! We are deep into that progression from freedom to tyranny. I, like you, am very grateful for the diversity of thought and fearlessness presented on the SCP. It is a much-needed oasis of truth and critical thinking in a toxic desert of ideology-over-truth and destructive thought-control. Reply Joshua C. Frank October 3, 2023 Both of these are great! They both do a good job of describing the process of good intentions within liberalism going awry. I especially love the rondeau redoublé form in the first one! Sadly, idealism is in itself an ideology. People don’t seem to realize that liberalism is so strongly contrary to human nature in every way that its leaders have to use constant and extreme manipulation to get people to go along with it. We just think of it as normal, but an average rural person from (say) 1900 would be horrified about every aspect of today’s culture, even the ostensibly conservative parts. Reply Brian A. Yapko October 3, 2023 Thank you very much, Josh! So true — good intentions gone awry truly seems to be one of the hallmarks of left liberalism. It’s part and parcel of what I call the drunk-with-compassion syndrome. I had never thought of liberalism as being contrary to human nature. That’s an interesting idea which I would like to explore and contemplate more deeply. As for your statement about the horror an average rural person from 1900 would have when confronted with today’s culture… I think this is absolutely true. Moreover, I think it would make a fantastic subject for a story, whether narrative or poetic. You should consider it as a future project! Reply Joseph S. Salemi October 3, 2023 Joshua, you have hit the nail squarely on the head. Ideology is nothing but idealism wearing combat fatigues. In other words, once an idealist gets an “idea” in his head, he will instinctively work to impose it on others. This is why Plato seriously suggested that the only way to create an acceptable society was to make the philosophers (i.e. the idealists with their gaseous notions of the Good, the True, and the Beautiful) the rulers of the state. I distrust people who have “ideas.” Prejudices are much safer. And the rural guy from 1900 whom you mention was basically governed by his inherited prejudices. God bless him! Reply Lannie David Brockstein October 4, 2023 Hey Brian, As a Canadian, I can relate to the speaker in your “The Idealist Who Became an Ideologue”, because during the covid-pandemic, the governments of Ontario and Quebec were more draconian than any other province or state in all of North America. Each of them were one goosestep away from being as horrible as the government of Victoria, Australia. Both Ontario and Quebec were and continue to be governed by rightist parties. Yes, it is true that had the leftist parties been in power, they would have been even worse and as dreadful as the leftist government of Victoria. But the lesser of two evils is nonetheless evil. We should not forget that the reason as to why the vaccine companies have no legal liability in the USA for any vaccine-related injuries and deaths caused by their products, is because President Reagan signed National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act (NCVIA). Being an ideologue is to be partisan, and thus as willfully ignorant as a narcissist, whereby one scapegoats his political opponents by falsely accusing them of what evil the ideologue himself did and is responsible for. In the olden days, the runner up in the US presidential election became its next Vice President, and it was his duty to partner with its new President whose platform he had campaigned against. This ensured that no candidate or party’s ideology would become so self-righteous whereby it was second nature for them to demonize their political opponents. The winner and runner up of the presidential election were thereby required to form a partnership and thus to negotiate in good faith with each other for the good of the country. These days, the USA would be much better off if President Trump and RFK Jr. would together say the hell with the swamp-infested Republican and Democrat parties, and for them to form a new party that is centrist, whereby its presidential primaries are designed to result in its leader being either rightist or leftist, and then for it to have vice presidential primaries that only have candidates who are the opposite (if the winner of its presidential primaries is rightist then each of the candidates in its vice-presidential primaries must be leftist, or vice-versa). In regards to classical politics, there is both liberal classicism and traditional or conservative classicism, and each should be welcome at the SCP. Classicism itself is not inherently rightist, anymore than modernism is inherently leftist. It is only ideologues who falsely misrepresent both classicism and modernism whereby they disingenuously claim that one is good and the other is evil. The world is not black and white, unless one is a dog. Yes, dog is Man’s best friend, but being blindly loyal to a cause is ultimately to be one’s own worst enemy, as the white supremacists of Nazi Germany did realize when suddenly it happened that millions of bombs rained down upon their cities with a greater destructive force than both of the nuclear weapons that were used to defeat Imperial Japan. From Lannie. Reply Brian A. Yapko October 4, 2023 Thank you for this detailed and carefully considered comment, Lannie. Since you mention Canada, I should mention that Justin Trudeau was one of the ideologues who inspired this poem — particularly in terms of the draconian way he handled covid protocols, even moreso with his social justice projects which boil down to social engineering. I especially like your observation that “being an ideologue is to be partisan and… willfully ignorant…” So true. But, in my view, far worse than mere partisanship when it comes to manufacturing and/or suppressing evidence that might interfere or, heaven forbid, contradict the premises of that ideology. I see no reason why there should be a divide in classical poetry between conservative and liberal views. If the poetry world could accommodate poets as different in world view and theology as Milton and Byron or Hopkins and Wilmot, there’s obviously a lot of room for social and political diversity. As you point out, the world is not black and white. Reply Joshua C. Frank October 4, 2023 “Classicism itself is not inherently rightist, anymore than modernism is inherently leftist.” Like you say about other things, it’s not as simple as that. Leftists, by nature, can’t bear constraints of any kind, which is why they can’t bear them in art, either. The problem with that is that constraints force creativity, and without constraints, the quality of the art must naturally suffer, which explains why all forms of art have degenerated to where they are today. (We do have some leftist poets here, but their enjoyment of classical poetry is in spite of their leftist beliefs.) Reply Brian A. Yapko October 5, 2023 Well-stated, Josh. I myself would probably describe the same thing in terms of structure and discipline which are being degraded by attitudinal entropy, but we’re both speaking of the same animal. Modern poetry, along with many other modern social and artistic forms and institutions, lets it all hang out. Funny how you can’t get away with that in architecture or applied engineering. Joshua C. Frank October 5, 2023 No, but if you look at today’s buildings compared to old ones, you can see how ugly they are. I saw a meme showing a modern skyscraper and saying, “Once you understand that beauty motivates men to greatness, modern architecture makes a lot more sense.” I would also add that constraint-free “art” and the mechanization of everything have both dulled people’s sense of beauty. Joseph S. Salemi October 5, 2023 You’re right about modern architecture, Josh — it is willfully ugly, and designed to upset human expectations of symmetry and charm and grace. This was deliberate in the early twentieth-century architectural rebels who gave us the horrors of Bauhaus. I read an account of how they all excoriated peaked roofs, claiming that they were slavishly modeled on the points of a royal crown, and were therefore disgusting symbols of monarchy and oppression. The result was that Bauhaus gave us the modern flat roof — something not just unsightly but structurally stupid, which did not allow for normal drainage of rainfall. That’s a perfect example of what we were calling “ideology” in some other thread here at the SCP. Somebody gets some asinine notion in his head, and then decides to change the world because of it. C.B. Anderson October 4, 2023 From you, Brian, excellence is not exceptional. You sure as hell know how to move a pen. Reply Brian A. Yapko October 4, 2023 Thank you, C.B. I sure try!! Reply David Whippman October 5, 2023 Good work, Brian. You summed up so much of what’s wrong in the western world. Reply Brian A. Yapko October 5, 2023 Thank you so much, David! And, sadly, there’s a lot that wrong.. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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Phil L Flott October 2, 2023 Brian, thanks for articulating what I believe the majority of us have noted about the current world that attempts to govern us. Reply
Brian A. Yapko October 2, 2023 Thank you very much, Phil. “Attempts to govern” which are thinly-disguised attempts to control! Reply
Roy Eugene Peterson October 2, 2023 Brian, perceptions of Kennedy vary widely between his idealism and his ideology, as well as his successes and his failures. His great rhetoric disclosed his idealistic world view of democracy which no doubt was fueled by his ideology of uniting the world. History books also debate his success and failures, such as his policies toward Cuba, among other things. On one side of the ledger, he stood up to Nikita Khruschev, but on the other he failed to commit sufficient military assets to take down Fidel Castro with the Bay of Pigs invasion. This is where his idealism got his administration in trouble that the people of Cuba would rise up and support the ill-fated invasion and overthrow Castro themselves. “Critical Thinking” in the modern era is at a premium and hard to find, not just in politics, but in everyday life. You make excellent points that should be obvious to the casual observer, but are glossed over, as you point out, by the roaring of the leftist lions. Great work. Reply
Brian A. Yapko October 2, 2023 Thank you very much, Roy, for your insights on one of our most idealistic presidents. I have never considered that JFK might have been an ideologue, but your point regarding his failure to properly address Cuba for ideological reasons is well-taken. I expect that the thin line between idealism and ideology is frequently crossed over — often by the same person depending on the situation. My concern in this poem, though, is mostly to focus on those ideologues who actually veer into fascism because they reach a point where there ideology is more important than democracy, justice or truth. Robespierre, Trotsky, leaders of their ilk. They fight for what they think is justice and become monsters in the process. Reply
Susan Jarvis Bryant October 2, 2023 Brian, in the ‘The Idealist Who Became an Ideologue’ you manage to get right to the core of our modern-day dilemma and to explain in adeptly crafted, crystal-clear stanzas exactly how easy it is to cross over that fine line… and it is chilling. The penultimate stanza is superb… I can see that ‘as oily as an eel’ oppressor… and it comes with many faces. I am a fan of the rondeau redoublé, and this form highlights your message perfectly – the ‘messianic role’, the aim to ‘heal the world’ – you expose the bullying virtue signalers in all their devilish duplicity. I am surprised so many have fallen for their lies. Very well done indeed! In ‘Critical Thinking’ you paint some stark images of those with “thoughts deformed by misdirection” – that scientist who”… invested in his thesis /Would rather alter facts than change his view” is my favorite, and says so much about a Western world that has adopted “settled science” as its new religion… a world willing to turn a blind eye to evil because the protocols are put in place by ideologues who want ‘to heal the world’. Brian these admirably crafted poems complement one another beautifully. They educate as they entertain – thank you very much! Reply
Brian A. Yapko October 2, 2023 Thank you so much, Susan, for this detailed and perceptive comment. You grasp exactly who and what I am attacking and why. Bullying virtue-signalers is exactly the type who love to control others and will violate any ethical proscriptions in order to do so. Because they’re so nice. I’m glad the rondeau redouble form works for you because, as with the regular rondeau, it was you who introduced me to it! For which I profusely thank you! I’m especially glad you liked my “Critical Thinking.” Ideological scientists… woke academics… It allowed me to get some resentments off my chest! Reply
Joseph S. Salemi October 2, 2023 “Critical Thinking” is a beautiful set of ABAB quatrains, with alternating feminine-masculine endings. The rhymes of “Dionysus – thesis” and “Toronto – Esperanto” are truly inspired. Also, the syntactical flow of the poem’s elegant English is a pure pleasure to read. As for “The Idealist..”, is it really about JFK? It’s true that he had some stupid liberal ideas, but for the most part he was a Cold-War Democrat of the old school. Evan’s illustration shows Bill Clinton, but in his case he was just an Arkansas grifter with no real ideological commitments except to make noises that kept the freaks in his party’s leftist base happy. I think that Brian Yapko is not referencing any particular person, but rather a type. Reply
Brian A. Yapko October 2, 2023 Thank you very much, Joe! I was rather pleased with those unusual rhymes and am grateful that the syntax works well. It was your question in the second paragraph of your comment that prompted my explanatory comment below. No, this poem has nothing to do with either JFK or Bill Clinton. In fact, I liked Bill Clinton and voted for him twice. (Hilary’s another matter.) If there is a popular leader at present who this poem connects to it would probably be Justin Trudeau or Gavin Newsom. But there are a hundred others as well, from Bernie Sanders to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (we lovingly refer to her as “Occasional-Cortex.”) More generally, my poem is about the tendency in human nature to allow idealism to become so encrusted or fosslized in the psyche that flexibility flies out the window, along with justice and reason. People have a tendency to become so invested in their narratives and pet theories that they refuse to budge, no matter what the evidence shows. That’s when the real fun begins, because these people — in order to preserve their narrative or pet theory — will begin to cherry-pick only those facts which support what they think or the result that they want. Then it gets worse. They bury contrary evidence, they manufacture evidence, they manipulate evidence… all in the name of their twisted sense of justice. I’ve seen it a thousand times in litigation, in historical interpretation, in expert scientific testimony… that scientist/politician/doctor/teacher/social justice warrior, who is “so invested in his thesis/That he would rather alter facts than change his views.” Reply
Shaun C. Duncan October 2, 2023 Joe, I agree completely with your remarks about Clinton’s character but I thought the choice of picture was inspired. It’s not so much for Bill himself but the characters flanking him: Gore the so-called Idealist who pushes “global governance” to unite humanity in the face some invented existential threat, and Reno the cold-hearted Ideologue who would happily burn children alive to advance her own agenda and then blame the crime on her victims. Reply
Joseph S. Salemi October 2, 2023 Reno was a sick bitch, but she couldn’t hold a candle to Madeleine Albright, who celebrated and defended the starvation of half a million Iraqi children. If both of them aren’t burning in Hell right now, I can’t imagine who else might be there.
Brian A. Yapko October 2, 2023 Thanks for this comment, Shaun, because although the original Clinton image was exchanged for the present Gavin Newsom image at my request, I had not considered the Janet Reno and Al Gore parts of Evan’s original photo choice. You’re quite right — both are/were ideologues of the worst order and worthy of our contempt. There is no shortage of ideologues who deserve skewering on these pages.
Brian A. Yapko October 2, 2023 I will reply individually to comments shortly. But it should be noted that this poem was not written with Clinton or Kennedy in mind. It refers to a type — these days typified by Gavin Newsom or Justin Trudeau — politicians who are so invested in ideology that they can’t recognize their crossing of an invisible line into tyranny. It’s an.old story and one which Marxists know only too well. Reply
Julian D. Woodruff October 2, 2023 Brian, these seem like rare archeological finds of the finest quality, carefully cleared of the accumulated grime and crud of modern habits of mind and instinct. One can only shake one’s head that Biden, or Trudeau, or Newsom can count on anyone’s vote at this point, let alone have a real shot at being re-elected. Reply
Brian A, Yapko October 2, 2023 Thank you very much indeed, Julian! I very much like your imagery of poems that have been “cleared of the accumulated grime and crud of modern habits of mind and instinct.” Yes, I suspect Biden has a real shot at reelection, but I’m even more worried about what a Newsom presidency would look like in 2028. His gloating, smug, supercilious wokitude irks me like few others. The ideologue of my nightmares, he is utterly convinced that he’s out there “fighting the good fight.” Reply
Julian D. Woodruff October 3, 2023 As we go on with our “humdrum little lives” (Lina Lamonte, in Singin’ in the Rain).
Shaun C. Duncan October 2, 2023 These pair nicely to describe, expertly and with great economy, the problems of the current political situation, examining not only the psychology of our wannabe rulers but also that portion of the demos who encourage them in their demented schemes. Of course “The Idealist…” could be one of seemingly countless political figures which have come and gone over the past century – it describes a style of governance rather than any individual – but I think we all have our own examples which spring immediately to mind. For me it was “Dictator” Dan Andrews, the recently departed Premier of Victoria. Reply
Brian A. Yapko October 2, 2023 Thank you very much, Shaun. I’m especially glad for your focus on the psychology of ideologues and how readily they go from idealism into the demented schemes that you describe. Of course, this is nothing new, but it seems to have particularly dramatic and far-ranging consequences in this particular age. We can go back well before the past century to find leaders who perpetrate heinous acts in their twisted pursuit of what they think is justice. The leaders of the French Revolution come to mind, and I’m sure there are many other pre-20th Century social-justice ideologues along with the more modern Bolsheviks, the Cultural Revolutionaries, and many others who have promoted cockamamie utopian schemes. I know nothing about Dan Andrews and will now look him up. Thanks for the comment and insights. Reply
Cynthia Erlandson October 2, 2023 I agree with the comments above which express that this is quite brilliant! Reply
Yael October 2, 2023 This is a nice pair of poems, which read very smoothly and pack a lot of meaning into their well constructed lines, great job! Reply
Margaret Coats October 3, 2023 Brian, I am trying to apply critical thinking to your idealist become ideologue. The title seems to depend on a clearly pejorative connotation for “ideology” in contrast to a favorable connotation for idealism. Then the argument implies that good idealism easily becomes evil ideology. You say the poem describes a type, and that hundreds of examples exist. But is there really a process from holder of ideal to speaker of ideology? The only ideal I see is the vague “heal the world.” If we take the texte as starting point, the aim of unification and the obfuscating denial of truth and the messianic self-identity are present at the beginning. There is practical imposture throughout. The esteem for power to effect revolution does not seem to change; rather, there is learning or development only through the accumulated experience of sin and crime. What I see is a Machiavellian villain without illusions about his goals–except that a Machiavellian ruler need not be a revolutionary; his aim is usually to control a working social order rather than transform or destroy it. And he is not an idealist. This leads into the question of why and when we have public men who feel the need to spout ideals. A king regarded as sacred did not need to justify his actions, nor did he establish the ideal of kingship. Rather, he was judged in accord with it. Historic tyrants did not gain or maintain power by idealism; they used practical force. Your poem, Brian, is an ambitious one in its attempt to describe a type of political success that involves idealism but can end in utter spiritual degradation. Reply
Brian A Yapko. October 3, 2023 Margaret, thank you for this deeply considered comment. There are certainly some subjective aspects to my poem. I believe idealism is a good thing – it’s what allows for concepts like abolition, democracy, universal suffrage, the creation of institutions like the Salvation Army or the Nature Conservancy. But what happens when this veers into insanity…? Riots in the name of social justice, Antifa, BLM? Every statue toppled is the result of an idealism that has become distorted by rage and a refusal to recognize nuances. In one sense, ideology is a good thing if it is a logically-constructed description of a political/social/religious/environmental/economic position. But it is not ideology I have a beef with so much as that branch of ideologue who becomes so invested in his ideology that he dismisses evidence contrary to his position, fabricates evidence, builds a movement around lies and crosses the line into “power at any cost” no matter who it hurts or what lies it’s based upon. I’ve mentioned examples of this type, but one which now comes to mind is Vladimir Lenin, who – in the interests of justice – destroyed a monarchy, and nearly destroyed a great country and that country’s Russian Orthodox Church. He also opened the door to the murder of millions of Russians. All because his “ideals’ were fanned into the flame of a rigid ideology which lost touch with the real world. The “heal the world” theme in my poem is general enough to cover practically any leftist cause whether economic, international relations, or environmental. The Machiavellian villain that you see is absolutely correct, but my hope was to show the innocent source of this villainy – in good intentions and a personal narrative of what is right for other people – that quickly veers into becoming a loveless control-freak and, in turn, into someone truly dangerous as a fact-suppressing tyrant. Robespierre started out as an idealist, as did Karl Marx, Malcolm X and Emma Goldman. And just about every terrorist starts out thinking “if only the world would do what I say… everyone would be so happy.” As for spiritual degradation… Yes! This is what happens when people believe everything they think and abandon the ethical influence of a Supreme Being. When everyone gets to be their own cherry-picking theologian – when God is abandoned along with objective standards of good and evil – anything becomes possible. Reply
Margaret Coats October 3, 2023 The “Critical Thinking” poem is almost dizzying due to the wide range of unreason in its catalogue of attitudes. How can defunding police accomplish anything to alleviate fear of covid? Yes, many multitudes of thought are “deformed by misdirection.” These are choice words for your conclusion, as we do direct our own thoughts, or at least choose what influences we allow to direct them. And there exists a serious responsibility to “form conscience” in accord with truth such that this God-given faculty can make ethical decisions. A question about lawyers, since you have mentioned their behavior above. Does the professional duty to provide the best legal services and the most advantageous outcome possible for a client override any other obligation? Reply
Brian A. Yapko October 3, 2023 Thank you for this “dizzying” comment, Margaret! You get it exactly! The range of behaviors and attitudes based on people’s refusal or inability to think critically is substantial! But I think the worst offenders are self-referential narcissists who — as I said above — believe everything they think. This is coupled with a sense of entitlement which sabotages any possibility of objectivity and awareness of meaningful standards of good and evil, all of which undermines the possibility of a disciplined, harmonious and ethical society. I love your question about lawyers. The short answer is: in theory, no. In practice, yes. The way our system works is as follows: lawyers are supposed to zealously advocate on behalf of clients to the full extent allowable under the law and the relevant Rules of Professional Responsibility. But what this means in the real world is that there are a great many lawyers who will exploit every possible loophole and stretch every ethical provision until it snaps like a rubber band. Lawyers largely end up in a bubble of believing that they are entitled to do all sorts of awful things in order to win. Our system is geared towards winning and losing rather than identifying truth. Most lawyers probably won’t manufacture false evidence, but they will probably use it if their clients bring it to them. They’ll certainly bury harmful evidence. If they think they won’t get caught, they’ll suborn perjury. For fun, you should look at the Discipline Reports which come out monthly on the California Bar website (I believe all state bars publish such reports.) These reports will answer your question and then some. Reply
Joseph S. Salemi October 3, 2023 “Idealism” has just as much to answer for as “ideology.” The idealist is fixated on some mentally constructed image (that’s where the word “idea” comes from — an “eidos” in the mind) that he connects with his notions of what is Good, True, or Beautiful. Once that happens, it is a fairly easy step to start believing that your “ideal” must be enfleshed in how the world is run. And that’s where the trouble starts. Ideology is simply idealism rationalized and weaponized to be effective in changing the world. This is why people with that glazed look of “commitment” in their faces are profoundly dangerous. Reply
Brian A. Yapko October 3, 2023 Agreed, Joe. As I’ve mentioned in other comments, people seize upon some idea and then — instead of testing it with actual evidence and experience – – start cherry-picking whatever it is that supports their views. Cherry-picking rapidly progresses to manufacturing and burying, and before you know it the truth is getting suppressed by legal mandate. It’s an old story with grave consequences. Don’t get me wrong — it’s great to have ideals. But once those ideals become so ossified in the psyche, deep character flaws take over. Best to have ideals which are allowed to become modified or even discarded as better information becomes available. Reply
Mike Bryant October 3, 2023 Brian, both of these poems are beautifully constructed, a pleasure to read and simply instructive. Whenever a single person, a small group, a state, a nation or a world begins to demand uniformity, then the progression from freedom to tyranny has begun. I am proud and thankful for the diversity of thought (and fearless poetry) still available courtesy of SCP and many other islands of freedom on the internet. Let freedom ring. Reply
Brian A. Yapko October 3, 2023 Thank you very much indeed, Mike! We are deep into that progression from freedom to tyranny. I, like you, am very grateful for the diversity of thought and fearlessness presented on the SCP. It is a much-needed oasis of truth and critical thinking in a toxic desert of ideology-over-truth and destructive thought-control. Reply
Joshua C. Frank October 3, 2023 Both of these are great! They both do a good job of describing the process of good intentions within liberalism going awry. I especially love the rondeau redoublé form in the first one! Sadly, idealism is in itself an ideology. People don’t seem to realize that liberalism is so strongly contrary to human nature in every way that its leaders have to use constant and extreme manipulation to get people to go along with it. We just think of it as normal, but an average rural person from (say) 1900 would be horrified about every aspect of today’s culture, even the ostensibly conservative parts. Reply
Brian A. Yapko October 3, 2023 Thank you very much, Josh! So true — good intentions gone awry truly seems to be one of the hallmarks of left liberalism. It’s part and parcel of what I call the drunk-with-compassion syndrome. I had never thought of liberalism as being contrary to human nature. That’s an interesting idea which I would like to explore and contemplate more deeply. As for your statement about the horror an average rural person from 1900 would have when confronted with today’s culture… I think this is absolutely true. Moreover, I think it would make a fantastic subject for a story, whether narrative or poetic. You should consider it as a future project! Reply
Joseph S. Salemi October 3, 2023 Joshua, you have hit the nail squarely on the head. Ideology is nothing but idealism wearing combat fatigues. In other words, once an idealist gets an “idea” in his head, he will instinctively work to impose it on others. This is why Plato seriously suggested that the only way to create an acceptable society was to make the philosophers (i.e. the idealists with their gaseous notions of the Good, the True, and the Beautiful) the rulers of the state. I distrust people who have “ideas.” Prejudices are much safer. And the rural guy from 1900 whom you mention was basically governed by his inherited prejudices. God bless him! Reply
Lannie David Brockstein October 4, 2023 Hey Brian, As a Canadian, I can relate to the speaker in your “The Idealist Who Became an Ideologue”, because during the covid-pandemic, the governments of Ontario and Quebec were more draconian than any other province or state in all of North America. Each of them were one goosestep away from being as horrible as the government of Victoria, Australia. Both Ontario and Quebec were and continue to be governed by rightist parties. Yes, it is true that had the leftist parties been in power, they would have been even worse and as dreadful as the leftist government of Victoria. But the lesser of two evils is nonetheless evil. We should not forget that the reason as to why the vaccine companies have no legal liability in the USA for any vaccine-related injuries and deaths caused by their products, is because President Reagan signed National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act (NCVIA). Being an ideologue is to be partisan, and thus as willfully ignorant as a narcissist, whereby one scapegoats his political opponents by falsely accusing them of what evil the ideologue himself did and is responsible for. In the olden days, the runner up in the US presidential election became its next Vice President, and it was his duty to partner with its new President whose platform he had campaigned against. This ensured that no candidate or party’s ideology would become so self-righteous whereby it was second nature for them to demonize their political opponents. The winner and runner up of the presidential election were thereby required to form a partnership and thus to negotiate in good faith with each other for the good of the country. These days, the USA would be much better off if President Trump and RFK Jr. would together say the hell with the swamp-infested Republican and Democrat parties, and for them to form a new party that is centrist, whereby its presidential primaries are designed to result in its leader being either rightist or leftist, and then for it to have vice presidential primaries that only have candidates who are the opposite (if the winner of its presidential primaries is rightist then each of the candidates in its vice-presidential primaries must be leftist, or vice-versa). In regards to classical politics, there is both liberal classicism and traditional or conservative classicism, and each should be welcome at the SCP. Classicism itself is not inherently rightist, anymore than modernism is inherently leftist. It is only ideologues who falsely misrepresent both classicism and modernism whereby they disingenuously claim that one is good and the other is evil. The world is not black and white, unless one is a dog. Yes, dog is Man’s best friend, but being blindly loyal to a cause is ultimately to be one’s own worst enemy, as the white supremacists of Nazi Germany did realize when suddenly it happened that millions of bombs rained down upon their cities with a greater destructive force than both of the nuclear weapons that were used to defeat Imperial Japan. From Lannie. Reply
Brian A. Yapko October 4, 2023 Thank you for this detailed and carefully considered comment, Lannie. Since you mention Canada, I should mention that Justin Trudeau was one of the ideologues who inspired this poem — particularly in terms of the draconian way he handled covid protocols, even moreso with his social justice projects which boil down to social engineering. I especially like your observation that “being an ideologue is to be partisan and… willfully ignorant…” So true. But, in my view, far worse than mere partisanship when it comes to manufacturing and/or suppressing evidence that might interfere or, heaven forbid, contradict the premises of that ideology. I see no reason why there should be a divide in classical poetry between conservative and liberal views. If the poetry world could accommodate poets as different in world view and theology as Milton and Byron or Hopkins and Wilmot, there’s obviously a lot of room for social and political diversity. As you point out, the world is not black and white. Reply
Joshua C. Frank October 4, 2023 “Classicism itself is not inherently rightist, anymore than modernism is inherently leftist.” Like you say about other things, it’s not as simple as that. Leftists, by nature, can’t bear constraints of any kind, which is why they can’t bear them in art, either. The problem with that is that constraints force creativity, and without constraints, the quality of the art must naturally suffer, which explains why all forms of art have degenerated to where they are today. (We do have some leftist poets here, but their enjoyment of classical poetry is in spite of their leftist beliefs.) Reply
Brian A. Yapko October 5, 2023 Well-stated, Josh. I myself would probably describe the same thing in terms of structure and discipline which are being degraded by attitudinal entropy, but we’re both speaking of the same animal. Modern poetry, along with many other modern social and artistic forms and institutions, lets it all hang out. Funny how you can’t get away with that in architecture or applied engineering.
Joshua C. Frank October 5, 2023 No, but if you look at today’s buildings compared to old ones, you can see how ugly they are. I saw a meme showing a modern skyscraper and saying, “Once you understand that beauty motivates men to greatness, modern architecture makes a lot more sense.” I would also add that constraint-free “art” and the mechanization of everything have both dulled people’s sense of beauty.
Joseph S. Salemi October 5, 2023 You’re right about modern architecture, Josh — it is willfully ugly, and designed to upset human expectations of symmetry and charm and grace. This was deliberate in the early twentieth-century architectural rebels who gave us the horrors of Bauhaus. I read an account of how they all excoriated peaked roofs, claiming that they were slavishly modeled on the points of a royal crown, and were therefore disgusting symbols of monarchy and oppression. The result was that Bauhaus gave us the modern flat roof — something not just unsightly but structurally stupid, which did not allow for normal drainage of rainfall. That’s a perfect example of what we were calling “ideology” in some other thread here at the SCP. Somebody gets some asinine notion in his head, and then decides to change the world because of it.
C.B. Anderson October 4, 2023 From you, Brian, excellence is not exceptional. You sure as hell know how to move a pen. Reply
David Whippman October 5, 2023 Good work, Brian. You summed up so much of what’s wrong in the western world. Reply
Brian A. Yapko October 5, 2023 Thank you so much, David! And, sadly, there’s a lot that wrong.. Reply
