Ideology and statistics

[kandrathe]

*Unless you're Kandrathe. Then they probably are.

Only if they believe the government is an instrument for improving humanity "Progressively". As much as you might want to define it in the modern sense, you are also saddled with the historical goals of the movement in general.

Ultimately I see that as... "to use the power of the government as a tool to improve the society as a whole".

And, it seems a noble cause, until you dig deeper to see what is sacrificed in order to attempt to bring about this government run nirvana. I find the philosophy tends to be at odds with individualism, self sufficiency, frequently ignoring individual liberties for the "greater good", and in many ways at odds with laissez-faire capitalism, unless it be the means to fund the governments mission (through high taxation).

It's worst perverted expressions were eugenics, forced sterilizations, "Manifest Destiny" and other racist imperialism exhibited by the likes of Teddy Roosevelt in the Philippines, and in Central and South America during the 1880's through 1930's. For example, at the World's Fair in 1904, dubbed the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, there was the 'parade of evolutionary progress', where amongst other "primitives", filipino's were on display as 'tameable'.

"As one pleased visitor commented, the human zoo exhibit displayed "the race narrative of odd peoples who mark time while the world advances, and of savages made, by American methods, into civilized workers."

In modern progressivism, I see it as also equally bigoted to expect less of people based on race or gender. What we all deserve as equal citizens, and equal people is blind equality in opportunity.

Edit/addendum: "The war on terror" may be a modern example of progressivism exhibited by the majority of political parties across many nations. Why are we still in Afghanistan? Is it to endlessly attempt to drive Al Queda and the Taliban back into the border region caves for all time (until they stop hating us, and/or bearing children that hate us)? Or, are we loathe to leave for fear that a corrupt and weak Afghan national government will collapse and allow fundamentalist Islamicists to rebuild the theocracy we tore down, returning the region to the extreme barbarism exhibited before our "rescue" of their people. Are we there to win, and if so, what does that look like? Or, are we there for generations, such that we can transform them from their backwardness?