Who is Dissident Mama?

Howdy. I am a chick in rebellion to the status quo. It’s not that I necessarily want to be a rabble rouser. It’s just that by default, everything I do, believe, and say is in direct opposition to either the PC gestapo or the idol of statism – both traffickers and bully enforcers of the sacred cows in our post-modern cesspool of a culture.

“This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang, but a whimper.”
— T.S. Eliot, The Hollow Men

Just like Eliot’s 1925 poem mourns the potent attack on traditionalism by communists and secularists in post-WWI Europe, I lament the abandonment of society’s fleeting foundations in morality, truth, and self-determination. I, however, will not be a hollow man. Silence to the civilization-crushing madness of progressivism is consent and private outrage only emboldens people who castigate me as the enemy. Therefore, I refuse to whimper.

So, I’m going to bang as thunderously as I can through the written word. I’m going to erect “an intellectual barricade,” as sociologist Nikos Sotirakopoulos puts it, to peacefully, yet powerfully oppose leftism and statism and the spread of these freedom-less ideologies.

I have the fighting spirit in my DNA. I was reared in a loud, boisterous, oft-quarreling, but always loving three-generational home. I’m part Scottish, Welsh, and Lebanese, but 100 percent Southern – Virginia born and near 17-year Carolina refugee.

We Dixie rebels do not like being told what to do. We’re a stubborn lot. We debate. We spar. And we disagree, not because we’re disagreeable per se. But because it’s natural and, quite often, necessary.

Interestingly, I was a leftist throughout my 20s, immersing myself in mastering the PC belief system, so I know how progressives think. I became an increasingly ardent feminist as my journey to the dark side unfolded, and by the time I graduated from college in ’99 with a degree in journalism and a minor in women’s studies, my socialist street cred was secure.

Funny thing is, I considered myself so counter-cultural back then, yet what I really doing was swimming with the tide. Most leftists make this same illogical leap. For instance, take my naming of this blog.

The textbook definition of “dissident” is “a person who opposes official policy, especially that of an authoritarian state” and “challenges an established doctrine, policy, or institution.”

Yet, when I was tossing around possible domains, I stumbled upon DissidentMama.com, who describes herself as a “Crunchy, contrarian, liberal, hipster Mom writing about life, parenting, and politics.”

These descriptors are so not dissident. Heck, they’re not even vaguely rebellious. In fact, they’re not only deemed acceptable, but they’re expected and predictable.

Early on, my husband suggested “edgy,” which is defined as “at the forefront of a trend” and is synonymous with “innovative” and “original.” He thought this adjective would be a good available fit for his sassy wife, since leftism isn’t a new trend. Rather, it’s the prevailing orthodoxy because this old, dusty ideology has had staying power, unfortunately.

Interestingly, there were already two other EdgyMama bloggers. One woman describes herself as a “suburban tree-hugger” single mom, who claims that “Chaotic weather events are a hallmark of climate change.” And the other writes about “honoring Mama Earth” and promoting other non-edgy topics, such as “social justice” and “feminism.” Yawn.

I’m not picking on these chicks to be cruel. I’m just taking a closer look at how they define themselves as a way to elucidate their lack of dissidence and edginess. They are the norm. Simply proclaiming yourself a radical nonconformist or a revolutionary trendsetter doesn’t make you one by virtue of misusing words.

I mean, when your thinking is in lockstep with most politicians, public agencies, the courts, schools, universities, libraries, art museums, state-funded “science,” corporations, nonprofits, activist groups, mainline Evangelicals and Jews, the Pope, The World Bank, Hollywood, social media, the mainstream press, advertising, and all the other puritanical purveyors of “acceptable” behavior, you really can’t be more in line with official policy than that. Newsflash: it’s you who’s embracing the status quo.

So, how am I in resistance to the prevailing progressive pandemic? Well, I’m a traditionalist in a time that’s in violent opposition to traditionalism. I’m a Christian, who’s anti-social-justice, which doesn’t bode well for me in most Evangelical circles. I’m an objective-truth believer, who’s not a follower of emotion-laden subjective suppositions that specifically seek to coddle and comfort, never challenge or convert. I’m an anti-environmania outdoor enthusiast, who’s passionately pro-fossil fuels because they’re pro-human.

I’m a 16-year-married woman, who’s a willing and happy participant in the “oppressive institution of marriage.” I’m tagged a “feminist sellout” because I proudly bear the last name of my husband. I’m said to be a progressive foe because I quit my white-collar newspaper job to be a stay-at-home mom. I’m called a “breeder” because the grrrrls say I “wasted” my college degree in order to raise three kids. I’m a home educator, who sees the government-school system and universities as places of indoctrination, not learning or critical thinking. I’m a boymom, who teaches her sons that masculinity is not toxic, but that it’s beautiful and beneficial.

I’m a liberty-lover, who opposes statism. I’m an anti-welfare proponent, who understands that individuals, the church, and private organizations are the best and most moral way to provide effective charity to people in need. I’m an anti-warfare advocate, who believes war is not the health of the state and that, like many Founders, the U.S. probably shouldn’t even have a standing army.

I’m a states-rights advocate, who doesn’t recite the socialist-penned Pledge of Allegiance because I absolutely do believe in divisibility, free association, and the compact principle. I’m castigated as a “racist” because I promote the South’s rich traditions, display Confederate flags, and talk of the valuable lessons that can be learned from the South, her people, experiences, and heroes. I’m called a “white supremacist” because I’m not guilt-ridden or ashamed of being white, and I understand that all humans have worth and are loved by God. I’m slammed as an “extremist” and a perpetrator of “hate speech” simply because I know that honest discourse is paramount, even if it may hurt someone’s feelings.

I am “Other.” My worldview is deemed defiant and my life choices are scorned by the prevailing cultural tyranny. But I refuse to be kowtowed into tacit submission. I won’t be complacent and I won’t comply. So, my plan is to bang the hell out of progressive hegemony and smash those sacred cows whenever and wherever I see them rear their ugly heads. I’ve got my hammer ready, do you?!

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