"Multicultural." "Diversity." "Equality."
Those are controversial words.
The 29th annual Medford Multicultural Fair took place again this past weekend.
The Multicultural event is at the front lines of the current political and culture war. The Mayor greets people. School bands and choirs perform. Booths of local nonprofits pass out literature. Volunteers paint children's faces. There are hula dancers and folk dancers on stage from Mexico, Thailand, and Japan.
The world's democracies are experiencing a counter-revolution against globalism, modernism, free trade, and the free movement of capital and labor. Immigration and borders are the flash point. Trump did not happen in a vacuum. The new GOP under Trump took place in the aftermath of the U.K. Brexit and the rise of nationalist parties in Europe. Trump understands his base and he expresses illiberal democracy on its behalf in his actions and rally speeches. He lives it. Hungary's authoritarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán explains it:
Christian democracy is, by definition, not liberal: it is, if you like, illiberal. And we can specifically say this in connection with a few important issues — say, three great issues. Liberal democracy is in favor of multiculturalism, while Christian democracy gives priority to Christian culture; this is an illiberal concept. Liberal democracy is pro-immigration, while Christian democracy is anti-immigration; this is again a genuinely illiberal concept. And liberal democracy sides with adaptable family models, while Christian democracy rests on the foundations of the Christian family model; once more, this is an illiberal concept.
Orbán weaves together the themes of backlash against civil rights for Blacks, women, and non-traditional genders. American became more secular. Illiberal democracy reinstates Christianity as the default American belief system. Illiberal democracy reaffirms that Whites of European extraction are the default, the real Americans. Illiberal democracy reaffirms the "natural" and default presumption of binary genders and traditional roles within families, including patriarchy.
There weren't Republican protesters at the Medford Multicultural Fair, but there wasn't a Republican booth, either. (There was a Democratic booth.) Illiberal democracy doesn't necessarily express itself by shouting down the people at the Bahai booth who were passing out stickers saying there was no room for prejudice. It expresses itself as resentment that Mexican youth can celebrate their their heritage, while the celebration of White majority culture might be condemned as an expression of White superiority. Illiberal democracy did not necessarily express itself with booths by Evangelical Christians with brochures urging women to submit to their husbands. Evangelicals resent the fact that they might be shamed for saying this sentiment aloud. There were no booths attacking trans people as unnatural and weird, but illiberal democracy expresses itself with quiet resentment of the fact that they might be called "homophobic" for saying it.
All the changes. A Black guy as president. Women wearing pants-suits and being the boss. Gay marriage. Trans people. Atheists. Unmarried people living together. Abortions. Pronouns.
Polls have routinely under-estimated Trump's support. Social conservatives sense they are being overpowered and sneered at by elites. They fear they are being displaced by foreigners. Their country is being stolen from them. They resent that they are shamed for feeling how they feel and thinking what they think.
After the Charlottesville rally Trump said there were "good people on both sides." Trump says forbidden things and doesn't act ashamed.
[Note: A longer and more comprehensive discussion of illiberal democracy is available here at the New York Times.]
Very sad but these haters still account for only 35-40% of the population but they win elections because of too much apathy among the 60-65% who appreciate progressive liberalism
I resent that the folks like Viktor Orban and those who admire him, have coopted Christianity as an excuse for their unChristian views. If these people actually read and pondered the actual words of Christ, they would hopefully notice that He says nothing about a Christian "culture" and in fact instructs His followers to go out and preach the gospel (the good news) to every creature. As far as the anti-immigration connection to Christianity, you will actually find hundreds of statements in both the Old and New Testaments that very directly compel us to care for the stranger. The one about the traditional family? That is most blatantly ignorant about what is in the Bible. Good luck trying to find something you could call a traditional family there! I am a non-evangelical lifelong Christian who is very familiar with the contents of the Bible. I often find it helpful to respond to those who think they are supporting their illiberal views with their religion to show me exactly where Jesus said the words or ideas they are parroting. They can't.