Clay Travis: 'Woke capitalism' shows blatant hypocrisy
Outkick founder Clay Travis joins ‘America’s Newsroom’ to react to NBA’s Enes Kanter blasting Nike’s silence on China.
"We do not merely study the past: we inherit it, from people to whom we are bound by natural piety. Inheritance brings with it not only the rights of ownership, but the duties of trusteeship. Things fought for and died for should not be idly squandered. For they are the property of others, who are not yet born." -- "Town and Country," ed. by Roger Scruton and Anthony Barnett
In this quotation, Sir Roger Scruton perfectly encapsulated conservatism’s essence. It is not an ideology, but rather a variety of ideas, beliefs and feelings that are natural to every human being.
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We inherit from our parents the home we are born into, the extended family, the community, the city, and the country of our forefathers. Instantly, and quite instinctively, we become attached to these places and people, and a feeling of protectiveness arises.
We become heirs to traditions and culture, history, and deeds, for better or for worse. Each of us is born into an environment and into a certain social and economic status. It is our duty to leave to our successors this multi-layered inheritance in a better shape than it was in when we received it.
The conservative is an individual who understands this most natural relationship between the living, the dead and the unborn. However, apart from making this basic and humane relationship apparent to everyone, a conservative must find practical ways and means to protect and strengthen it.
To that end, conservatives should have an answer as to the political and economic systems that need to be implemented for a country and its individuals to be free, have social mobility, meritocracy and protect their cultural and moral norms. Through an appropriate economic system, conservatives can improve the welfare of every citizen in a society, so that each of us leaves a better world to the future generations, while honoring our past.
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After decades of being bullied into silence, a sort of reawakening is occurring among conservatives – a resurgence that has been taking shape in the last six years. Under threat by cancel culture, self-censorship, revision of history, a return of Marxism, illegal immigration and a forced push towards herd mentality and rejection of critical thinking, conservatives are starting to rise and stand up for what they believe in.
It is an existential fight propelled by the most unlikely of individuals: a real estate mogul from perhaps the most progressive city, New York. Donald Trump’s campaign and presidency inspired not only tens of millions of Americans but seemed to awaken from a deep slumber the divided conservatives of Europe.
Many establishment conservatives do not like him and would not like to admit in public that Donald Trump gave them a fighting chance. He showed conservatives how to fight and win. The 45th president had the gumption to stand up for what he believes in, and consequently inspired conservatives, the right in general and freedom-lovers on both sides of the Atlantic.
Now, conservatives need to find common ground and build a durable and believable strategy that produces results.
Conservatism has many nuances and forms, each with something to offer in a great right of center coalition. We should agree on some core common fundamentals, based on what has worked in the past, adapted to the present circumstances.
There certainly are several conservative models of success that can be adapted to the reality of our age and implemented by nation states in Europe, as well as in the US.
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We can learn from what President Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher did in the eighties and combine their economic policies with the cultural, patriotic, and social values that Burke, Scruton and many others present and defend. These two sides are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, such alliance can be what the West needs to be saved.
Patriotic capitalism is the way forward for conservatism. A patriot cares for his family, his property, his community, his country, and the environment, undoubtedly while wanting to cooperate closely and peacefully with others. A capitalist system brings about the means to conserve everything that conservatives – and most human beings – hold dear.
A patriotic education leads to better citizens with a higher degree of civil responsibility and care for the environment – capitalism provides the means to have school choice and achieve this strong patriotic education. Educated individuals with the necessary economic means and opportunities, create stronger families, which undoubtedly lead to healthier and tougher societies.
Conservatives are right to focus on the cultural aspects. However, this focus does not mean abandoning or choosing the wrong economic policies. On the contrary! Conservatives should provide a holistic alternative that stands on both cultural and economic pillars. On the latter, they are providing no alternative.
What is the conservative alternative to the Modern Monetary Theory, crony capitalism and oligarchy? Which economic system do they advocate for? Where is the outrage towards big – and ever expanding – government, which is undoubtedly the main factor of the current economic degradation of the West?
Conservatives cannot rejoice when conservative politicians use the power of big government and denounce this when the left does it.
Governments should exist to preserve life, liberty, private property, national security and nothing else. That is what makes a strong government—a concept different from that of big government.
Limited governments have been a success story, especially in America. Europe’s legacy of big governments has produced a would-be super-state with socialist aspirations. The bigger the government, the greater the danger that it will abuse its powers. Coming from a country with a communist past, I well understand the dangers of expanding the reach of government as well as its allure, even for conservatives.
Conservatives have ideas that work and yet they do not use them. It is important to understand that without economic empowerment of individuals there can be no successful cultural fights. They, as conservatives, should have higher faith in individuals and their decision-making abilities.
It should not be the state – no matter who runs it – to tell individuals what to do with their lives or how to spend their money. The wealthier the individuals are, the lesser their reliance on governments and bureaucrats will be and the stronger their ability to create a patriotic and stronger society. It all starts with education and economic empowerment, and capitalism provides the means.
Supply-side, capitalist policies are the tools to create societies where freedom, opportunity, patriotism, prosperity, civil society and strong nation states thrive. However, conservatives are approving trillion-dollar packages that are channeled to unproductive sectors, zombie companies and political cronies, ironically helping weaken the concept of nation state.
In Europe, few are those who raise their voices against the never-ending massive indebtedness, negative rates and tax and spend policies. The short-sightedness of politicians – many self-proclaimed conservatives – is leading to a dying continent. There must be a clear conservative opposition and alternative to the current economic annihilation of the continent.
Conservatives, who should promote free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional values, decentralization, and a strong national defense, are now converted into wealth redistributionists, advocating for increasing the welfare state and further centralization of power.
I will never tire of quoting President Reagan: "the best welfare program is a job." That is what restores dignity to people.
An individual with a sense of his own dignity will then fight for family, tradition, sovereignty, and culture. Someone dependent on government will be a servant of political cronies in the private sector, reluctant acceptant of woke ideologies and harmful policies.
Europe and America are on a path of perpetual state aid. Many social groups are becoming dependent on government assistance for multiple generations. Providing a guaranteed income to unproductive people will create more unproductive people.
Conservatives should focus on cutting taxes and easing regulatory burdens. They should promote incentives to work and seek to reduce bureaucracy. Governments should tax enough to raise a bare minimum of revenue for the most vital areas such as national security.
Attacking capitalism is in vogue. Conservatives should not fall prey to this. Europe is in a state of ongoing crisis because of government intervention and Keynesian policies, not capitalism.
For more than two decades there has been a mismanagement of public finances, high taxes, huge and unproductive government spending, and massive accumulation of debt by European governments. These governments and central banks have interfered in markets, distorting them. And as a cure they present more of the same. This is the opposite of capitalism.
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A true patriotic capitalism promotes freedom, cooperation, and equality of opportunities and not of outcome. Contrarily, crony capitalism, big government systems and socialism immorally thrive in the absence of these three elements.
Moreover, capitalism promotes choice and competition, through the free cooperation of market participants. At its core, capitalism is about channeling self-interest into altruism.
Overall, it is more in line with human nature, just like conservatism. For this reason alone, capitalism will always be morally superior to any other economic system.
Providing a sensible economic alternative to the current socialist reality in the EU, and also fighting for patriotism, the nation-state, tradition, culture, and history, will give European conservatives the trump card in their current battle against insanity.
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Failure to embrace these two pillars of patriotic capitalism will result in the assured cultural and economic zombification of our societies and the decline of the West.
The American people throughout the centuries have demonstrated they understand this. Will Europeans – especially conservatives – follow suit?
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