Jonah Goldberg, the nationally syndicated conservative columnist, was in Orlando Wednesday to discuss his latest book “Suicide of the West: How the Rebirth of Tribalism, Populism, Nationalism, and Identity Politics is Destroying American Democracy” with Orlando’s Tiger Bay Club.
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“Nationalism and identity politics runs against the argument that we should judge people how we find them,” said Goldberg in his remarks to the packed room. “We are at the top of the mountain, and if we start marching right or left, it doesn’t matter, we’re going one direction and it’s down.”
In his hour-long presentation, Goldberg took questions from the audience, including one exchange on the current role of the NRA. In answering a question about the gun rights group, Goldberg says while he supports the second amendment and the mission of the NRA, he lamented the group's turn toward more of blindly partisan stance, saying that the Constitution and amendments should not be partisan issues.
The overarching theme for the discussion revolved around the increasing influence of nationalism, tribalism, and identity politics, with Goldberg saying, “When the institutions that civilize us break down, human nature reasserts itself.”
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Drawing a comparison to William Golding’s 1954 novel “Lord of the Flies,” Goldberg elaborated on his theme of the dangers of abandoning civilization and order in favor of basic human instinct, saying liberal democracy cannot long survive with its populace segmented and broken into warring factions.
While Goldberg is most notable for his conservative writing, he stressed both parties are at risk if the rise of tribalism and nationalism is not addressed, saying citizens must not be afraid to engage in the marketplace of ideas and resist the temptation to retreat into echo chambers of only like-minded individuals.
Cox Media Group
