Dave Rubin of The Rubin Report explains in a new PragerU video that he can no longer call himself a progressive because the movement has devolved into a feelings-based silencing of speech rather than accepting the free exchange of ideas.
Rubin used to have his show on The Young Turks, a far-left network, as he once thought that a progressive meant being like “liberals but louder.” But Rubin soon realized that this was not the case, as progressives no longer seemed to tolerate freedom of speech based on their penchant for “trigger warnings” and prohibiting those with opposing viewpoints from speaking on college campuses.
“All of this has led me to be believe that much of the Left is no longer progressive, but regressive,” Rubin said. “This is one of the reasons I’ve spent so much time on my show talking about The Regressive Left. This regressive ideology doesn’t judge people as individuals, but as a collective.”
Indeed, as Rubin goes on to explain, “The Regressive Left” is a hierarchy of “oppression” based simply on minority status, judging people on their racial/cultural/gender identity rather than their individual merits.
Additionally, Rubin notes that “The Regressive Left” does not respect freedom of religion either, consistently attempting to force businesses to provide services even if it goes against their religious values — even going so far as to require nuns to pay for abortifacients.
Rubin concludes by stating that progressives’ suppression of free speech and freedom of religion through feelings and minority status is a form of tyranny.
“I can no longer call myself a progressive,” Rubin said. “I don’t really call myself a Democrat either. I’m a classical liberal, a free thinker, and as much as I don’t like to admit it, defending my liberal values has suddenly become a conservative position.
“So, if you think people should be able to say what they think without being punished for it; that people should be judged by their behavior, not their skin color; and that people should be able to live the way that they want to live, without government interference, then there’s not much left on the left for you.”
Follow Aaron Bandler on Twitter @bandlersbanter.