Andrew Doyle: How the 'New Puritans' Created a 'Frenzy of Conformity'
The journalist and comedian makes the case that "new puritans" espousing the religion of social justice have captured the Western world.

Over the past decade, no social critic has been more withering toward identity politics and cancel culture than Andrew Doyle, the playwright, comedian, and journalist from Northern Ireland. Whether it's creating the parodic Twitter personality Titania McGrath or penning a best-selling defense of free speech, the Oxford-educated Doyle has never missed an opportunity to show the folly of the political correctness currently eating its way through our universities, corporations, and politics like termites through soft wood.
His new book is The New Puritans: How the Religion of Social Justice Captured the Western World, and I spoke with him about the sources of and solutions to what he calls the "frenzy of conformity" that characterizes so much of contemporary media, academia, and policy.
Previous appearances by Doyle on The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie:
"Andrew Doyle: Free Speech and Why It Matters," June 2, 2021.
"Meet Titania McGrath, the Wokest SJW on Twitter," February 5, 2020.
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Unfortunately we still have a lot of the old puritans around. Old fashioned bible thumpers who want to keep prostitution illegal, tell people what substances they can and can't put in their bodies, and try to stop women from having medical procedures considered totally normal in the rest of the developed world. The new puritans might be as annoying as the old puritans, but the old puritans are far more dangerous.
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As opposed to the 'new puritans' who...want to keep prostitution illegal, mandate what substances you can and can't put in your body, and tell women what procedures they can and can't get?
Might want to try harder.
Also your troll account is out of date, LC doesn't come here anymore and hasn't for a while.
It sounds like Shrike.
Would make sense as the real Lovecon used to drive him crazy.
Puritanism has nothing to do with it.
Abortion is strongly restricted in much of the developed world because it is considered a violation of the rights of the fetus.
We can legalize drugs and prostitution as soon as we stop forcing tax payers paying for the consequences.
I guess Europe must be governed by puritans, because their abortion laws tend to be stricter than ours.
You post so many wrongheaded posts !!!
Do you keep up with any current events.
For example, prostitution : Jun 7, 2022 — MADRID, June 7 (Reuters) - Spain voted on Tuesday in favour of a proposal to draw up legislation to abolish prostitution
This is being done by Socialists and PRogressives and feminsts in Spain are split on it
But you are sure everybody would agree with you !!
===============
The substances comments is just silly. As a Parent and Employer and Teacher I have untold times where I have to say something about what can't be put in a body ! Don't become a parent with that soul of yours 🙂
==================
as to medical procedures I see ex-trans constantly lamenting that people like you encouraged them to destroy their own bodies !!
This site has young people galore who think people like you are cowards and moral cretins
https://detransunited.com/
Young people have always been conformists. Their conformity usually takes the form of being as different from older people as possible in almost exactly the same way as the other young people around them. This can almost be called a fundamental human trait. Young people do not yet know how or where they fit into society, seen has having been created and maintained by older people. They have not yet attained the confidence needed to feel comfortable with their own attitudes, opinions, skills and security. Yet superficial conformity in their pretended rebellion against “authority” doesn’t work very well and eventually they become more skilled and more secure in their positions and, sometimes, more thoughtful and informed. One can only hope that the overall longer-term trend for humanity is towards logic, reason and more sophisticated cooperation for our mutual benefit.
This is likely a purely modern phenomenon and in the pleistocene era it is likely young people pretty much had no adolescent years and went straight from child to man or child to woman eagerly.
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The concept of adolescence tends to happen in societies that have advanced far enough that such a stage of social development can be indulged. You see this quite a bit in Renaissance-era Italy as well, for example. It's not an accident that you see this in First and Second World countries after World War II, but not necessarily in the Third World, with exceptions, of course.
"One can only hope that the overall longer-term trend for humanity is towards logic, reason and more sophisticated cooperation for our mutual benefit."
LOL
Fuck off, totalitarian collectivist cancer.
>>HOW ...
um, Jornolists allowed it?
xc
we definitely are living in a new puritan era where everything is offensive and "proper" behavior is ardently enforced by severe godless church ladies.
... while they scream "Handmaid's Tale!" because reasons
Abrahamic religions have stories like that too (Sodom and Gomorrah, Noah's ark, etc.).
The ones who scream handmaid's tale! the loudest are secretly fetishizing their sub inclinations. I'd bet a lot of money on that if there was a way to know for sure.
Like Paul Pelosi?
Noting definite at all except your defensive attack on people you won't listen to, as church ladies.
Some things are offensive and some things are proper but that is the province of Truth not of Taste.
So, the illuminating case is gay marriage, something that a lot will say should be allowed while at the same time being disgusted by the obvious perversity of it.
I find many people use the label 'Puritan' in exactly the wrong sense. They say abortion is moral but of course it is disgusting to see the babies ripped off limbs but that is like being offended at the smell of horse manure....Actually, it is the opposite: Things often offend you primarily because of what they represent and only secondarily by what they are.
I always thing of the Aerosmith guy on abortion: the girlfriend said "Even now, 36 years later, she says, "I wish I could go back and be given that chance again, to say no to the abortion one last time. I wish with all my heart I could have watched that baby live his life and grow to be a man." She says Tyler was with her during the procedure, snorting cocaine, and that he told her the baby "had been born alive and allowed to die." The relationship didn't survive long after, either."
Interesting how so many are publishing books on this topic at the same time. Noah Rothman has one out recently as well, though I think that's slightly more academic. I see Nick interviewed Rothman a few months ago about it as well.
This is an interesting topic.
I've been watching Whatifalthist's videos on YouTube quite a bit, and I think he covers social justice a bit more in depth and better than here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J10_2natxys
" makes the case that "new puritans" espousing the religion of social justice have captured the Western world."
I wonder, which side of the political spectrum do these folks come from?
The same side as those worshipping Gaia.
Gillespie fails spectacularly on two counts. The first, his weak attempt to assert that conservatives are driving calls for banning or censoring books. A 'pox on both houses' would have been more apt, but bias is a motherfucker, it seems. Second, the impressive backpedaling from Doyle's comment about puberty, dysmorphia, and homosexuality rather than immediate chemical or surgical treatment. Gillespie shows no courage, no support for individual rights or liberties, and misses the Ipswich Bridge moment. Standing tall in a crowd of people w/ the correct opinions, again, reasonmag. Very libertarian.
This seems the poor man's version of
The Idol of Our Age: How the Religion of Humanity Subverts Christianity
by Daniel J. Mahoney and Pierre Manent
I might find comedians funny on the topic of conformity but let's remember that the underpinnings require knowledge of US Founding, the Founding Documents, and basic political philosophy.
The most prescient comment ever , to my mind , was what Lincoln said about slavery, because it applies so much for abortion and homosexuality
"They won't stop until we say it [slavery ] is good"
You will notice the elementary logic error of this book and discussion: when you talk about rights you can be certain but if you talk about rights under the cover of religion they are not certain. But it must be one or the other.
This explains why no one ever attacks the super-strong opposition to abortion as a violation of human rights by
The Pro-Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians (PLAGAL)
OR
Secular Pro-Life (You don’t have to be religious to have a problem with killing humans. We welcome pro-life activists, closeted pro-lifers, people on the fence, and anyone interested in exploring the secular arguments against abortion.)
A Secular Case Against Abortion
Summary:
1. The human zygote, embryo, and fetus are all human organisms; they are early developmental stages of a human’s life cycle.
2. All human organisms are morally relevant.
3. It’s generally immoral to kill humans.
4. Bodily rights aren’t enough to justify elective abortion.
Gillespie utterly fails on both counts. The first was his feeble attempt to claim that conservatives are pushing for proposals to control or ban literature. A "pox on both houses" would have been a better phrase, but it seems that bias is a motherfucker. Second, the impressive retreat from Doyle's remark that quick pharmaceutical or surgical treatment was preferable to puberty, dysmorphia, and homosexuality. Gillespie lacks bravery, does not promote individual freedoms, and misses the Ipswich Bridge opportunity. Once more, reasonmag, standing tall amid a swarm of people with the right viewpoints. extremely libertarian.
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