The Left Believes It Has Won

From an article by Adam Hobbes entitled "Content Policies Are Another Symptom Of The Culture Wars":

The interesting thing about this paradigm shift [from supporting free speech to suppressing it] is what it implies about the progressive left’s sense of just how strong their hold on the culture is. Fifty years ago no progressive would even think of supporting things like speech codes or “offensive” content restrictions. From the Beatniks of the 50’s to the radicals of the 60’s, the young progressives of those eras stridently defended free speech at all levels.

Back then it would have been progressives that were targeted by Christians, conservative whites, and traditionalists for supporting things like school integration, gay rights, and women’s lib. They needed society to be tolerant of minority viewpoints in order to get traction. Now they believe no such tolerance is necessary. Minority, “extreme” points of view are not only to be condemned, they are not to be heard at all.

This shift in progressive ideology constitutes a major milestone – a declaration of victory even. They have won the argument on gay marriage, white privilege, feminism, and transgenderism. They have a powerful stranglehold on the public schools, universities, news media, and Hollywood.

No one can honestly think of the cultural left as being anti-establishment now; they have become the establishment. Tolerating open debate and dissent can only hurt them.