Norman Vincent Peale once said, “Most of us would be upset if we were accused of being ‘silly.’ But the word ‘silly’ comes from the old English word ‘selig,’ and its literal definition is ‘to be blessed, happy, healthy and prosperous.'” Now, you’d think being silly in the face of totalitarianism is quite the daft idea, wouldn’t you? But let me tell ya, folks, you’d be surprised what folks do when the chips are down.

Vaclav Havel, a brilliant playwright turned politician, had this illuminating anecdote about life under communist rule. See, Havel talks about these greengrocers under the regime. These good, ordinary folks, just trying to make an honest living selling fruits, vegetables, or maybe a fine pair of shoes if you’re lucky. Well, they had a peculiar ritual. They’d hang up these signs in their windows—signs that echoed the platitudes of the regime. They’d practically wallpaper their storefronts with them.

Now, why would they do this, you might ask? It’s not like they had a deep love for communist slogans. No, it was about survival. It was about showing obedience. It was about not wanting to be that one guy in the neighborhood who didn’t have a sign in his window. That guy was suspect. They were probably having secret meetings in the back of the store, planning to overthrow the government. Or maybe they just ran out of tape.

The trick here was not just to submit, but to show it. To display your submission for all to see. And not just submission, but enthusiasm! You had to look like you were having the time of your life under the boot heel of the regime.

And here’s the kicker, folks. Underneath this public display of obedience and enthusiasm, there was a strange sort of unity. Everyone was in the same boat, all playing the same silly game. All united under the same oppressive regime, pretending to enjoy the ride. Not in shared love for the regime, but in the shared farce of it all. They all knew the required steps to the dance. They were bound together not by love for the leaders, but by the shared experience of having to pretend they did. A brotherhood of the bamboozled, you might say.

So, the shopkeepers kept on smiling and plastering their windows with signs, the people kept pretending to believe in the slogans, and the regime, well, it kept on being a regime. It’s a wild game of pretend, where everyone knows the rules but no one dares to stop playing.

Now we’ve moved on from the communist regime signs to a whole new gobbledygook – pronoun declarations and diversity oaths. Kinda makes you long for the simpler days, eh?

Imagine you’re meeting someone for the first time, and before you even ask their name, they’re telling you their pronouns. Now, I’m no stranger to the English language, but this is a whole new ballgame. It’s not about getting to know someone anymore; it’s about ticking off the boxes. It’s a loyalty test for the new regime. Except this regime isn’t ruling from a grand palace or state building. It’s ruling from social media, college campuses, and human resource departments.

You see, there’s power in these declarations. When someone uses pronouns or swears by the book of diversity, it’s like they’re waving a flag. A big, shiny, rainbow-colored flag that says, “I’m a good leftist. You can trust me with your vote.” The funny thing is, this loyalty doesn’t come from shared values or beliefs. It comes from fear. Fear of being on the wrong side. Fear of losing your job. Fear of being cancelled.

It’s all part of a big plan to solidify one-party rule. It’s a simple strategy: expand the loyal voter base, vanquish the enemies, and repeat. The loyalists get rewarded – promotions, social standing, that warm fuzzy feeling of being on the right side of history.

But the enemies, oh boy, they get the short end of the stick. They’re fired, harassed, threatened. They’re dragged through the mud and then some. In leftist strongholds, they don’t stand a chance. A jury of “their peers” is more likely to convict them without any evidence than look twice at a leftist official’s obvious crimes.

But here’s the punchline, folks: while these loyalty tests are being passed around like candy at a parade, the real issues are being ignored. Leftist criminals commit crimes, get caught, and then are released without a charge. It’s a circus where the clowns are running the show, and the audience is too scared to leave.

This is anarchy-tyranny at its finest. A world where loyalty is safety, and dissent is a one-way ticket to cancelville. So, next time someone tells you their pronouns before their name, just remember: it’s not a conversation, it’s a loyalty test. And if you don’t pass, well, you better brace yourself for the consequences.