Postcolonialism
What is Postcolonialism?
Postcolonialism is a postmodern academic discipline that refers to European colonialism. It assumes that Europeans have a historically unique monopoly on the practice. It is not, as the name implies, the study of conditions after (post) colonialism. Instead, it claims there is no “after,” that the colonizers are still oppressing those which do not share their ethnic European origins. Like most critical theories, postcolonialism has a name that obfuscates what it is really about; neo-Marxist identity politics, which seeks to divide people into oppressed and oppressor categories.
Obsessed with the unscientific theory of “power dynamics” developed by postmodern philosopher Michel Foucault, post-colonialists seek to pit those of European heritage (“white people”), including people of Jewish descent (especially Zionists) against BIPOC people (black, indigenous, people of colour). The claim is that BIPOC people are the automatic present-day victims of their white oppressor citizen counterparts. It is essentially a divide and concur strategy, which leverages resentment and guilt from historic injustices to achieve its modern-day objectives.
Postcolonialism provides a one-sided negative view of our history, which is based on narratives of exploitation and oppression. It fails to acknowledge the benefits of our modern society which resulted from our colonial past, along with the progress which has been made on human rights in Western societies. This view of history is nearly an identical theoretical framework as critical race theory (CRT). Postcolonialism is often full of false claims, as it emphasizes “lived experience” over historical accuracy. This approach results in an activist bias which emphasizes narratives of oppression over objective facts. For example, it often asserts that oppressive power structures are today upheld by the same historical oppressor (white Europeans, including Jews), because they continue to reap benefits, while others are prevented from upward mobility. They neglect to identify other root cause explanations of disparities in society, particularly educational achievement differentials between groups.
Postcolonialism downplays the power and autonomy of the individual, leaving out the best explanation for success – hard work. Apart from unforeseen or random misfortune, success can be (and is) generally enjoyed by people who work hard, including BIPOC minorities.
While CRT and postcolonialism developed simultaneously, and much of the theoretical framework and overall tactics are similar, they differ where postcolonialism alleges that all history recorded by Western civilization is false, or at best, biased and untrue. It proposes that Western history is intentionally written in order to leave out the achievements, contributions, and full-story of the “oppressed”, with the explicit purpose of keeping them marginalized.
Accordingly, the only appropriate response to the alleged oppression is to disrupt, dismantle and re-write the narrative. Therefore, the postcolonial project seeks to redistribute power to BIPOC minority groups by abolishing cultural symbols, religion (Judeo-Christian), rejecting history, great works of literature, music, and great European art. Next, it has established an organized effort to re-write and supplant Western history and cultural artifacts with new ones defined and prioritized by the postcolonialists, with the ultimate intent of “freeing” the oppressed from Western life.
Naturally, in order to sustain such a narrative, postcolonialism denies the importance of innovation in infrastructure, technology, health, science and medicine developed by the West. It rejects Western concepts of freedom, based on individual rights and agency. It disavows the trend toward increased global prosperity resulted from Western capitalism. Finally, it challenges the concept of equality of all people under the law, but favours, instead, equity (equality of outcome, not opportunity), and even goes a step beyond equity to institute a system that privileges the alleged “marginalized” groups while denying opportunity to people of “colonizing” ethnicities. This is justified under the guise of reparations; demanding government intervention, affirmative action, and new legislation to solidify these practices.
Postcolonialists are essentially neo-Marxists. The deepest irony is that their goal to “decolonize” the West can only come to fruition by implementing a framework of ideological conformity and violent, centralized, political power to carry-out equity programs. These ideological and economic systems have historically created societies of severe oppression; the very conditions they claim to be fighting against. They fail to acknowledge that people from all over the world immigrate to Western nations not because these countries are oppressive, but because they are free and prosperous. Postcolonial activists leverage the sympathies and frustrations of new immigrants, appealing to grievances and ethnic tribalism, in order to destabilize Western culture.
Ultimately, postcolonialism is designed to breed a victim mentality in society, that tells someone who has not been successful (or who is perhaps just impatient for a success that has yet to arrive), the colonial-minded oppressor is to blame. Many people who buy into this theory feel hopeless, like they cannot succeed in this society. This is how and why Wokeism (and all of its manifestations, like Postcolonialism) has captured the imaginations of so many.
Postcolonialism pushes an “us versus them” mentality. If you are Woke, you have a decolonized activist mind committed to dismantling the influence of European culture in the West. If you are not Woke, you have a colonized mind and/or you are an oppressor, and you must be silenced by any means necessary – coercion or force. There is no space for open discussion and rigorous debate over complex political and social issues.
Those who believe in postcolonial theory are indulging in an inaccurate over-simplification of history and our society at best. At worst, it is ahistorical catastrophizing and outright sabotage of the only civilization in history that has given all people the freedom to have such thoughts in the first place.
