Is there such a thing as the illiberal left or is that a myth?

Yes they exist and sadly it is not a myth. Here is an example from an Anti-War Demonstration in San Francisco in 2003

Source: We Support Our Troops When They SHOOT Their Officers

The illiberal left can also be described as the Regressive Left (or simply Regressives) - a term that was first coined by the Muslim liberal reformer Maajid Nawaz and popularized by Sam Harris, Dave Rubin and Richard Dawkins. It is not a new phenomenon with a history going back to the French Revolution.

Source: Maajid Nawaz- the Times

Regressives see Western Civilization as inherently evil and in chronic need of restructuring along a perceived ideal. The Will to Power drives their aspiration. Various segments will resort to violence if it is deemed necessary. Regressives are however prepared to tolerate other counter radicalisms (eg. Islamism) if that ideology is directed at the same primary target. Freedom of speech however is only appreciated if it works in their favor. At its most fundamental it is anti-democratic but will use the vehicle of democracy as a means to an end.

Included in the Regressive grouping are the various Marxist Revolutionary tendencies, much of the New Left, a growing share of ‘equality of outcome’ progressives (aka SJWs) and their fellow travelers in the shrill and outrage media. In France this roughly corresponds to the Red-Green-Brown alliance. Red–green–brown alliance - Wikipedia

Fortunately there is a non-regressive left who are well exemplified by the Euston Manifesto. The Euston Manifesto.

So how do you spot a Regressive ?

Look at the Trail of Hatred which is starting to look more and more like an Interstate at this point in time . Here is a list of eight warning signs.

While not all Regressives are defined by each and every point below if you hit five of them or more you are probably on to something big.

1.Hatred of the US: The US is an economic, scientific and culturally successful free market driven country. It also led the fight that ultimately culminated in the defeat of the Regressive Soviet Union. Hatred of the US is a very useful mechanism in uniting conflict Regressive ideologies. The leftist extension of its hatred of the US carries over to a vile disdain of other US influenced organizations such as the IMF, World Bank and NATO.

2. Hatred of Capitalism: Capitalism stands in the way of the world wide spread of International Socialism and its variances (Trotskyism, Maoism, Marxism, Eco-fascism etc) which Regressives seek to promote. It is important to note that it is not globalization that Regressives detest - their ideologies hinge on a global outlook as well – but the proliferation of the free market mantra.

3. Hatred of the Nature View Point: Regressives for the most part abhor genetic explanations especially in the field of psychometrics, as it undermines the relevant nurture based constructs that they believe can be manipulated to create the respective nirvana. Such a bias has manifested itself in the ideological clearing houses that go by the euphemisms of ‘studies disciplines’ in many universities.

4. Hatred of Organized Religion: In Regressive thought the organized traditional religions need to 'fade away' or be annihilated (depending on the urgency) so that their specific collectivist vision predominates. Organized religions also have a nasty habit of undermining leftist totalitarianism. Nevertheless Regressives will tolerate organized religion - and have done so through the mechanism of Liberation Theology - if it too opposes a greater threat viz. the US and Western Liberalism. Regressive sympathy for Islamism is an outcrop of such thinking.

5. Hatred of Tradition: Regressive Leftism centers on the twin notions of destruction and re-building. Tradition represents that which has to be destroyed as it is the product of the ‘old order’ (which in Regressive eyes is tainted…you know the Patriarchy and all of that).

Regressives, from the early days of the French Revolution - remember the guillotine happy Jacobin - have been hostile to tradition seeking to replace existing structures and establishments with those of their own making.

6. Hatred of Standards: Standards of excellence throw a wrench into the workings of Regressive Leftism and its adherence to moral and intellectual relativism. Standards also provide additional support for the ‘old order’ and validate the tradition that leftists wish to dismantle. It is for this reason that Post-Modernist thinking with its emphasis on anti-establishment rhetoric is so popular with leftists in university settings.

7. Hatred of Individuality: Regressives are ultimately opposed to individuality, although they will appear to offer tacit support in the short run as bait for the creative class. Individuality contradicts the groupthink creed inherent in Regressive ideology. Look no further than the way the Soviet Union suppressed artistic freedom and then co-opted it as a tool for the state.

8. Hatred of Debate/Counter Thought: Regressives are quick to complain about their voices being marginalized - there is strength in victimhood - yet once power is achieved are quick to negate free speech. Regressive championing of university speech codes, mandated language, human rights tribunals and ‘offense directed’ litigation are testament to this reality in the day-to-day.

Is the Regressive left not just a right wing bogeyman?

Not at all. In fact its growing strength should concern modern liberals and indeed every thinking person on the left who values Western Civilization.

It is not that we weren’t warned about this before.

Thank You George Orwell.

Picture Source: British Library. Orwell - A Man of the Left who could see through the facade of Regressivism and was willing to take his own side to task for not being forceful enough in rejecting i