I heard it again this morning on the radio. Moira Deeming, the Victorian MLC whom Liberal Leader, John Pessuto, is (or was at the time of writing) seeking to expel from the parliamentary Liberal Party, is apparently an extremist. Her “extremist” views include being a non-woke conservative Christian, an advocate for women’s rights, holding to traditional family values and biblical definitions of gender and righteous sexuality. In this respect Ms Deeming is no different to the vast majority of Christians in Australia, and in terms of women’s rights, no different to the vast majority of Australian women – Christian, or not. Yet the media and certain male figures in the State Liberal party continue to portray her as an extremist.
She isn’t, in my humble assessment of the available facts. Has she been outspoken? Yes. But since when has that been a social crime? Has she been, perhaps, unwise in some of her outspokenness? Possibly. But no more so than many others in the media spotlight these days. Has she been unwittingly associated with others who may, indeed, be real the extremists? Probably. But what is critical here is intention – and the facts.
Yet Ms Deeming is caricatured as an “extremist”. The use of this label is increasingly prevalent these days. It is yet another weapon used by our overwhelmingly woke media to denounce and marginalise voices with whom they disagree. Forget media impartiality, it no longer exists. The recent media hit on the City on a Hill Church was justified because they held apparently, fundamentalist, extremist biblical views. They are not. They’re just plain old biblical views that have never changed. But did that stop politicians, including our Premier, and other leading woke voices jumping on the bandwagon to malign and condemn these “extremists”? And this is exactly what happened with Ms Deeming. The Liberal Party leader in the Victorian Parliament – who has no proof that Ms Deeming has done anything other than being somewhat unwise in her choice of platforms and, perhaps, a bit inarticulate at times voicing her views – has reacted to the extremism accusations in the media for fear of the damage by association it may do to the Liberal Party brand. He has decided that the brand is more important than the truth and has moved throw Ms Deeming under a bus. Her suspension is completely unwarranted in my view.
The Neo-Nazis who were allowed to gatecrash a peaceful women’s rally recently that was advocating for a range of women’s rights – and at which Ms Deeming spoke – they were extremists. When women wanted to peacefully speak up about their rights, some of which are being summarily tossed aside in favour of trans-women’s rights without any consultation, the media deliberately misconstrued the facts to paint Ms Deeming as an extremist. It was a blatant, cowardly attack. That is, they accused her of being a Nazi sympathiser and associating with white supremacists. She is not, and did not. Never has been. Never did. But so shrill, malicious and frightening was the media’s woke characterisation of Ms Deeming that the leaders of her party cowered in terror and moved to expel her. Talk about dog whistling!
The extremism label is now the weapon of choice for many media commentators. Why? Because it is so effective. It instils fear – the fear of association, the fear of reputational damage, the fear of being marginalised. The extremism label is being used as the blunt instrument to control the parameters of public debate and polite discourse – who is allowed to say what, and be properly and respectfully heard. In recent years the word “racism” became the weapon used to denounce, ridicule and intimidate into silence others with contrary views to certain public voices who claim to represent “mainstream” Australia. Now “extremism” is added to the arsenal. But this label has a particular purpose. It is being used to repaint traditional values concerning faith, family and sexuality as extreme. The very use of the word “extremism” conjures up the worst of human thinking which resulted in atrocities and crimes against humanity. Think, Nazism, Fascism, Communism, terrorism and totalitarianism, not to mention Isis. And so, when the words “extremist” or “extremism” are uttered our minds immediately go to these repugnant places, memories and atrocities. And we recoil in horror. So, when media, or politicians and social commentators with their pet agendas label someone an extremist because they do not agree with their views or values, they’re putting that voice, that person in the same camp as all other universally reviled and real extremists.
This is exactly what has been happening to Ms Deeming. And it is wrong. It is bullying of the worst kind.
What was once normal and good is now labelled extremist, and what was once marginal, dubious and immoral is now the views and thinking of “mainstream Australia”, apparently, or so we keep being told by wokeists. And so, any contrary voice to what the media and politicians declare is “mainstream” (one of our State Premier’s favourite words), is extreme. This is the world in which we live, and we Christians have to become a heck of a lot smarter in the way we articulate and engage in public discourse. We need to speak when necessary, not go needlessly stirring up trouble as some are doing, but neither do we shrink from our “salt and light” responsibilities and holding to biblical righteousness. Of course, however careful and gracious we may be, when it all boils down in the debates or dialogue, there will always be hatred directed towards us because of who we are. This is one of the costs of following Jesus.
Luke 6:22-23 (NIV)
“Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. 23 "Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.”
This doesn’t mean we shrink from speaking out when we should. We press on in faith.
That’s what I reckon, anyway.
Ps Milton