Thursday, June 4, 2015

Allodoxaphobia. Say THAT Three Times Fast.

For those not familiar with the subtle nuances of the Wide, Wonderful World of Phobias, Allodoxaphobia is the "fear of opinions."  And it seems that this particular phobia is growing at an astronomical pace in this country.

For those burdened by this phobia, the very idea that others could hold an opinion (much less a valid opinion) that differs from their own is terrifying and, in fact, soul-crushing.  It threatens their very existence, and all that they hold to be sacred.  The very existence of such a differing opinion implies that their own opinion might not, in fact, be de facto truth.

Because of this irrational terror, those suffering from Allodoxaphobia spasmodically label anyone with a different opinion to be a "hater" or in a master stroke of Transference, as having a <fill in the blank here>phobia themselves... e.g. "transphobia," "homophobia," etc. 

Those suffering from this malady have a compulsive need to silence any and all others that have differing opinions in order to give their own more credence.  Indeed, anyone embracing a different, contradictory opinion is a serious threat to the emotional and mental well-being of the Allodoxaphobic, and must be immediately marginalized, minimized, trivialized, and demonized in a desperate attempt to invalidate the offending opinion, dampen its terrifying nature, and reduce the chance that it might just hold some validity.  If there is one thing that Allodoxaphobics can't deal with, it's admitting that a differing opinion might have even a modicum of said validity. To do such would necessarily weaken the inerrant, exalted, and unimpeachable status they have arrogantly awarded their own personal opinions.

This explains why those that have a differing opinion on whatever issue has been blessed as the cause-o'-the-hour cannot be allowed to simply disagree.  They must be crushed.  They must be silenced.  They must be eliminated.  They cannot be allowed to exist.  Resistance is futile.  We are One Of Many.

To Allodoxaphobics, Free Speech is not a fundamental liberty at all, but a conditional liberty that the Left only affords to themselves, as they have already judged those who reject their progressive agenda and liberal ideals as being unworthy of that particular freedom, and, as the Gate-Keepers of All Things Rational, they believe that only they have the inherent natural right (Nay, DUTY!) to deny basic rights and freedoms to the stupid, moronic mouth-breathers who are too colossally dumb to remain in lock-step.  Such are clearly not thinking rationally, and therefore have forfeited their right to speak freely.

Those who disagree must be portrayed as "hating" the object of their disagreement, as such a negative and emotionally-charged word MUST demand that having a different opinion is a Very Bad Thing, and those that have the bad form to embrace such different opinions are Very Bad People.  And, as we are all acutely aware, Very Bad People cannot be trusted, and their opinions don't matter.  After all, everyone knows that if you HATE something, you are automagically WRONG.  And BAD.  And EVIL.  Did I say "Bad"?

Of course, the alternate to labeling all who disagree as "haters" is to claim that such have some sort of irrational fear of the target of their disagreement.  In the minds of Allodoxaphobics, it is literally impossible to have a valid disagreement with their opinion.  It simply cannot be.  One who claims such has a serious mental defect, as no sane (informed) person would disagree.  Again, the object is to reject any semblance of validity to any differing opinion and to strongly demand that anyone harboring such a differing opinion is mentally ill or otherwise untrustworthy.  Therefore, anyone who disagrees MUST be petrified of the awful and indisputable reality (truth) thrust forward by the Allodoxaphobics.  No, when Allodoxaphobics speak, the "thinking has been done."  All that remains is to get in step with their official pronouncements.

One recent example of this bizarre and disturbing phenomena was the article released by Dr. Paul R. McHugh, the former psychiatrist-in-chief for Johns Hopkins Hospital and its current Distinguished Service Professor of Psychiatry, author of 6 books and 125 peer-reviewed journals, in which he states that "transgenderism is a 'mental disorder' that merits treatment, that sex change is 'biologically impossible,' and that people who promote sexual reassignment surgery are collaborating with and promoting a mental disorder."

Of course, the Left instantly had an apoplectic seizure, refuting Dr. McHugh's opinion with such erudite and stunning intellectual gems as "And so's yer old man!" "Moron."  "Mentally imbalanced hack" and many other equally-substantive and well-reasoned responses.


Dr. McHugh (and those that agree with his conclusions) are not simply those with differing opinions, they are Very Bad People.  And they must be silenced.