Extreme leftists often say, "If you don't like progressive policies, you're against progress."
I almost laughed every time I heard it because progressive and progress are two very different words. Despite the fact that they look nothing alike, it is impossible to say they are the same. And they are not synonyms either.
The idea of progress, the view that human beings and civilizations are improving and advancing toward a better goal, is very old. Over the centuries numerous individuals and groups have believed in some form of progress.
There was a notion of progress in ancient and medieval times, but it was called progress by Plato (c. 429-347 B.C.E.) and Aristotle (384-322 B.C.E.).
Over time the definition of progress has changed depending on who uses that word and what context is being used. In order to improve our vocabulary and to improve our understanding of the evolution of any process, some very smart people created the word "progress."
Former president Theodore Roosevelt introduced the term "Progressive" when he launched the Progressive Party in 1912 after losing the Republican presidential nomination to his protégé, incumbent president William Howard Taft. The newly formed party was known for taking advanced positions on progressive reforms and attracting leading national reformers. The party was also ideologically deeply connected with america's radical-liberal tradition. As a political view that gained popularity in the western world during the late 19th century, progressive was a political movement that believed that vast economic inequality was stifling progress, a laissez-faire capitalism with out-of-control monopolistic corporations, intense and often violent conflict between capitalists and workers, and a necessity for measures to address these problems.
This is a variation of the word progress by simply adding a few letters at the end. However, that doesn't mean they are the same thing.
Here's some more news for progressive minds: the Republican party also abolished slavery. They were the first party that launched a campaign to include growing minorities, like hispanic and african american, among many others, to vote legally. It wasn't your beloved democratic party. They were actually in favor of slavery and against minorities getting the right to vote. "Racist" is an epithet you all use blindly and without cause. If you asked a survey of a thousand people, chances are most people would not be racist, but a small minority would be. That's just a fact because it's been a problem in our society since the beginning of time and it's everywhere. As a result, we must continue to fight racism from all angles, but that is a different matter.
And that is how "progressive" was created by a group of smart people, but with a different meaning and for a different purpose. Their target was simple, to present people with a totally opposite agenda compared to the republicans, the same party they worked for their entire lives.
So there you have it, an explanation of very similar words with different meanings and purposes. This kind of problem is actually happening globally. It's difficult to get young people active in the community and voting. The Democratic Party has been working on their "woke" agenda for a long time. This is a term that was originally used with a different meaning in the mid 1900's by some African American activists. It had been picked up again by the progressive party of our nation in the 2000s, but with a very different plan. But "woke" is another topic that deserves its own small column so I'll have to write about that next time.
I would like to thank you if you stayed and read this entire piece. Thank you as well if you only read one sentence and thought it was too long to read on this lovely Sunday. Happy Holidays! I hope you all get to be with your loved ones on this holiday, and every day of your lives. Happy Easter everyone!