The power of modern conformity

So Paul LePage, governor of Maine, announced he would not be attending a worship service breakfast in commemoration of Martin Luther King, Jr. day.  This failure to conform and venerate the absolute values of modern Righthink brought the expected attacks and criticisms.  For younger folks, that might have seemed a bit over the top.  Of course they probably forget that this holiday was initiated pretty much with a foot on the neck of our culture, with threats of protest and walk outs and boycotts accompanying any who didn't freely choose to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King. 

Governor LePage's reaction was, well, stunning.  He basically said that critics, including those in the NAACP, could - and I quote - "kiss [his] butt."  Wow.  Not only failing to venerate Dr. King as all Americans are compelled asked to do, but then such a brutal response to the usual criticism?  Well, that lasted as long as you might expect in our day and age.  Turns out he went to the breakfast after all.  He didn't speak, but with tail planted firmly between legs, he demonstrated the truth about our modern rhetoric.  It isn't just that it can get nasty.  It's that it is no longer used to persuade people.  Rather, it is used to force people into conformity of an absolute values system that refuses to admit it is an absolute values system.  And that will get a reaction every time.