Happy-face fascism

.

.

The smiley faces in the above-left photo accompanying George Jonas’ column in today’s ‘Post’ reminded me of the cover of Jonah Goldberg’s new book. In the photo Ontario Premier McGuinty is announcing his new law banning smoking in cars carrying children.

Everywhere you look these days are examples of Goldberg’s assertion that modern liberalism embraces a well-meaning, smiley-face version of fascism. The example George Jonas picks is second-hand smoke:

I have nothing against the ... agenda; I only dislike coercion and lies. I'm not in favour of environmental smoke, only opposed to environmental hysteria. And I marvel that we don't even blink anymore as government metastasizes into such private spaces as our cars.

Unhealthy as smoking is, it's not half as unhealthy as politicized science. When the Czech President raised the alarm this week about the cause-driven state "that transcends the individual in the name of the common good," he was only reminding us that in order to survive cancer or global warming, it's unnecessary to succumb to tyranny.

It certainly is unnecessary to succumb to tyranny. But we’re gradually and apparently happily succumbing anyway. Eventually, when we’ve given up all of our freedoms, all that is not forbidden will be compulsory. Then we’ll have achieved the ultimate progressive, collectivist utopian dream, The Borg Hive.