Exclusion – Revisited

Exclusion, like discrimination, is a term worth revisiting. This is because of the narrow political focus these words have been forced into adopting, so that to exclude or discriminate is now seen as a social evil, a denial of human rights.  

In keeping with the great British moral essayist and writer Theodore Dalrymple, when he comments about both the necessity and value of genuine discrimination, (the faculty that discriminates between what is good, of value, and what is not good, of little value), exclusion is normal and necessary.  

Excluding is commonly practised, despite protests about it.  It is both impossible and foolish to make inclusion the greatest and most virtuous of social goals.  Our societies are replete with exclusionary practises, some of which are enshrined in law.  Prison excludes some members of society from the freedoms of unhindered movement - thankfully.  Certain professions of absolute necessity exclude those unqualified – surgeons, pilots, teachers, etc.  Professional sports are still exclusionary, despite the vain attempts to make every child a winner at the school level.  In this instance they are being set up for failure by all being made winners, by all feeling good.  Life will soon disabuse these children of the effect of the naïve philosophy that ‘all are winners,’ not least in their feelings. 

Of course, some exclusion is the work of bullies, and those wanting to maintain unjust advantages and privileges.  This is as old as history, and hardly needs pointing out by making mandated inclusion the new bully.  

As an aside, although hardly unimportant, those committed to mechanistic evolutionary theory are in a spot of bother here as the survival of the fittest (the simplest description of the success of natural selection) fits perfectly with exclusion at every level.  Only the fit survive – that’s the point.   However, few really believe this, calling on morality and justice – which sadly aren’t the outcome of natural selection – only natural selection is, despite disingenuous attempts to get morality from muscle. 

Fear has bullied many into being overly cautious.  The fear of being excluded has made many reluctantly inclusive.  Added to which is the fear of being seen to swim against the moral and social tide that we are told is the right side of history.  You will be excluded if you don’t agree with the inclusionists.    

Exclusion, in its place, is both normal and necessary.