Recently, Victor Davis Hanson used a phrase that struck a chord with me: Cultural Imperialism. Cultural imperialism occurs when one culture forces its values, beliefs, and ways of life onto others, often through pressure, manipulation, or the use of violence. It’s a controlling force that stifles freedom and demands conformity to a single worldview. Presented as moral progress, it silences dissent and enforces rigid ideology, often driven by uncompromising movements, particularly those of the globalist far-Left. This phenomenon manifests from authoritarian regimes to democratic societies. Therefore, it is important to understand why cultural imperialism is a dangerous threat if left unchecked.

In China, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) practices cultural imperialism through its Sinicization policies. These policies force ethnic minorities like Uyghurs and Tibetans to abandon their languages, religions, and traditions to adopt Han Chinese culture. Uyghur Muslims are detained in re-education camps, enduring forced labor and indoctrination to erase their cultural heritage. The Tibetans faced a campaign of genocide to erase their history and culture completely. The CCP justifies this as promoting national unity and modernization, but it’s a blatant attempt to eliminate cultural differences. This aggressive homogenization crushes any resistance, revealing a totalitarian agenda that prioritizes ideological uniformity over human rights and cultural richness.

In strict Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran, cultural imperialism takes a theocratic form. These regimes enforce a singular interpretation of Islam, leaving no room for personal freedom. In Iran, women who defy mandatory hijab laws, such as Mahsa Amini in 2022, face imprisonment or death, sparking nationwide protests. Saudi Arabia’s religious police enforce strict dress codes and gender segregation, punishing violations with violence, detention, and worse. While claiming divine authority, these governments mirror the far-Left’s ideological rigidity, demanding absolute conformity and punishing those who deviate, regardless of personal beliefs or aspirations.

In Western democracies, cultural imperialism operates more subtly but remains insidious. In Germany, the government’s decision to label the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party as extremist illustrates this trend. Though the AfD holds some controversial positions (it’s not like the positions of the political Left don’t), branding it a threat to democracy risks stifling legitimate political debate. This move, often supported by globalist progressive elites, seeks to silence views that challenge the mainstream multicultural narrative. By enforcing a single “acceptable” perspective, it undermines the open exchange of ideas essential to democracy, revealing an intolerance for ideological variation that mirrors authoritarian tactics.

In France, Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally, has faced relentless scrutiny for her nationalist views and critiques of immigration. In March 2025, a Paris court convicted her of misusing EU funds, banning her from public office for five years, effective immediately, despite her appeal. The charges focused on the use of EU parliamentary funds, intended for aides, to pay National Rally staff in France from 2004 to 2016—a practice other EU leaders, such as those in the Democratic Movement (MoDem) party, have also been accused of doing. They all faced lighter consequences for their actions.

Le Pen’s conviction has been decried as politically motivated by supporters and even centrists like Prime Minister François Bayrou, who argue it undermines democratic choice by sidelining a leading 2027 presidential candidate. This case highlights how legal systems can be weaponized to suppress voices challenging dominant ideologies, a tactic frequently tied to the far-Left’s efforts to control public discourse (can anyone say lawfare against President Trump?).

In the United States, the nauseously caustic woke movement exemplifies cultural imperialism’s coercive nature. It demands unwavering agreement with its stances on race, gender, and social issues—including DEI initiatives, branding dissenters as morally deficient. Cancel culture, a hallmark of this movement, has led to professional and social ostracism for those who question its tenets.

For instance, educators and public figures have been fired or shunned for expressing views deemed unacceptable. Corporate and institutional policies, such as mandatory pronoun usage or ideological training, further entrench conformity, limiting free speech. Claiming moral superiority, this movement behaves as oppressively as regimes in China or Iran, imposing a singular worldview that tolerates no opposition and punishes nonconformity with social or economic consequences.

Cultural imperialism, whether in authoritarian or democratic contexts, is a vile assault on human freedom. It obliterates cultural differences and demands slavish loyalty to a single ideology, smothering creativity and individuality. If this cancer spreads, we face a dystopian world where dissent is annihilated, and personal liberty is crushed beneath the boot of ideological tyranny. In China, it means the genocide of entire cultures; in Islamic states, the strangulation of personal rights; in the West, the death of open debate and democratic pluralism.

The far-Left’s role in this, with its disingenuous, virtue-signaling, sanctimonious crusades, is nothing short of deceitful, aping the authoritarianism it pretends to despise.

Everyone should live authentically, true to their beliefs and identities. But in expecting others to respect your beliefs and identities, comes the responsibility to respect others' beliefs and identities, and that means stopping incredibly short of imposing conformity or absolute acceptance of your personal dogma onto others. Be who you want to be, but respect everyone else’s right to do so as well.

Through it all, we all must embrace our shared American culture, the unique American culture. By defending open discourse, protecting free speech, and dismantling the far-Left’s dogmatic stranglehold, we can repel the suffocating tide of cultural imperialism, allowing everyone to live their lives in a manner in which they enjoy.

But, failure to act against cultural imperialism—acquiescence to totalitarian conformity in any of its forms—condemns us to a future where one ideology reigns supreme, and freedom is obliterated, leaving only a desolate intellectual wasteland of enforced conformity.

Then, when we return, our segment on America’s Third Watch, broadcast nationally from our flagship station WGUL AM860 & FM93.7 in Tampa, Florida.

In Closing…

Let’s talk about that vital thing: staying informed and engaged. Politics, government, current events—these aren’t just headlines or talking points; they shape our lives, our communities, our future. Make it a habit to dig into what’s happening. Read beyond the soundbites, question narratives, and seek out primary sources. Knowledge is power, and it’s how we hold those in charge accountable.

But don’t stop there. Talk about these things with your family, friends, colleagues, even that neighbor you only wave to. Share your thoughts—sincerely, not with an agenda or a raised fist. When we approach these conversations with open hearts, something amazing happens: we discover we have far more in common than we do differences. That’s the secret the political game players in Washington DC don’t want you to know. They thrive on division, on keeping us at odds. But when we connect, when we listen and find common ground, we become unstoppable.

So, stay curious, and start those conversations. Be the bridge, not the wall. Together, we can remind those in power that we’re not just voters—we’re neighbors, friends, and a united force for reformative change back to constitutionalism.

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