#wilhoitslaw — Public Fediverse posts

@rpolenz
Für den Fall dass Sie #WilhoitsLaw nicht kennen:

Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.

Konservatismus besteht aus genau einem Grundsatz, und zwar: Es muss In-Groups geben, die vom Recht geschützt werden, aber die das Recht nicht bindet. Sowie Out-Groups, die das Recht bindet, aber nicht schützt.

RE: https://fairdinkum.one/@John/116078358047694748

A quotation popularly known as #WilhoitsLaw is often incorrectly attributed to Francis M. Wilhoit:

#Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect. #auspol

@dejan @reticuleena
Dass "Konservative" irgendwas "bewahren" wollen wurde doch schon vor Jahren als Mythos entlarvt: "Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect." - #WilhoitsLaw

Why Conservatives Hate the Government But Love the Cops

https://piefed.social/c/anarchism/p/1740911/why-conservatives-hate-the-government-but-love-the-cops

"Kemi Badenoch expected to announce plan to leave ECHR"

British people's human rights to be abolished in the unlike event they get a Conservative government.

And in the likely event they get a Reform government.

"Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect."

#WilhoitsLaw

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/oct/02/kemi-badenoch-expected-to-announce-plan-to-leave-echr?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

> Move to come if Conservatives win next election and is calculated to head off growing support for Reform UK

I put up a small mini-lecture about how the right intuitively gets Freedom Of Speech mixed up with ”speech without consequences”, for the younglings.

Charlie Kirk’s murder presented a perfect opportunity to bring up Wilhoit’s Law and other fundamental topics that conservatism doesn’t recognise about itself!

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNdgdC7TH/

#politicalpsychology #conservatism #freedomofspeech #lectures #wilhoitslaw #charliekirk

@bweller This is not just fascists, it’s #conservatism as a whole.

The whole point is to define an in-group who is protected but not bound by law, and an out-group who are bound but not protected by law. ( #wilhoitslaw )

This is why starting from facts fails. They start from who should have power and everything else flows doen from that. Your facts are mere justifications for them, as for them anything they say was just that to begin with.

Power should be met with power.

In case you're not familiar with Wilhoit's Law:

“Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit:

There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind,
alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.

There is nothing more or else to it,
and there never has been."

~Frank Wilhoit, composer
https://crookedtimber.org/2018/03/21/liberals-against-progressives/#comment-729288

#Politics #USPol #USPolitics #Conservatives #GOP #Trump #MAGA #Meme #Memes #Quote #Quotes #WilhoitsLaw #FrankWilhoit

@cwebber That’s the #authoritarian #conservative playbook: They break all the rules, but demand you still play by them.

Just another prime example of #wilhoitslaw: The core value of conservatism is that there is an in-group of people who are protected by the rules, and another one who are bound by them but not protected.

Instead of having rule of law, you have rule by law and immunity from persecution. Instead of starting from what, they begin from who and make up the rest.

@chris I never get tired of bringing up #wilhoitslaw

“#Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.”

It’s a political philosophy that starts from the WHO should be in power, not WHAT. And rule of law is never compatible with it.

@dangillmor ”There must be in-groups who the law protects but does not bind, and out-groups who the law binds but does not not protect.”
-Frank Wilhoit

This is the only true rule of conservatism.

And it was made in the context of pointing out that we have no other politics than #conservatism left.

All parties today protect the wealthy at the price of hurting the non-wealthy. Only different flavours of implementing #wilhoitslaw remain in power.

This needs to change.

@elizabethjacobs.bsky.social But this is the essence of #conservatism as expressed in #wilhoitslaw

Conservatism consists of exactly one principle: There must be in-groups which the law protects but does not bind, and out-groups which the law binds but does not protect.

Conservatism never was about the WHAT, all of that is and always was just talk. Justification.

It's always been about the WHO.

@gamingonlinux It’s just conservatism.

According to #wilhoitslaw, conservatism consists of only a single principle:

There should be an in-group which the law protects but does not bind, and an out-group which the law binds but does not protect.

There is no modernity, no enlightenment, no rule of law. It’s the old divine right of kings, unchanged by centuries.

@cstross Conservatism.

According to #wilhoitslaw, conservatism consists only of a single principle:

There should be an in-group which the law protects but does not bind, alongside an out-group which the law binds but does not protect.

There is no modernity, no enlightenment, no rule of law. It’s the old divine right of kings, unchanged by centuries.

@flexghost No, no, no! You’ve got it all wrong!

This IS conservatism at it’s ”best”.
The contradictions are intentional.
Not making sense is intentional.
It’s #wilhoitslaw all the way down.

It’s NOT about creating a LOGICAL society.
IT IS about rules NOT applying equally to all.

Dismantling rule of of law, dismantling equality. The point is to establish a hierarchy where whether a rule applies to you or not, varies based on your status.

That’s the WHOLE damn point!

@glynmoody No no.. It won't, because conservatives write conflicting legislation on purpose.

#wilhoitslaw states that conservatism consists of exactly one proposition: There must be an in-group which the law protects but does not bind, and an out-group which the law binds but does not protect.

See how that's going to work?

@georgetakei That’s actually the sole idea behind #conservatism, expressed perfectly in #wilhoitslaw:

”Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition: There needs to be an in-group which the law protects but does not bind, and an out-group which the law binds but does not protect.”

Has anyone written a pithy statement of the corollary, that those who subscribe to this proposition are always convinced they deserve to be in the ingroup and someone else should be in the outgroup (even though other people in the same movement think they're the ones who should be in the outgroup)?

Or does "I didn't think the leopards would eat my face!" cover it?

https://bookmarks.kvibber.com/m/edd81beea683ae04a2ad9490bd80b9b8

#conservatism #WilhoitsLaw #LeopardsEatingFaces

@jackwilliambell @pluralistic It’s actually conservatism itself.

#wilhoitslaw states:

Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition: There must be an in-group which the law protects but does not bind, and an out-group which the law binds but does not protect.

Inequality and using all means of power to reinforce that is the root motivation for conservative politics.

@patrickworld #wilhoitslaw

@JRHorsting But you forget #wilhoitslaw of #conservatism:

Conservatism consists of exactly one principle. There should be an in-group which the law protects but does not bind, and an out-group which the law binds but does not protect.

@GottaLaff But. According to #wilhoitslaw the purpose of the law is never to persecute the in-group.
Only the out-group may be punished. The in-group can only be protected.

@doener It isn’t about the words. It’s about having the powet to enforce the list on your enemies while your friends get the free pass.
#wilhoitslaw

@carlysagan This is the beating heart of #conservatism. Inequality in the face of law, based on hierarchy & loyalty. #wilhoitslaw

@randahl There is no strategy. The out-group must suffer. This is conservatism. This is #wilhoitslaw. This was always there, but being kept down by ’wokeness’.

@eunews LOL #wilhoitslaw
America get ready to become Russia 2.0
Ask the Londoners what they think about Russian oligarchs living with them.
Expect political murders 😐

@erininthemorning.com Yes. It’s #wilhoitslaw

”There must be an in-group which the law protect but does not bind, and an out-group which the law binds but does not protect.”

The ”intent” of laws/rules for these people does not even start from being fair. Their intention is for them to apply unfairly from the start.

Sometimes they just forget to lie about it.

“Wilhoit’s Law” about conservatives keeps getting credited to the wrong Frank Wilhoit.

#wilhoitslaw #composer #FrankWilhoit #conservative #privilege
https://slate.com/business/2022/06/wilhoits-law-conservatives-frank-wilhoit.html

Tässä #persut #keronen keississä tulee todella hienosti esille äärioikeistolaisuuden brutaali maailmankatsomus ja #wilhoitslaw

Kerosen väkivalta omaa naisystäväänsä kohtaan ei hänen näkemässään maailmankuvassa liity mitenkään islamilaisiin naisiin kohdistuvaan väkivaltaan.

Lain (ja median) tehtävä onkin siis suojella ylempiarvoisia, samalla kun se polkee alempiarvoisia.

Tässä on päässyt sammakko suusta, ja on paljastettu se heidän oikea käsityksensä ”reilusta maailmasta” 🙄

@quiri Perus..

Tämä tuo esille oikein kauniisti #konservatismi:n perusajatuksen:

Lähtökohta on se, kenen asema on toisia korkeammalla.

Siksi valheet eivät merkkaa mitään, nehän ovat vain työkaluja ”palauttaa asioiden luonnollinen järjestys”.

#wilhoitslaw

@quiri Perus..

Tämä tuo esille oikein kauniisti #konservatismi:n perusajatuksen:

Lähtökohta on se, kenen asema on toisia korkeammalla.

Siksi valheet eivät merkkaa mitään, nehän ovat vain työkaluja ”palauttaa asioiden luonnollinen järjestys”.

#wilhoitslaw

@quiri Perus..

Tämä tuo esille oikein kauniisti #konservatismi:n perusajatuksen:

Lähtökohta on se, kenen asema on toisia korkeammalla.

Siksi valheet eivät merkkaa mitään, nehän ovat vain työkaluja ”palauttaa asioiden luonnollinen järjestys”.

#wilhoitslaw

@quiri Perus..

Tämä tuo esille oikein kauniisti #konservatismi:n perusajatuksen:

Lähtökohta on se, kenen asema on toisia korkeammalla.

Siksi valheet eivät merkkaa mitään, nehän ovat vain työkaluja ”palauttaa asioiden luonnollinen järjestys”.

#wilhoitslaw

@quiri Perus..

Tämä tuo esille oikein kauniisti #konservatismi:n perusajatuksen:

Lähtökohta on se, kenen asema on toisia korkeammalla.

Siksi valheet eivät merkkaa mitään, nehän ovat vain työkaluja ”palauttaa asioiden luonnollinen järjestys”.

#wilhoitslaw

Wilhoit's Law:

"Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit:

There must be in-groups whom the law protectes but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect."
#Wilhoit #WilhoitsLaw
https://crookedtimber.org/2018/03/21/liberals-against-progressives/#comment-729288

Today on #Mastodon I learned #WilhoitsLaw:

The law cannot protect anyone unless it binds everyone; and it cannot bind anyone unless it protects everyone.

The #GOP & #WhiteSupremacy are violently guarding the inverse:
The law exists to protect the In group & bind the Out group

#AntiFascist #antiracism needs to tape this to its mirror & read it 70 times a day

#libertyandjusticeforALL
#PoorPeoplesCampaign
#BlackLivesMatter
#BlackHistoryMonth
#Vote

This morning while browsing the 'Shop I came across a reference to Ashby's Law of Requisite Variety, and a few minutes of research has loosened the top of my skull a bit. I have vaguely studied cybernetics off and on over the past decade, but somehow had not heard of Ashby. Now I need to re- and re--re- think some things, particularly in the context of WIlhoit's Law. And don't bother thinking that cybernetics haven't long been applied to politics. #cybernetics #AshbysLaw #WilhoitsLaw