Becoming Rubashov

What figure from history or fiction is the best exemplar of the essential American character and experience? The droll wit and love of innovation of Ben Franklin? The simple decency of Atticus Finch or Huckleberry Finn? One of our many war heroes, especially the surrounded Gen. McAuliffe saying “nuts” to the enemy’s demand for surrender? The excellence and quiet heroism of Lou Gehrig?

I think if current trends hold, the iconic American experience will best be personified by Nikolai Rubashov.

I will explain.

Arthur Koestler's 1940 novel Darkness at Noon is about how Nikolai Salmanovich Rubashov, a lifelong member of the party who fought as a revolutionary and always toed the line, even turned in fellow Communists for heresy, nevertheless finds himself in prison, swept up in a purge, made to confess crimes and ultimately executed all the while wondering whether he is a victim or guilty of insufficient loyalty to the party before his final confession and execution.

Stalin executed many Rubashovs. Mao killed even more. It is the inherent evil of collectivism that it devours its own.

Is it beginning? Think of white liberals surprised to be mugged or carjacked by minority assailants, even though they voted for DAs who promised to put no one in jail.

The revolution always has an expanding list of targets: Solidly liberal college professors who cling to free speech and academic standards; civil rights leaders who still promote self-reliance instead of permanent grievance; feminists and gay rights advocates who refuse to accept the transgender nonsense; Democratic politicians who espouse the immigration policies of Clinton and Obama; scientists who prefer science to ideology.

Think of all the devoutly left-wing American Jews now tagged as enemies of the party, even if they do not overtly support Israel. Even abject obeisance to the Palestinian fictions will likely not provide cover for any American Jew.

The Biden DOJ went after partisan enemies with a zeal not seen since the baleful reign of Woodrow Wilson. Had such efforts succeeded (or perhaps when they do), it would become necessary to then investigate and purge those on their side who questioned whether they had gone too far and dared to refer to older principles about the rule of law.

One chuckles at the current difficulties of the wealthy and highly successful songwriter and singer Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell, who slammed ICE at the Grammys by saying that “no one is illegal on stolen land.” An LA eviction lawyer has offered to represent the tribe that claims past ownership of the land where her multi-million dollar mansion now sits. She has been inundated by social media calls to give back her stolen land. This is, of course, terribly unfair because virtue signaling is supposed to be cost-free. But, schadefreudian enjoyment aside, she and all the rest of California’s wealthiest citizens may be one election or one economic downturn away from being swept aside by a tide of government-sanctioned revolutionary mob action.

The rich lefties who finance the groups that promote the incendiary activities in Minneapolis and elsewhere don’t seem to have a clear idea about where such “social justice” action leads, even though history has provided some unambiguous lessons. Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, a social justice advocate, was guillotined. Lafayette and other supportive aristos were exiled or executed. The fact that the Revolution even executed one of its founding leaders (Maximillian Robespierre) in the same way that Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot and Castro turned on former allies ought to be a flashing red warning sign. Shouting about past support of Antifa, ICE Watch and the Climate Action Network won’t be an effective defense while being dragged from one's Malibu manse in the name of social justice.

It is not inevitable that the left will win but absolutely certain it will continue to submit to its innate (satanic?) centripetal force until stopped or exhausted. That ought to help people understand the nature of the beast, but somehow that understanding is almost always missing until it is too late. Ask Rubashov.