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Over two decades ago, there were riots in Seattle from anarchists and Marxist socialists.
It was around this time that I noticed some strange similarities with anarchists and hard leftists, especially how unhappy and violent they are. Both groups were very angry and liked breaking things. I thought it quite odd, as anarchism is anti-government to the extreme and hard leftists want bigger government. Some twenty years later, I heard Douglas Murray talking to a Randian libertarian and then it all fit into place.*
The Randian libertarian said that the reason people were religious and anti-capitalist was because they hadn’t heard a reasonable atheist argument and a reasonable argument for capitalism. “Once they hear reasonable arguments, then we will win.”
Murray responded with a very British, very dry, very pregnant “Good luck with that.”
What he meant was that humans are not moved much by reason. Douglas Murray is an atheist and capitalist himself, but he is conservative. As a conservative, he understands that human beings are not particularly moved by reason.** He knows that humanity will continue to be only slightly hindered by reason from time to time. Thusly, he isn’t overly upset when humans are foolish. Dogs returning to bad food and foolish hands warbling towards the fire, and all that.
As Ayn Rand’s own personal life demonstrated, people have a cornucopia of unreasonable feelings in them. Insisting that humanity be reasonable is about the most unreasonable thing ever. Holding this belief will broadly lead you into unhappiness because you will always be disappointed. Everything looks terrible when compared to a utopia where most humans are a mix of Aristotle and Marcus Aurelius.
Accepting that people are flawed and fallen lets you be grateful. When people are good, you are less likely to take it for granted. When people are bad, you are prepared because you realize that’s the way of the world. "Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help." (Psalm 146:3 King James).
The fact that humanity isn’t perfect drives leftist utopians to a dark nihilism. This constant frustration (and humanity’s imperfection is quite constant) makes violence seem acceptable. Congruently, their belief in man’s perfectibility makes them believe that by taking power, they can eliminate sin.*** Thusly, their movement is a mix of millenarian zeal and suicidal depression. Honestly, we should be thankful they aren’t more violent. But then again, I have a dismal view of human nature so I try to see the positive.
*To the libertarian’s credit, he was against violence and pro-discussion.
**I wish to genetically engineer humanity to become more reasonable. I would start with Gad Saad’s DNA and the DNA of successful scientists. But that’s an essay for another time.
***Kind of like an ideology becoming more popular in Dearborn, Michigan.
Discussion (21)
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I had not watched any tv for a couple of weeks, so I turned it on last night to see if it was working, and Jesse Watters interviewed a guy who had joined Antifa more than 20 years ago in Seattle. That seems to square very well with your opening here in timing and attitude. The guy joined Antifa but I think he said he was anarchist.
When I was young in mid-20th century America I liked Ayn Rand's way of thinking but after a decade as an adult and halfway through the civil rights and feminists 1960s I came to the same conclusion as Murray.
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This!
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The problem with a reasonable argument is that the discussion needs to be among reasonable people. The left (especially nowadays) is far from reasonable, and when you try to engage them in discussion, they cover their ears and say, "La la la can't hear you. Hold my Molotov cocktail" . . .
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Well thought-out, Henry. Expecting people, especially on the Left, to be reasonable is a pipe dream. Not gonna happen.
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I thought I was the only one who remembered the riots over the WTO. This article really romanticized the whole horrid business. And then re-published to create an anniversary special.
The theme: “With great regularity, whatever their own primary issue, protesters made it clear that their ultimate targets were corporate power and the tyranny of the market, which threaten democracy, community, nature and humanity. They were not against trade, but they wanted the global market to be governed by values beyond profit maximization.”
it was all so reasonable they had to wreck stuff and hurt people to get their point across.
inthesetimes.com
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