Words, as is well known, are the great foes of reality”- Joseph Conrad, Under Western Eyes. An Émigré From Utopia When I was a medical student, assigned to the surgical ward, I had an elderly Russian émigré patient, who underwent major abdominal surgery, followed by multiple bleeding episodes requiring more operations. He remained in the hospital a long time, during which we spent many hours together. He told me tales of Mother Russia, its people and his own hair-raising saga of survival. Since my own ancestors came from Russia, one step ahead of pogroms, I was naturally interested in his stories. To a young student living comfortably in America, these were real life, harrowing tales of narrow escapes from fanatical and blood thirsty revolutionaries bent on exterminating the old aristocracy, into which he’d been born. I’d read about such people in Joseph Conrad novels, but to meet an actual living, breathing one was fascinating. Among other things, he was unusually tolerant of pain and suffering, regarding this latest threat to his physical survival with equanimity; his attitude seemed to be “I have survived worse.” He had. He deeply loved America. When I asked him what he thought was the appeal of revolutionary Communism, he smiled as if he had given the question much thought, then replied: “nostalgia”. I have never forgotten that answer, though at the time I forgot to ask, “nostalgia for what?”. Now after 50 plus years of close observation of the human psyche, I think I know.
I love the reference to Robert Nozick, but I think "nostalgia" is less an explanation than Thomas Sowell's in "Vision of the Anointed". Intellectual hatred of capitalism indeed results from childish emotions: envy and empowerment fantasy.
However, I would first blame simple parasitism and predation: create something of value, and parasites and predators will appear to exploit it. The three Ps (producers, parasites, and predators) are a law of nature, both in biology and economics. Human parasites and predators want your stuff, but they need an excuse, e.g. an ideological fig leaf, to take it. Excuses will be found ("It's my birthday, and I wants it!"). All organisms and organizations eventually succumb to parasites or predators--the only escape is reproduction.
Ideologies become greatly more virulent and violent in an environment of genuine, festering grievance. Wokeism is fueled by "racism of the gaps", and many of these gaps result from government policy, not biological differences. Same as with Germany's post-WWI grievances, and those of Hillbilly Elegy's folk, we ignore them at our peril. 100 years ago, under Alcohol Prohibition, a different set of ethnic groups occupied our prisons, statistics, and attention. We fixed our mistake then, and we can do it now.
Ah, truth at last. A "proposition" is incomplete if it is a predicate (an idea) only. Predicates by themselves are only wisps and dreams—immaterial without substance. A complete proposition must have a predicate AND a subject which can then be investigated in the world of reality and fact. Is this proposition true or false? The subject + predicate (idea + fact) lends the possibility of finding out, of judging for oneself, based on the existential world of fact.
The consequent horrors of substituting lies for Truth come when intellectuals (wordsmiths) aggregate power by the reality of their cattle prod at the expense of the reality of subjects embedded in pronounced predicates. Because I say I'm a woman though born a man (predicate), doesn't erase the hard reality that I have an xy, and not an xx chromosome (subject). Since Aristotle it has been known that truth is found representationally—in the proposition.
Our current clear and present danger comes when the "morality" of lies begins to dominate the genuine morality inherent in truth. The consequences are found over and over again in our shared past.
What a superb piece! Thank you! What is your theory as to why Wokeness was allowed to metastasize the way it did, considering that most human beings deal with reality exactly as it presents itself?
A brilliant searchlight aimed at exposing and explaining the distortions enmeshed in our present culture, this essay is priceless and gives us something to look forward to--more of
Dr. Johnson's insights expressed through your telling based on what your experience has
taught you. We look forward to more of the same illuminating writing to come and thank you
for providing it in your unique way. Yale and Rita Kramer
This essay got you off to a roaring start, it's brilliant! So necessary to spell out some basic wrongs we are engaged in now, and to get some insights into their origins. Hope the people who need to see it will have a chance to do so. I was honored and happy to tweet it. Thank you.
I love the reference to Robert Nozick, but I think "nostalgia" is less an explanation than Thomas Sowell's in "Vision of the Anointed". Intellectual hatred of capitalism indeed results from childish emotions: envy and empowerment fantasy.
However, I would first blame simple parasitism and predation: create something of value, and parasites and predators will appear to exploit it. The three Ps (producers, parasites, and predators) are a law of nature, both in biology and economics. Human parasites and predators want your stuff, but they need an excuse, e.g. an ideological fig leaf, to take it. Excuses will be found ("It's my birthday, and I wants it!"). All organisms and organizations eventually succumb to parasites or predators--the only escape is reproduction.
Ideologies become greatly more virulent and violent in an environment of genuine, festering grievance. Wokeism is fueled by "racism of the gaps", and many of these gaps result from government policy, not biological differences. Same as with Germany's post-WWI grievances, and those of Hillbilly Elegy's folk, we ignore them at our peril. 100 years ago, under Alcohol Prohibition, a different set of ethnic groups occupied our prisons, statistics, and attention. We fixed our mistake then, and we can do it now.
Ah, truth at last. A "proposition" is incomplete if it is a predicate (an idea) only. Predicates by themselves are only wisps and dreams—immaterial without substance. A complete proposition must have a predicate AND a subject which can then be investigated in the world of reality and fact. Is this proposition true or false? The subject + predicate (idea + fact) lends the possibility of finding out, of judging for oneself, based on the existential world of fact.
The consequent horrors of substituting lies for Truth come when intellectuals (wordsmiths) aggregate power by the reality of their cattle prod at the expense of the reality of subjects embedded in pronounced predicates. Because I say I'm a woman though born a man (predicate), doesn't erase the hard reality that I have an xy, and not an xx chromosome (subject). Since Aristotle it has been known that truth is found representationally—in the proposition.
Our current clear and present danger comes when the "morality" of lies begins to dominate the genuine morality inherent in truth. The consequences are found over and over again in our shared past.
Wow. Just wow. You nailed it.
What a superb piece! Thank you! What is your theory as to why Wokeness was allowed to metastasize the way it did, considering that most human beings deal with reality exactly as it presents itself?
A brilliant searchlight aimed at exposing and explaining the distortions enmeshed in our present culture, this essay is priceless and gives us something to look forward to--more of
Dr. Johnson's insights expressed through your telling based on what your experience has
taught you. We look forward to more of the same illuminating writing to come and thank you
for providing it in your unique way. Yale and Rita Kramer
This essay got you off to a roaring start, it's brilliant! So necessary to spell out some basic wrongs we are engaged in now, and to get some insights into their origins. Hope the people who need to see it will have a chance to do so. I was honored and happy to tweet it. Thank you.
Erudition + Wisdom + Good Writing= Splendid Article! Wordsmith--the smoke and mirrors of political deception, great concept!