The Adults You Seek: The Left’s Masters

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by Smitty

Reading Happens

I’m reading two books, in my meandering way, that are of real interest to anyone staring at the entropy that is #OccupyWallStreet and trying to make sense of it.

The work of Hicks and LeBon unite somewhere on the Left side of the political divide. Years from now, I think that this period of time will be viewed as the death of Progressivism, the ideas of which are founded in the intellectual and moral decay elaborated by Hicks. LeBon is more of a proto-Alinsky, informing the playbook of the Left, and especially informed by the French Revolution.

Which brings us to this fabulous disaster known as #OccupyWallStreet. The baseless accusations of the Left directed at Tea Parties suddenly come into clear focus. Many other blogs have done the compare/contrast theme between the two movements, so there isn’t much to add there. Also, for those trying to figure out Twitter, the pickup lines hash tag was a guilty bit of fun. As they usually are.

Adult Supervision?

Common Sense Political Thought asks where the adults are, including a picture of some hipsters nude from the waste up. Now, I won’t pretend to know what’s going on at the DNC or other places such as Berkley and Manhattan, where the planning might or might not be going on. But the grind of Lefty thought for decades has been all about returning Americans to a pre-technological adolescence. In the picture at the CSPT blog, the sign says “A Job Is A Right!” This bit of nonsense is right out of FDR ’44 State of the Union, where His Fireside Chatiness attempted to freebase the Constitution:

The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the Nation

The best thing that could possible come from #OccupyWallStreet is sober consideration of what is at stake, and realize that being clients of the state is tantamount to feudalism. As you read Hicks and LeBon, the idea forms that the Progressive leadership has for decades be demolishing the capacity for independent thought among the 99%. Hicks characterizes the intellectual wrecking ball that has damaged the tradition of the Enlightenment severely, though the philosophical pieces has been merely one front. LeBon depicts the end state, when people are reduced to a gibbering horde that is as intellectually stiff as silly putty. One hopes that #OccupyWallStreet will demonstrate that the success of the Progressive project has been both limited and unsustainable.

Let’s All Decry The Violence

While the Left excels at pointing fingers and holding the Right accountable for saying ‘boo’, the Tatler brings up some news that won’t get reported by the usual suspects. It seems as though the groundwork for generalized violence may be getting laid as we speak. Sadly, invocations of the French Revolution by #OccupyWallStreet will go unheard amidst accusations that conservatives are raaaaacist, Nazi, suffer halitosis, &c. That comes on the heels of #OccupyNewYork celebrating bestiality or something. I haven’t read any of the posts about that. It’s just not good for the soul.

What is worrisome is that the Left behaves as though incapable of grasping that conservatives see what is going on. Alinsky’s rules are predicated upon an ignorant and/or willing audience. (Aside: I gather Alinsky was steeped in LeBon’s writings, but I’m not much of a scholar of either nitwit.) The fact that conservatives are (a) aware and (b) countering the Alinsky propaganda via the internet either eludes the Left, or they are completely discounting the effectiveness of conservatives, even after the 2010 election. Maybe it’s a variation on Sun Tzu’s misinformation dictum, and the Left actually knows something they are not letting on, and is merely displaying a faux idiocy. But the Left are not a young King David, and we are not Philistines. The evidence seems clear that they are as intellectually bankrupt as the country is financially.

The Question

How much damage does #OccupyWallStreet actually inflict before petering out? These little whiners aren’t going to last much past the first hard freeze. Do the #OWS weenies ever grasp the degree to which they’ve been played? Again, the result, if not the intent, of Progressivism is an infantile population. How will the country react if a large percentage of these protesters are simply unsalvageable?

What is certain is that the adult puppet masters of the Left will just view the dead riff-raff as a cost of doing business.

Via American Power, Ann Coulter summarizes.

Lexington Green went to the Occupy Chicago event, and offers:

My hatred of the Boomers, who have brainwashed and wasted these kids is boundless. There is nothing wrong with them. They have just never been taught anything but bull**t. They have been betrayed by their parents and their teachers. It is very depressing. The country has been shamefully dumbed down.

Very good read. Take in the whole thing.

Update: linked at Daily Pundit.

Update II: linked at Political Byline.

Update III: Da Tech Guy has some Dartmouth video.

29 comments

  1. Years from now, I think that this period of time will be viewed as the death of Progressivism

    Smitty, I think you’re way too optimistic.  Like any other cancer, the most we can hope for is remission.  Do not discount that most renewable of all resources: human stupidity.

  3. Next Saturday is Occupy Coeur d’ Alene.  So far about 50 high school kids are going.  Average age 17.  They want the 1% to “pay their fair share.”  Huh?

  5. I haven’t been to Idaho in almost 20 years, but it seems like the natives aren’t as likely to be sympathetic to this nonsense as in Manhattan or Portland, although I guess they might be more resistant to or at least more prepared for the cold.

  6. Kids from Idaho can have as much common sense or be just as naive to this nonsense as kids from Manhattan or Portland, but they are definitely more prepared for the cold. 

    French deconstructionism was basically glorified (at times clever) nihilism that gets you nowhere.  I met a lot of professors who were into it.  It left me cold.  You know who foresaw and addressed this a 150 years ago?  Dostoyevsky. 

  10. Yes, obviously there are stupid kids everywhere.  But from what I’ve seen, the squatters are mostly relying on donations from like-minded induhviduals, and I suspect the density of such razor sharp intellects is much lower in a place like that than Manhattan.

  11. Great stuff,Smitty. The French Revolution is a great analogy. I don’t share your optimism – I think this is orchestrated around the coming collapse of the world’s economy. The key to the Egyptian overthrow was the Egyptian economy tanked, and prices skyrocketed. The leaders of this revolution know what is about to take place economically, and are are readying their armies for overthrow. I think this is going to get much bigger.

  12. There’s a reason why the panhandle is in Pacific time instead of Mountain — their economic and cultural affinity is to Washington state rather than the Intermountain region.

  13. Acutally you would be wrong.  People are people.  Some of the smartest and stupidest people I ever met were in New York but that is more a factor of density than anything else. 

    As far as the protestors, they are flocking to New York for attention (like moths to a flame).  They are not necessarily from New York.  I suspect most are from the suburbs (from livin in Mom and Dad’s basement). 

  14. “My hatred of the Boomers, who have brainwashed and wasted these kids is boundless. There is nothing wrong with them. They have just never been taught anything but bull**t. They have been betrayed by their parents and their teachers. It is very depressing. The country has been shamefully dumbed down.”This line is perfect. I just turned 30 and have come to my (conservative) senses, but I understand what is motivating the anger which these older leftie activists are manipulating. My generation has been not only betrayed, but lied to. The lies are so numerous as to be ridiculous.

  23. The kids have made it clear they don’t approve of Socialism so I have no idea of what they’re protesting except thinking the rich aren’t paying enough.  Trust me – in Coeur d’ Alene it will be quiet and respectful.   Just a nice autumn day to be out and feel like they’re “part of something.” 

  26. Little known fact, one of Marx and Engel’s financial patrons was the pirate Jean Lafitte, after he fled to Europe when Jackson cracked down on Louisiana piracy.  

    Just can’t trust them free-market types.

  27. I’m going to buy the Stephen Hicks book & give RSM about a 40¢ Amazon commission in the process (assuming Amazon gives commissions on Kindle purchases.)  Maybe one day I won’t be poor; then I can buy more.

  29. I count Stephen Hicks as a friend.  I knew him back in his grad school days at Indiana.  He’s a terrific philosopher.  I’m amazed and encouraged that he got  a professorship (in Illinois, yet!) despite his Objectivist leanings.  Can’t wait for the chance to read his latest book.

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