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Lots of Americans are very angry now. Most of the anger is directed at the "other" side. In my opinion, the main reason people get extremely angry is because they "know" the "truth." They are confident in their own "reality," in their favorite sources of information. So they "know" that anyone who disagrees with them has to be stupid and/or ignorant.
They feel their anger is justified, is necessary. The world won't change the way they think it should if they don't get angry.
I see this on both sides, but I actually see it more on the "left." Why? I have a feeling it's the influence of Marxism, either direct or indirect.
Marxism has not died out, it is very much alive. And here is my interpretation of Marxism, and why it makes its followers so angry.
Marx criticized capitalism, because he saw the misery and unfairness it was causing. He was angry about it. Most of his writing is about how horrible capitalism was. He did not have a better idea. He assumed that capitalism was just a stage and that society would naturally evolve beyond it to something better.
The 20th century experiments in Marxism did not work out so well, but Marxism remained popular. The communist revolutions weren't done right, were hijacked by bad dictators, etc. But socialism/communism was a good idea.
Socialism/communism has been watered down a lot though. The idea of the central government taking over all industry, resources, and private property is just not as popular as it used to be. But there are still people who sympathize with the basic ideas that Marx expressed.
So what's wrong with that? Why shouldn't we be angry at unfairness and misery? Why shouldn't we hate a ruling class that suppresses the working class? Isn't anger a healthy motivator, that inspires us to improve the world?
Ok, but the problem is that Marxist anger is misdirected. If you are angry at the wrong people, you might as well direct your anger at a rock or a tree. And in the case of communist revolutions, the misdirected anger caused death and misery, instead of ending it.
I don't think our problems are caused by rich greedy rulers and owners. I don't think our wars are fought mainly because of greed. I don't think the natural environment is polluted mainly because of greedy corporations. I don't think our healthcare crisis is caused mainly by greedy insurance companies and drug companies.
There isn't really anyone to be angry at. Not even ourselves. We're all doing the best we can, given limited time and information and ability.
No, I don't mean we should give up and not care. We should try to solve problems. We are problem-solving animals. But if we decrease the anger, if we could stop thinking the "other" side is evil/stupid/ignorant, maybe it would be a little easier.
They feel their anger is justified, is necessary. The world won't change the way they think it should if they don't get angry.
I see this on both sides, but I actually see it more on the "left." Why? I have a feeling it's the influence of Marxism, either direct or indirect.
Marxism has not died out, it is very much alive. And here is my interpretation of Marxism, and why it makes its followers so angry.
Marx criticized capitalism, because he saw the misery and unfairness it was causing. He was angry about it. Most of his writing is about how horrible capitalism was. He did not have a better idea. He assumed that capitalism was just a stage and that society would naturally evolve beyond it to something better.
The 20th century experiments in Marxism did not work out so well, but Marxism remained popular. The communist revolutions weren't done right, were hijacked by bad dictators, etc. But socialism/communism was a good idea.
Socialism/communism has been watered down a lot though. The idea of the central government taking over all industry, resources, and private property is just not as popular as it used to be. But there are still people who sympathize with the basic ideas that Marx expressed.
So what's wrong with that? Why shouldn't we be angry at unfairness and misery? Why shouldn't we hate a ruling class that suppresses the working class? Isn't anger a healthy motivator, that inspires us to improve the world?
Ok, but the problem is that Marxist anger is misdirected. If you are angry at the wrong people, you might as well direct your anger at a rock or a tree. And in the case of communist revolutions, the misdirected anger caused death and misery, instead of ending it.
I don't think our problems are caused by rich greedy rulers and owners. I don't think our wars are fought mainly because of greed. I don't think the natural environment is polluted mainly because of greedy corporations. I don't think our healthcare crisis is caused mainly by greedy insurance companies and drug companies.
There isn't really anyone to be angry at. Not even ourselves. We're all doing the best we can, given limited time and information and ability.
No, I don't mean we should give up and not care. We should try to solve problems. We are problem-solving animals. But if we decrease the anger, if we could stop thinking the "other" side is evil/stupid/ignorant, maybe it would be a little easier.