Evil Rising

by Tom Kando

I just spent nearly a month in Europe. It’s interesting to compare notes:

Europe is also experiencing a resurgence of nativism, xenophobia, anxiety and rightward politics among its still dominant white bourgeoisie. Like the US, Europe is also flirting with neo-fascism. Holland has its Geert Wilders, France has its Marine Le Pen, Hungary has its Viktor Orbán, etc. These are all far-right demagogues, already in power (Orban) or likely to win upcoming elections (Wilders, Le Pen).

Why is this happening?

There are the obvious alleged reasons, ceaselessly reiterated by the pundits. These include:
1. The threat of foreign influx - largely Muslims in Europe, Latinos in the US. In other words, the demographic threat to the primacy of the traditional, white, European-American dominant majority. This is aided and abetted by the ceaseless chatter about terrorism.
2. De-industrialization due to globalization and automation, greatly increasing economic insecurity.
3. Social change, including the decline of patriarchy, which makes men angry.
In sum: A feeling of being threatened, of losing ground, especially among groups that previously held all the cards.


Does history repeat itself? Yes and no. At least, there is sometimes a sense of deja-vu all over again. Sometimes, one of the new “caudillos” remind us of Mussolini, maybe even some of Hitler’s mannerisms, or at least strongmen like Franco and Peron. A reminder of Italy and Germany in the 1930s. Of nationalistic demagogues such as Charles Lindbergh, and fascist youth movements such as the Hungarian Arrow Cross (today’s Jobbik party).

Let’s just say that the fascist impulse is on the rise again in the West, certainly among the traditionally dominant white population.

Social scientists have analyzed this recurring tendency (see for instance William Kornhauser). One could almost construct an   ideal type, a la Max Weber.

Of course, history never really repeats itself; it’s never “the same.” However, history has certain enduring themes. This is probably because there is such a thing as human nature. We are both good and evil. That is what makes us human and what distinguishes us from (other) animals. Other species are neither good nor evil. We are both.

We periodically turn massively evil. The last time that this happened was in the 1930s. It is happening again now.

But what is the ESSENCE of the rightward movement of so many people today, this malevolent tendency which crops up every once in a while, each time in a different form but each time also exhibiting similarities?

Well, obviously, it is first and foremost ANGER and resentment. The anger is self-righteous. It claims to be justified.

Initially, what you have is a dominant group that never questions its right to BE dominant - the white patriarchal ruling class, the bourgeois middle class, the slave-owning ruling class in the Ante-Bellum South, the nobility of lore, etc. Then, social change occurs. Certain forces try to bring more diverse people to the table. Women; hitherto oppressed and despised minorities (e. g. gypsies); groups selected as scapegoats (Christians, Jews, Muslims). Minorities whose members are entrepreneurial and successful and who therefore trigger jealousy (Huguenots, Jews, gays), etc.
The powerful groups that have hitherto never had to question their own rights, their right to use physical violence upon their wives and children, their right to get preferential treatment on the job market, their right to enjoy the respect and the fear of categories lower on the totem pole - these groups then become angry.

In America, for example, the reactionary (and largely white male) ruling class says that it's fed up with political correctness. These people complain that they are tired of always hearing about the rights of women, of minorities, of LGBTQ, etc. "What about us?" they ask; "don't we also have rights?"

The only demographic group in America whose life expectancy is now declining are white males. But the reason? Not that society is unkind to them. It is because of too much alcohol, smoking, drugs, violence, crime, guns, and unhealthy behavior. And yes, these bad behaviors are undoubtedly caused by low morale.

The “angry class” hates intellectuals, Hollywood, the media, university professors, artists. This has always been so, particularly in America (see Richard Hofstadter). They are angry because those effete intellectuals and movie actors always make fun of them - the "rednecks," the "cowboys," the "Joe's". They understand that they are held in low esteem by the cultural elite.

But here is the thing: Being angry does not ipso facto make you RIGHT; you may have a grievance, but it may not be legitimate. Such anger - be it that of the German middle class in the 1930s or the American white male today - stems from ignorance. It is evil.

Yes, human nature is both good and evil. Many people - perhaps a majority of people, certainly a majority of men - enjoy violence, enjoy inflicting and witnessing pain and suffering. The Roman gladiatorial combats; modern popular culture; the insane amount of violence in 99% of all movies and TV shows. Almost ALL men enjoy viewing if not participating in bloodshed. Are all men sadists?

So this working and middle class (male) anger that results in Trumpism and crypto-fascism should not be dignified with excuses such as: The loss of jobs due to deindustrialization, or the influx of refugees from Muslim areas , or whatever other explanations have been offered ad nauseam to explain it. This anger is NOT justified. It is an excuse to misbehave, to go retrograde politically, to deny science and factual knowledge, to deny justice, equality and love of your fellow man.

The only remedy is education.

The masses of Trump deplorables (and Wilders and Orban and Le Pen followers, and those who voted for Brexit, and the Russians who adore Putin, etc.) are as wrong as the sect that anticipated the end of the world in the 1950s, and waited for the arrival of alien saviors for their own select group. They were delusional, and their delusion was not readily curable. When the prophecy failed, they did not admit their error; they doubled down on their delusion; they just postponed the date of their prophecy (See Leon Festinger).

The urge of groups such as the Alt-right is not to “make America Great again;” it is not to fix things; it is to PUNISH hated groups. It is the “Samson phenomenon”: To them, draining the swamp means bringing the whole house down. They do not aim to fix Obamacare; they aim to REPEAL it, period, and the hell with the 30 million people who will lose their medical insurance, 50,000 of whom will die as a result.

So the remedy is not to dignify this mass anger and say that these people have legitimate grievances. To the contrary, the remedy is to educate them and to convince them that they are wrong. That there IS global warming; that the earth is NOT flat. That people of color, Muslims, women, gays and all others are EXACTLY the same as THEY are - human beings with the same needs, desires, and rights. There is no "Other." We are all in the same boat. Human equality is a scientific fact, and the only thing that remains to be done is to educate people to that knowledge.

© Tom Kando 2017;All Rights Reserved.
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