Wednesday, March 16, 2011

An anthropological difference? Edit

On reflection, I think that real progressives come to hate human nature precisely because they believe it to be perfectible. And it disappoints. Over and over and over. Frustration.

A kind of utopia would really be possible, achievable, doable, --according to this view--  a multicultural world of male and female equality, parity of wealth, peace, freedom from religious bigotry, global cooperation and environmental balance...

were it not for the bad people who refuse to live up to the progressive standard. What results is chronic anger. But rather than direct it at the Official Victim Groups for failing to perform, --or their own ideology for its unreality--it is less anxiety-provoking and more in line with the conscious narrative to direct it at the Official Oppressor Groups, with their mean-spirited, selfish, greedy, violent, superstitious, jingoist bigotry. As Obama put it, clinging to their xenophobia, their guns and their religion.

I remember a scene from My Beautiful Launderette, where, in resignation rather than wrath, a depleted Indian socialist journalist, father of one of the leading characters, confesses that "the working class is such a great disappointment to me."

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