"I don’t believe it makes sense to accuse people of being Nazis or Maoists. Almost everyone, including even extremists, now understand that these were highly flawed political movements.
"Nonetheless, it’s worth thinking about why Maoism and Nazism were once so popular. Why did so many Chinese college students join the Red Guard and enthusiastically persecute their professors (and others)? Why did 37% of the German electorate vote for the Nazi Party in 1932? These questions cry out for an explanation. ...
"Of course, not everyone joined the Red Guard, and not everyone voted for the Nazis. [But] which people alive today [in those circumstances] would have joined the Red Guard? And which people alive today would have joined the Nazis?
"Consider the woke extremists that enthusiastically denounce and shun people for not being sufficiently left wing on a check list of issues. Does anyone seriously believe they would not have been part of the contingent that joined the Red Guard? And think about people that are so anti-immigrant that they don’t even want us to accept high-skilled people from India and China because they worry about America’s European heritage being diluted. Does anyone seriously believe they would not have been among the 37% who voted for the Nazis?
"I wish more people would do some serious soul searching, and honestly ask themselves how they would have behaved in some of these extreme situations. ...
"I’m not accusing modern nationalists of literally being Nazis. ... Nor do I believe that today’s woke extremists wish to beat and torture their professors. Instead, I see far left and far right wing ideologies as a sort of virus, which can infect people’s minds, even otherwise reasonable minds. And I see liberalism as a sort of vaccine. ... making [one] immune to the lure of authoritarian ideologies. [I’m not defining liberalism in the American sense of left-of-center Democrat. I am using the term in the international sense of supporter of free speech, human rights, a market economy, democracy, civil rights, opposition to nationalism, etc. ] I have no doubt that if [the liberal] had been born in another time and place, he would have avoided becoming an authoritarian of either the left or the right.
"How many people can honestly say they are sure that they would have done the right thing, if they had lived in a very different time and place?
"When politics gets extremely contentious and extremely tribal, people are pressured to take sides. ... People hate it when they are ostracised by fellow members of their 'tribe.' Sorry, but the enemy of your enemy is not your friend. Your only reliable political allies are those that share your core principles."~ Scott Sumner from his post 'Liberalism as a vaccine'
Tuesday, 21 January 2025
"How many people can honestly say they are sure that they would have done the right thing, if they had lived in a very different time and place? "
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2 comments:
Excellent piece.
I knew Rudolph. He was a young man in Germany when the part 2 of the war in Europe kicked off. Rudolph was a diesel mechanic. He refused to join the military. He'd not joined the Hitler Youth either. When the German military started moving men and material in quantity across the railway network, Rudolph decided to begin sabotaging switches and signals. It was minor annoyance for the powers that be, but it got plenty of attention. The authorities started looking to see who the culprit may be. It didn't take long before people started looking sideways at Rudolph. A friend who knew him from school days came to see him one night, late. This guy was a policeman. He warned Rudolph that whether or not he was the perpetrator didn't really matter. He would be arrested soon enough and he would be unlikely to survive the experience. Before he departed he wished Rudolph the best of luck. Rudolph left the house that night. He managed to work his way to Switzerland. Then he moved onwards, taking on formidable risks all the way. After the immediate hostilities ceased he ended up in Australia and then settled in New Zealand. He revisited Germany during the late 1970s and came back with some strong comments about Europeans and the Brits.
Rudolph passed away at an advanced age a while back. He had little time for authority and less for ideologies and the promoters of such things. He was a heavy smoker and could hold his own drinking beer right to the end. People who met him learned very quickly that they had to earn his respect. He didn't award it easily. He did the right thing and he knew it.
Chapeau Rudolph
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