Wednesday, December 22, 2004

I Wonder...

An anonymous commentor to a recent post asks:

I wonder what would have happened in WWII if the death of every soldier was trumpeted across the headlines as evidence of hopelessness and imminent defeat? I wonder how the American people would have responded? I wonder if bloggers like Kos living then would have said: "FDR Destroys 20,000 more families" after Iwo Jima? I wonder why these people cannot allow themselves to believe that anything is worth dying for? I wonder why freedom is a meaningless concept to them? I wonder why they think that our soldies are all conscripted and forced against their will to be in the military? I wonder when they will get a clue?

Yes. I wonder all these things, too. I wonder why the media are so hellbent on encouraging the terrorists to think that if they continue their bloody murders and attacks that democracy won't happen in Iraq. I wonder why Afghanistan success meant nothing to them? I wonder why they hate America so much?

I wonder all these things and more. Then I remember that I am a psychiatrist and I look at what's happening with my psychiatric hat on. And I don't wonder any more. I begin to see a pattern in all the anti-American behavior and rhetoric; in all the anti-democracy, anti-globalization; anti-Imperialistic; anti-War; anti-Israel; anti-freedom screaming and hysteria. I begin to see the narcissistic, self-serving delusions of people who absolutely refuse to face reality and expect reality to conform to their ideology and not the other way round. I see anger, hatred and fear disguised as intellectual superiority and rationalization. I see people who are fanatic about moderates and moderate about fanatics. Who give a free pass to evil because that way they can blame the usual suspects (you know-capitalism; greed; selfishness; the U.S., Israel; ) and not have to take any responsibility for their own behavior or beliefs.

Let me quote from Jean-Francois Revel, whose book Anti-Americanism was a revelation for me when it first came out, and continues to inspire me as I read it again during my Christmas vacation:

Europe in general and [the]Left in particular absolve themselves of their own moral failings and their grotesque intellectual errors by heaping them onto the monster scapegoat, the United States of America. For stupidity and bloodshed to vanish from Europe, the U.S., contrary to every lesson of real history, must be identified as the singular threat to democracy. Even during the Cold War, although it was the U.S.S.R. that annexed Eastern Europe, made satellites out of several African countries, and invaded Afghanistan, and although it was the People's Republic of China that marched into Tibet, attacked South Korea and subjugated three Indochinese countries, it remained dogma amond Europeans [and all Leftist intellectuals- ed.]--from Sweden to Sicily, from Athens to Paris--that the only power that could be fingered as "imperialistic" was America.

Just as in the Cold War, where the Communists and Socialists (whose policies resulted in the death of millions; and who managed to increase the human misery index to unheard of heights while impoverishing every country where they came into power)--were given a free pass by the Left; these same so-called Leftist "intellectuals"in Europe and in America now give a free pass to the human scum who practice the murder of innocents and behead people while mouthing religious slogans. They rave about "women's rights" trampled by George W. Bush; while simultaneously praising a culture where women are no better than dogs; where they can be murdered for daring to speak out against their oppressors. (If you can stomach it, go here to link to pictures of the latest atrocity meted out to a woman in the enlightened Muslim country of Iran--via Pejmanesque)

During the Cold War, these "intellectuals" made a mental alliance with Communism and Socialism; now they have made it with Terrorism and Islamofascism. They used to cry that it was because of the poverty inflicted by Capitalism that people justifiably turned to Communism; now they cry that it is the poverty in the Middle East --caused, of course, by the West and Capitalism--that leads to the heinous acts of terrorism around the world. Studies that show that Terrorists primarily come from the middle class and that Freedom (under which Capitalism can thrive) squelches terrorism--do not deter the anti-West proclamations . The Left's strategy is the same now as it was during the Cold War: declare everyone supported by the Left as "victims" since it is the easiest way to prevent any criticism of them. Thus, perpetrators of terrorism are simply poor, helpless "victims" of U.S. Imperialism or Capitalism etc. etc.--you get the idea.

History, which has shown repeatedly that Capitalism has been the only system to bring large numbers of people out of poverty, is ignored; and despite all evidence that poverty is only increased or maintained and spread by the totalitarian regimes that adhere to rigid Socialist or Communist philosophy, the people of the Left remain religiously devout to their creed.

I call these people "intellectuals"-with the quotes- for a good reason. They should be called "hysterics" in the classic sense of the word, because their emotions are what control them, not their intellect. They seem incapable of learning from the history of the 20th century, and tragically seem impelled to repeat the same mistakes in the 21st.

I wonder if they are capable of any psychological insight into their own feelings and behavior? Or have they gone beyond in their mind to a place where reason is not able to reach anymore? I wonder....


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