Further to this post and recent comments on the word “bourgeois”, this might be of interest. Norm has posted an itemised piece by Democratiya editor, Alan Johnson, called Why I Am Not a Marxist. It’s quite good on the fundamental unrealism of Marxist theory, its quasi-religious dynamics, and the evils inherent to its practical application. Here’s a very small taste:
“Fifth, the extraordinary romantic hostility to ‘bourgeois’ society that Marxism projects. Hatred of ‘bourgeois’ rights, ‘bourgeois’ democracy, ‘bourgeois’ morality, ‘bourgeois’ art, the ‘bourgeois’ family (and on and on), has fuelled hatred toward decent if prosaic societies and institutions and indulgence or worse toward appalling societies and institutions. And all in the name and the spirit of being ‘anti-capitalist’ or ‘anti-bourgeois’…
This animus against things ‘bourgeois’ I have come to despise. It is reckless about the defence of democratic society, insensible to how truly miserable the actually existing alternatives to ‘bourgeois’ society have been, and quick to morph into support for any thug who happens to be shooting at anything identified as ‘bourgeois’. This animus is the common sense of much of the intellectual class in the West where it is called ‘critical theory’. Inchoate negativism toward anything ‘bourgeois’ has morphed into support for anything that is ‘transgressive’. We are all Hezbollah now.”
It’s worth reading in full. Related, Fabian on bourgeois-on-bourgeois hatred.
Update: Chris Dillow points out Marx was wrong and unoriginal.
The ‘bourgeois’ slam is the same as the slam I used to hear that someone was advocating ‘Ward and June Cleaver’. I knew many kids when I was young who would have been thrilled to have their parents care as much about them as Ward and June cared about theirs.
It tells a lot when someone is so opposed to mere decency and civility that they attack any manifestation of it.
Dan at Protein Wisdom links to an example of where this anti-bourgeois posturing can lead.
http://proteinwisdom.com/?p=9446
Follow his link and note the tone of the comments: “The white race suffered a tremendous blow when 5 pretty, white girls died in a fiery crash,” etc.
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