Comments on: Dismantling Our Right-Wing World

By: mbl

mbl — Fri, 29 Aug 2014 16:44:45 +0000

Brilliant comment. Yes, there is a dark side to human nature. The famous Prison Experiment (early 70s) and the Milgram experiments of the 50s demonstrated this. Most Americans are so brainwashed into believing in this positive thinking nonsense that they refuse to see that we humans are a flawed species and any one of us is prone to corrupt leadership under certain circumstances.

The women’s movement started in the 70s ’cause women felt disenfranchised by the male peace activists of the 60s. Some female activists were prevented from speaking and even asked to walk on the other side of the street while male activists got glory and media attention.

When I met up w/ppl in Occupy, I saw something similar–not many poor people or black people or women in positions of power, at least not in my city.

The closest to a solution to human frailty, I believe, is to always have checks and balances and accountability over power. We’re never going to have an utopian society but we could make life a lot better by limiting how much power any one person or group of people can attain over the rest of us.

By: Len

Len — Sun, 17 Aug 2014 22:54:51 +0000

LOL – I’m not sure that dismissing cruelty and disregard for the suffering and death of others as the work of douchebags is going to help us come to terms with human nature

By: Len

Len — Wed, 13 Aug 2014 00:02:25 +0000

I totally agree with your comments, I too have been guilty of that error in the past. Those ‘right wing beliefs’ are merely one example of the kind of justification we have always used for our inhumanity. Also, dehumanization and genocide are by no means the product of hierarchical civilizations – they are basic to human nature and can be found in many traditional societies around the world throughout history. Some good examples can be found in Jared Diamond’s “The World Until Yesterday”.

By: The Otter

The Otter — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 13:38:41 +0000

I agree except for one thing. “As an example, the domination of the indigenous populations of the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania by European invaders and colonizers was not an inevitable result of human nature, but rather a product of widespread extreme right-wing beliefs such as Manifest Destiny and the white man’s burden.”

It’s common to blame the World’s condition of inequality on Europeans and their incursions into other parts of the World. A student of ancient history knows that inequality, class hierarchy and overall social foulness existed in these regions long before ‘white men’ entered the equation.

This is common mistake made by leftists around the World. They fail to acknowledge the right-wing elements within their own Societies and ethnic groups and like to lay the sin at the doorstep of Europe and North America.

The Aztecs were conquering, ripping Peoples’ hearts out long before the Latins discovered them. India had an oppressive caste system before the British rolled up. Indonesia had 2 dozen words for slavery (most resulting from an Individual’s economic failure) long before the Dutch Bastards ever sailed into their waters. Do I have to continue? I can make a very long list of douchebags that don’t have pale skin or speak English.

By: The Otter

The Otter — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 13:25:04 +0000