Opinion: How Orwell Diagnosed Democrats' Culture War Problem Decades Ago

[brooklynite]

Last edited Thu Apr 28, 2022, 08:28 AM - Edit history (1)

Politico

It is in the second half of his book, “The Road to Wigan Pier,” where Orwell deals with a broader question: If socialism is the way toward providing a fairer, more decent life for those with the least, why has it not succeeded politically? His answer — one that unsettled his Left Book Club’s publisher — was that there was a deep cultural chasm between the advocates of socialism and those they were seeking to persuade.

“I am,” Orwell wrote, “making out a case for the sort of person who is in sympathy with the fundamental aims of Socialism … but who in practice always takes flight when Socialism is mentioned.

“Question a person of this type and you will often get the semi-frivolous answer: ‘I don’t object to Socialism, but I do object to Socialists.’ Logically it is a poor argument, but it carries weight with many people. As with the Christian religion, the worst argument for Socialism is its adherents.”

Orwell, himself a socialist, argues first that “Socialism in its developed form is a theory confined entirely to the [relatively well-off] middle class.” In its language, it is formal, stilted, wholly distant from the language of ordinary citizens, spoken by people who are several rungs above their audience, and with no intention of giving up that status.

“It is doubtful whether anything describable as proletarian literature now exists … but a good music hall comedian comes nearer to producing it than any Socialist writer I can think of.”

In the most provocative segment of the entire book, Orwell also cites “the horrible, the early disputing prevalence of cranks wherever Socialists are gathered together. One sometimes gets the impression that the mere words ‘Socialism’ and ‘Communism’ draw toward them with magnetic force every fruit-juice drinker, nudist, sandal-wearer, sex-maniac, Quaker, ‘Nature Cure’ quack, pacifist, and feminist in England.” And he notes the prospectus for a summer Socialist school in which attendees are asked if they prefer a vegetarian diet.

[Achilleaze]

1. sandal wearers!

oh noes

[ck4829]

10. Not sandal wearers!

[ck4829]

2. Politico and the rest of the 'liberal' media has a hand in this - People on the left - Cranks

People who talk about civil war, storming the capitol, and obsessed with raped women carrying pregnancies to term = Conservatives... just conservatives.

[Celerity]

11. Bang on m8!

[leftstreet]

3. DURec

[Botellos]

4. Wow

[harumph]

5. Nice, but dated.

The problem is that a predatory system reinforces itself when people are financially desperate
and they have no time to think about bigger issues than survival.

Accordingly, the goal (and there is a goal) formulated by conservatives in numerous think tanks is to promote division and maintain an underclass.

Political theory on the right has devolved into nothing more complicated than enabling flat out white collar criminality by those
in a position to grift. It's organized crime.

Regulatory capture (as under Trump by hiring unqualified cronies to head and disable agencies) ensures that
diversion of public monies to "favored" suppliers/contractors can
continue without interference.* and brings public disrepute to the agencies they actually want abolished.
Republicans enable "pirates."

*Note that DeSantis has authorized only one publisher for K-5 in Florida. Publisher is owned
by the Carlyle Group. Gosh, what a surprise.

Democrats, if we're serious, need to create a K-12 curriculum leveraging selected open sources that are superior in every way to the
crap being pushed by the right. It needs to be freely available online, printable and widely accessible. Academic competitions
based on the curriculum should be popularized. Such a curriculum should include a whole and honest description of US history drawing content from underrepresented groups and not avoid controversy.

[andym]

6. Orwell is one of the most perceptive writers of the 20th century: but the culture war problem

goes far beyond what he has written about socialism and those that advocate it. The culture wars have their roots in the psychology of traditionalism and conventionalism. Changes in social norms are deeply disturbing to the large number of people who are anchored by the aforementioned principles.

[AZProgressive]

9. Correct

What we have been seeing since Obama was elected is a white backlash from conservatives.

[usonian]

7. Media control the message, they ARE the message.

And since media are owned by moguls, you are never going to hear a good word about socialism.

1984?


The Qult behavior we are seeing is the result of an unholy matrimony of business tycoons, increasingly irrelevant politicians and "preachers", all frontrunning our national "original sin" of racism.

Media thrive on confrontation. But only between proles, not confronting our oligarchs. Media worship them.

[AZProgressive]

8. I see the right moving further to the right

Bush is considered a moderate these days which shows how far to the right they are moving. They consistently are fighting culture wars while progressives were pushing BBB.

[ck4829]

12. Heck, there's an increasing number of them calling him a traitor.

They voted for Bush twice, they voted for McCain, and they voted for Romney... but talk to them today about those choices and they'll act like they never supported them.

[Celerity]

13. And he notes the prospectus for a summer Socialist school in which attendees are asked if they

prefer a vegetarian diet.

oh noes!!!

next thing you now it will be a party!!

[ck4829]

14. Kick for clarity

[muriel_volestrangler]

15. Seems worth pointing out that Labour won the 2 general elections after Orwell wrote that

and nationalised the coal and steel industries, created the National Health Service, successfully reformed the schools and the benefits system, and is generally held up as the most successful left wing government that Britain has ever had.

So maybe there wasn't a "problem" after all. And maybe the Democrats don't have a "culture war problem" today.