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THE MOTIVATIONS OF POLITICAL LEFTISTS
Much appeared in Frontpage magazine ^ | September, 2010 | By John J. Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.)

Posted on 08/27/2011 4:25:37 PM PDT by marktwain

The emotional substrate

One-sentence summary of the major point in this article: BOTH Leftists and Rightists want to change the status quo (Have you ever heard of a conservative-dominated government that a lacked a legislative agenda?). But to begin from the beginning:

I did my first piece of research into the psychology of politics in 1968. It was my Masters dissertation. I have been studying the subject ever since -- now with many academic publications on it behind me. So it seems reasonable that, over four decades later, I should look back and say what I have learned in the intervening years. And the prime thing I have learned is that you cannot understand Leftism without understanding its emotional roots. And once you understand that, all the rest is detail.

What IS Leftism?

In good academic style I start with a definition: The first thing to say is that Leftism is emotional. The second is to say that the emotion is negative and the third thing to say is that the negative emotion (anger/hate/rage) is directed at the world about the Leftist, at the status quo if you like. The Leftist is nothing if he is not a critic, though usually a very poorly-informed critic. And the criticisms are both pervasive and deeply felt.

Orwell of course understood Leftism exceptionally well so it is revealing that in 1943 he wrote an essay called "Can Socialists Be Happy?" His answer is that they can't even imagine it.

(Excerpt) Read more at tongue-tied2.blogspot.com ...


TOPICS: Education; Government; History; Politics
KEYWORDS: emotion; leftism; politics; psychology
This is a long essay, but I found it revealing, well argued, and it fit with what I have experienced in my life.
1 posted on 08/27/2011 4:25:41 PM PDT by marktwain
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To: marktwain

b4l


2 posted on 08/27/2011 5:06:34 PM PDT by Oratam
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To: marktwain

bookmarked for later


3 posted on 08/27/2011 5:49:20 PM PDT by School of Rational Thought ("The proposition that the government is always right is manifested either in corruption or benefits)
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To: marktwain

I can sum up this dissertation in four sincere words:

Leftism makes everything worse.

-Cynthia


4 posted on 08/27/2011 6:13:42 PM PDT by Havisham
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To: marktwain

Interesting but only briefly touch on how leftism is like a religion. Could have drawn that out more — still very good.


5 posted on 08/27/2011 6:33:49 PM PDT by Blind Eye Jones
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To: Havisham

you are abssoltely right


6 posted on 08/27/2011 6:34:26 PM PDT by DooDahhhh (ma)
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To: marktwain

I have my doubts about this. Not that it’s inaccurate, but rather that it misses the bigger picture and what’s at play.

The writer states that “(Leftist leaders) are mostly motivated by ego needs. The Leftist activist craves attention and praise.”

From my perspective, the motivation behind Leftist leaders is really power; the obtainment of it, the maintenance of it and the exercise of it.

Power is hard to obtain, maintain and exercise when things are all hunky-dory. Afterall, if things are going well, why change things? When things aren’t hunky-dory, iow when things are wrong, power’s easier to obtain, maintain and exercise.

So Leftist leaders have a vested interest in creating the perception that things suck and need to be fixed. Through the exercise of power. By them. And even in helping to CREATE problems that only they can fix (aka “arsonist firefighter” situation).

So what it boils down to is that the negativity of Leftists is really just the means to the end. It’s a tool they can use to manipulate perceptions of the status quo in a manner that supports their power needs.

I’ve always liked, in this regard, the statement that Palpatine/Sidious said to Anakin in “Revenge of the Sith” ... that the Jedi gain power through understanding, while the Sith gain understanding through power. I know that uber-Leftist Lucas didn’t mean it this way, but it seems to fit the base-level motivations of Conservatives (Jedi) and Leftists (Sith) pretty well.


7 posted on 08/27/2011 6:38:24 PM PDT by tanknetter
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To: marktwain

Quite good... many valid perceptions..


8 posted on 08/27/2011 7:24:42 PM PDT by hosepipe (This propaganda has been edited to include some fully orbed hyperbole...)
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To: marktwain
A long read with many accurate observations. I continue to insist though that Jaynes' The Rise of Consciousness and the Downfall of the Bicameral Mind gives the deepest psychological insight into the pathology of the Left, even though he does not declare it as such.

His thesis is that at an historical point the human mind acquired real consciousness, the ability to objectively evaluate one's own actions and act accordingly. And this point is absolutely clear in ancient Greece; i.e. philosophy, theatre, art, historical analysis; before which the bicameral civilizations functioned through authoritarian, extortionist, top-down mandate.

This is the same as the often presented idea that ancient Greece was the foundation of western culture; this, as opposed to the authoritarian cultures of the Middle East.

One read will convince any thoughtful person. Does a society function through the comprehensive consciousness of the individual, i.e. moral awareness, (the Right, Star Treks Prime Directive, the West), or does it work through mass authoritarian manipulation (the Borg, assertive interdiction, the Extortionist East)?

In NO way however are we certain that the modern global race is statistically evolving beyond leftist bicameralism, as Barack Obama and puppeteers show.

Johnny Suntrade

9 posted on 08/27/2011 7:59:03 PM PDT by jnsun (The Left: the need to manipulate others because of nothing productive to offer.)
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To: marktwain

Thank you much for posting this - I’m glad to have discovered this guy’s website and the links he provides to other Conservative thinkers. Very helpful!


10 posted on 08/27/2011 9:19:37 PM PDT by madmominct
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