[ahayes]

Under folk Marxism, the oppressed class has inherent moral superiority to the oppressor class -- recall the quote which opens this essay. Class membership trumps individual character in determining moral standing. It should be no surprise that this belief could lead to tyranny and wanton murder by government. It should be no surprise that this belief has failed to improve the lot of those regarded as "oppressed." It inverts Martin Luther King's call to judge people by the content of their character.

Interesting. I just finished Tale of Two Cities a little bit ago, and the oppressed peasantry certainly used their "moral superiority" to do their share of butchery.

[IronJack]

I just finished Tale of Two Cities a little bit ago, and the oppressed peasantry certainly used their "moral superiority" to do their share of butchery.

A very salient observation. The French Revolution, which occurred at about the same time as the American Revolution, had a completely different outcome, due, in part, to the fact that the American Revolution was based on Lockeian principles, while the French Revolution was rooted in the false egalitarianism and class envy that later came to define Marx.