Darkness at Noon and the Progressive Mindset (This is good)

American Thinker ^ | Nicholas J. Kaster

[RoosterRedux]

The novel begins with Rubashov's arrest at his flat in the middle of the night, an arrest he had been expecting: he is dreaming of being arrested when he is awakened by the knock at his door.

*snip*

During the course of the novel, Rubashov is questioned by two interrogators: his former friend, the sophisticated and worldly Ivanov, and a younger man, the thuggish Neanderthal Gletkin (a character who is thought to have inspired Winston Smith’s tormentor O’Brien in Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four).

His first interrogator, Ivanov, tells Rubashov:

“There are only two conceptions of human ethics, and they are at opposite poles. One of them is Christian and humane, declares the individual to be sacrosanct, and asserts that the rules of arithmetic are not to be applied to human units. The other starts from the basic principle that a collective aim justifies all means, and not only allows, but demands, that the individual should in every way be subordinated and sacrificed to the community -- which may dispose of it as an experimentation rabbit or a sacrificial lamb… Whoever is burdened with power and responsibility finds out on the first occasion that he has to choose; and he is fatally driven to the second alternative.”

*snip*

In these dialogues, Koestler exposes the ethics of Communism -- and that of the Progressive Left. Objective truth and falsehood, guilt or innocence doesn't matter. What matters is embracing the ideology that is “on the right side of history.” This is the essence of political correctness: objective truth must be discarded, as “politically incorrect,” if it does not advance the worldview of the social justice warrior.

[RoosterRedux]

If anyone wonders what is coming, read "The Gulag Archipelago."

It is an extremely easy-to-read account (though painful at times) of what collectivism has in store for us.

BTW, collectivism doesn't need a plan for how to implement itself. Human beings with the power in a collectivist union always act the same way. It's in our nature.

That's what Solzhenitsyn stresses in Gulag...and what Jordan Peterson has underscored. All humans are capable of being cruel concentration camp guards at Auschwitz under the right circumstances.

[spirited irish]

ping

[Guenevere]

Bump

[Dan in Wichita]

I remember in my high school English class as a senior in 1976-77, we read Darkness at Noon.

At the time, I thanked the Lord we didn't live in a totalitarian state like the one portrayed in the book. Never in my wildest dreams did I think someday my country, the United States, would be standing at the abyss, ready to take the plunge.

[Liz]

Let's examine the self-invented "ethics of Communism" which has been lifted by the Progressive Left to effect "change."
<><> objective truth and falsehood doesnt matter,
<><> guilt or innocence doesn't matter.
<><> objective truth must be discarded,
<><> objective truth is “politically incorrect,”
<><> objective truth does not advance the social justice warriors' utopian worldview.

All that matters is embracing the Progressive ideology b/c Progs say they are “on the right side of history.”

[kosciusko51]

I read “Darkness at Noon” as a sophomore in high school, and it presented the horror of the Stalin purges from the view of those who were eliminated by Stalin. It is one of those stories that had a visceral impact on my life.

[knarf]

It never occurred to me until just now after reading the headline ...

The lefties are gonn'a trip all OVER themselves trying to undo President Trump's accomplishments if Satan should be successful.

I've learned two years is not such a long time and we WILL complete America's return to normalcy at that time ... if we can maintain something called "elections"

[tinyowl]

Should be required reading. I read 1984 and Animal Farm and Brave New World in highschool (Do they assign those any more? I doubt it ... I went to a lucky 'last of the old-school schools' just before it went to the lefties) but Gulag Archipelago SHOULD be required for every human on the planet.

Here's a 5 min sample audio at Audible.

I believe that's from a respected abridged edition. I'm not an expert on the subject of the history of book's publications, but I believe the complete full version can go deeply into what for some would be completely interesting history and for others some historical tedium. For those that don't want every historical detail, there is I think the abridged edition. (Maybe someone can comment more on that - I THINK the abridged edition is well respected and not merely a gloss-over for the attention challenged.)

Jordan Peterson talks a lot about Solzhenitsyn and Gulag Archipelago and at length about subjects of totalitarianism, a simple "jordan peterson solzhenitsyn" search in YouTube will pull up good intro to what's in the book.

To be honest, it may not be a happy fairy tail, but would make one of the most valuable Christmas presents you could give to a beloved patriot or not-totally-lost democrat voter of any age.

[PIF]

As I recall the end of the story is more the moral for budding communists: Rubashov is led to believe that he is forgiven and will soon be released. The day comes and Gletkin (?) escorts him to the prison exit via the backdoor. Gletkin tells him that this way he will get to see through windows on the way how nice a spring day it is.

True enough, Rubashov, stepping down the concrete stairs can see the door and through one nicely placed window a cheery tree in full bloom. He notices that the walls have many dark stains but chooses to keep looking at the tree until he reaches the landing and starts for the door. He never hears the round that takes his head off.

[RoosterRedux]

I got the unabridged edition of Gulag on Audible. I highly recommend it.

[combat_boots]

...done that to a very close relative this year

[TigerLikesRoosterNew]

a happy fairy tail

All totalitarianism sells a fairy tale, the perfect world they can reach if they get rid of all enemies and vice of the world.

[PIF]

Do not, I repeat, do NOT get the abridged version or audio versions of those books. You must read the originals or you risk losing the entire impact.

Some books those abridged or audio versions are fine. But not any work dealing with the impact and ramifications of Communism and its horrors. They must be read as the authors intended. Give the original printed works. If yu imagine you do not have time - remember that is a choice - make the time; its well worth it.

There is no hope for the attention challenged when it comes to understanding communism.

[tinyowl]

Related in terms of a component of human nature that allows that type of stuff to happen - are the Milgram experiments from the early 60's.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

If you haven’t done so, read about the Stanford Prison Experiment which supports your point exactly.

[tinyowl]

"Do not, I repeat, do NOT get the abridged version or audio versions of those books. You must read the originals or you risk losing the entire impact."

Good I was hoping someone would pipe in on that (re: quality of the abridged.) That said, Although I support the process of actually reading, I would rather 10000 people listen to the audio and 10 read the book than only 10 read the book.

[Trailerpark Badass]

Reading Darkness At Noon, at 17, for my Soviet Studies class, was the single most transformative event of my life.

[IncPen]

Stanford Prison Experiment neatly explains Karens and masks.

Rahm Emmanuel famously said that the left should never let a crisis go to waste.

In the pandemic, they will have finished off small business, k-12 and higher education, ‘science’ as reason and a reputable source of objectivity, religion, social interaction, police authority, law and order... and they’ll smash the stock market on the rocks of history and make sure it never emerges.

It’s a remarkable achievement.

[VRW Conspirator]

Koestler exposes the ethics of Communism -- and that of the Progressive Left.

Ethics?...of Communism? Originally, it was featured as a worker's paradise. It would not work because it could not work. What we now call communism is totalitarian rule-a tiny minority lording over the majority, governed with no consent.