[April 30, 2024] John Hinderaker has done us a favor by highlighting a tweet from Elon Musk and helping explain what he meant. According to Hinderaker, modern liberalism extracts the essence of Marxism, which means that all human relationships are exploitative.
“Of course, this idea is ridiculous. Most human relationships, whether personal or economic, are not exploitative. But Marx’s idea has a perennial appeal to the discontented and is endlessly malleable to suit the neuroses of the day. Thus, modern Marxists have no interest in the purported oppression of the “proletariat.” Far from it! But the Marxist model can easily be made to fit other preoccupations.” – John Hinderaker at PowerLineBlog
Elon Musk’s tweets from this past Friday are getting a lot of attention.
The axiomatic error undermining much of Western Civilization is “weak makes right”.
If someone accepts, explicitly or implicitly, that the oppressed are always the good guys, then the natural conclusion is that the strong are the bad guys.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 26, 2024
Many who responded to Musk’s tweet were quick to poke holes in the idea. Tiberius wrote, “That’s the most transparently stupidest thing you’ve said in a while … Conflating strength and oppressive power is idiotic, to begin with …” Good point, but this does not undermine Musk’s argument.
Hinderaker notes that “Modern liberalism is all about who is oppressed, and weakness is equated with oppression.” Meaning that anyone who holds a better position in society has exploited others to get there and is thus an oppressor and automatically evil. And that exploited person is somehow morally superior and good. The idea that “the oppressed are always the good guys” doesn’t hold up under scrutiny.
“Elon’s point is correct: it is ridiculous to take the side of the “weak” regardless of the facts. As he says, through human history, the more common assumption has been that one should take the side of the strong. I think that is still true in some (maybe most) cultures.” – John Hinderaker at PowerLineBlog
Unfortunately, Marx stumbled upon his idea of the Proletariat vs. Bourgeoisie, i.e., oppressed vs. oppressor, because it is an enticing theory that makes the weak feel superior and thus justified in doing “good” (actually evil) in the name of the oppressed.
Elon Musk has agitated modern liberals; for that, he deserves praise. What he has not done, unfortunately, is undermine their Marxist ideology because their religion requires ignoring the world’s reality.
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Unfortunately, Marx stumbled upon his idea of the Proletariat vs. Bourgeoisie, i.e., oppressed vs. oppressor, because it is an enticing theory that makes the weak feel superior and thus justified in doing “good” (actually evil) in the name of the oppressed.
Elon Musk has agitated modern liberals; for that, he deserves praise. What he has not done, unfortunately, is undermine their Marxist ideology because their religion requires ignoring the world’s reality.
“[T]he useful idiots, the leftists who are idealistically believing in the beauty of the Soviet socialist or Communist or whatever system, when they get disillusioned, they become the worst enemies. That’s why my KGB instructors specifically made the point: never bother with leftists. Forget about these political prostitutes. Aim higher. […] They serve a purpose only at the stage of destabilization of a nation. For example, your leftists in the United States: all these professors and all these beautiful civil rights defenders. They are instrumental in the process of the subversion only to destabilize a nation. When their job is completed, they are not needed any more. They know too much. Some of them, when they get disillusioned, when they see that Marxist-Leninists come to power—obviously they get offended—they think that they will come to power. That will never happen, of course. They will be lined up against the wall and shot.” ― Yuri Bezmenov
Good quote by Bezmenov, but I prefer to call them Nazis.
Excellent article, Gen. Satterfield. Thank you for making me think today, as always.
An interesting comment by Elon Musk and a nice take on it by John Hinderaker from Powerlineblog. I started reading their blog. very good info and thoughtful.
Hinderaker notes that “Modern liberalism is all about who is oppressed, and weakness is equated with oppression.” Meaning that anyone who holds a better position in society has exploited others to get there and is thus an oppressor and automatically evil. And that exploited person is somehow morally superior and good. The idea that “the oppressed are always the good guys” doesn’t hold up under scrutiny. Well said, Gen. Satterfield. I’m new to your blog and looks really good.
Welcome aboard Funny Man.
Welcome aboard Funny man. Feel free to comment on the blogs my friend Gen Douglas Satterfield love feedback.
Very good explanation.
Gen. Satterfield, PowerLineBlog, very nice website. Looks like John Hinderaker gives a darn good explanation. Too many of these articles give overly complicated, highly academic, dwelling into ideology, and gives far too much credit to the fundamentals of whacko liberalism than they deserve credit for. They are stupid and getting “stupider” (according to my professor of philosophy). Let’s just tell it like it is. They are stupid. Boring but right.
Yes, indeed, JT, just as I thought. I’ve started reading http://www.powerlineblog.com more frequently now.
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😍 I’m a fan too. Just like I’m a fan of Gen. Satterfield’s blog. However, I have to admit that I’m really liking the “Letters to My Granddaughter” series 💖 that has now gone to more than 50 letters. 💌 Just can’t get enought of them. 😁
Very good article that explains something I’ve been trying to put my finger on.
Thank goodness there are people out there like John Hinderaker and Elon Musk and … also Gen. Satterfield who like to poke holes in the stupidity that falls under the label of Democrat Party. Why aren’t we seeing more of these kind of articles by John? Why don’t we see more pushback against the stupidity? Too many university presidents are women, and those women are WEAK leaders who can only do their jobs when things are going well, but when strong decisions are required, the women fall apart and don’t know what to do, or if they do know what to do, they can’t make the decision at the right time. This is what has happened to the universities. bring back strong men.
I want Strong Men on my Side
https://www.theleadermaker.com/i-want-strong-men-on-my-side/
“Those I wanted on my side had to be strong; physically, mentally, and emotionally. No wimps allowed. My teams knew the drill. If you couldn’t perform up to military standard and re-training didn’t work, you were off the team. It had to be that way. Lives depended upon our ability to get the mission accomplished. There would never be an excuse for failure.” – Gen. Doug Satterfield
Appropriate quote from Gen. Doug Satterfield and thanks for that Lizzy. I too think we far too often allow laziness and craziness to happen, and then wonder why things don’t work like they should. Just look at Joe Biden, incompetent due to dementia, but likely to get re-elected for president. Rewarding weakness is a failed policy.
So very true. Nailed it, mainer.
Love the quote. If you get a chance, read Gen. Satterfield’s “55 Rules for a Good Life” if you want to get a more detailed look at this. Cheers!
Good explanation. Others explanations are overly complex. I think following the lemmings is another factor.