What I’m reading Right Now:
The Sources of Soviet Conduct by
‘X’ (George Kennan)
 |
| George F Kennan, aka 'X'. US Ambassador to the USSR 1952. |
Why I’m reading it:
It came up on a reading list. I’m
preparing a research guide for an upper level government class, and this famous
article/essay was one of the assigned readings. So I figured this was a good opportunity to learn more about the Cold War period.
What I think
of it:
I think that
his description of the Soviet setup is remarkably similar to what I see going
on in Social Justice circles today. He says that by the nature of Soviet
ideology, it was impossible for them to see any opposing viewpoint as having
any validity. Any contrary idea was obviously and only a reflexive hostility of
their enemies (in this case, capitalist nations). I hear this sort of thing all
the time from SJWs – if you disagree with them, then you must be evil; you cannot be anything other than evil.
Will I finish
it?
I have
already. It is a 16 page essay, published in Foreign Affairs in July 1967. Check with your local public library
for back issues.
Would I
recommend it?
Yes. It puts
some historical perspective on the current SJW thing, as well as the current
fascination with Socialist politicians. This is not a new phenomenon; it is old
news. The Soviets were and the SJWs are about getting and keeping power. This
is as old as humanity.
Gimme a
quote:
“ . . these revolutionists found in Marxist theory a highly
convenient rationalization for their own instinctive desires. It afforded
pseudo-scientific justification for their impatience, for the categoric [sic] denial of all value in the Tsarist
system, for their yearning for power and revenge and for their
inclination to cut corners in the pursuit of it. It is therefore no wonder that
they had come to believe implicitly in the truth and soundness of the
Marxian-Leninist teachings, so congenial to their own impulses and emotions.” - p. 567
Power and revenge. What a surprise.
“That is the infallibility of the Kremlin . . . requires
that the Party leadership remain in theory the
sole repository of truth. This means
that truth is not a constant but is actually created, for all intents
and purposes, by the Soviet leaders
themselves." – p 573.
This is exactly what we find with modern SJWs. Logic and
reason do not matter, only the Narrative.
