Socialism is the product of two things, ego and envy.
Marx, for the slothful idiot that he was, had a huge ego - as do most of ‘societal transformation’ types of intellectuals. At the top of any social movement that promises to ‘transform’ society are always small groups of narcissistic people who have decided that politics and/or social activism is their best path to personal greatness and becoming ‘special’. The ego part is almost always the driving force, with few exceptions.
The envy part is what gives the egoists at the top their power. Envy is what they tap into when they say things like ‘pay their fair share’, or ‘health care is a right’. Envy gave us the Cultural Revolution in China, probably contributed significantly to the Kristallnacht in Germany, helped Hugo Chavez to power, and is polarizing American politics.
What’s the solution? I certainly don’t know, but I really wish that someone had punched Marx in the face when he threatened ‘I will annihilate you’.
Nice exposition of the problem. I think the answer starts right here with education about our heritage of liberty as offered up by the founders. I had what would pass for a good education but it was only after I got on the internet that I started to truly learn about and appreciate this heritage
I think that is the whole ball of wax in a nutshell on a silver platter. Well said.
“Marx, for the slothful idiot that he was, had a huge ego - as do most of ‘societal transformation’ types of intellectuals.”
Very interesting and a very interesting parallel: Lenin fits this description perfectly, if Solzhenitsyn’s take was right. In “Lenin in Zurich” he describes Lenin as a ruthless megalomaniac. Apple didn’t fall far from the tree.