(NOTE: Previously published as “Corrupting the Good, the True & the Beautiful”)
I’ve been hearing about a book from my fellow conservatives for the last few years that analyzes the Social Justice movement: “The Rise of Victimhood Culture: Microaggressions, Safe Spaces, and the New Culture Wars” by sociologists Bradley Campbell and Jason Manning. (1)
The Premise of the book is that a third culture has recently been added to the two most common historically, the Honor and Dignity cultures. This new culture is engendered by modern social justice warriors, which the authors call the “Victimhood Culture.” It selects elements of both Honor culture (speed at taking offense ) and Dignity culture (resort to law, rather than violence ) and combines them in ways that fit the goals of the modern SJW cadre.
While this new culture is a modern construct and is based on the principles of that specific variant of Marxism which came from the Frankfurt School of 1920s Germany (2), the underlying concept is far older.
Therefore, the idea I wish to put forth in this essay is that this “Victimhood” culture has its roots, as in all traps of the Enemy, in some element palatable to human nature; or else the bait would not be attractive to its intended victims.
As Frodo says in The Return of the King “The Shadow that bred them (orcs) can only mock, it cannot make: not real new things of its own.”
Or, as some put this principle: “Evil cannot create. It can only corrupt.”
HISTORY
One of the central tenets of Communism is expressed as: “From each according to their ability, to each according to their needs.” -Karl Marx, 1875 Critique of the Gotha Programme.
This concept did not originate with Marx though, as we can trace its roots to earlier socialist writers, then to Pre-revolutionary France, then to earlier Puritan settlements in North America, (3) and all the way back to a misreading of the voluntary acts of charity of the early Christians in Jerusalem immediately after Pentacost. (4)
Many have noted that this idea of giving according to your attributes combined with receiving according to your needs, cannot work beyond a single family unit, as it requires a voluntary self-sacrifice rarely found beyond familial bonds. (5)
What makes the concept so palatable though, is that it is so familiar. It is how most people experienced family economics for most of human history. The father, historically the breadwinner of the family, brought home the food and the mother distributed it fairly among the children, based on their needs at the time. (6)
As Dr. Jordan Peterson explains in the video below, this historical distribution task may be one reason why Social Justice Warriors are likely to be female:
DEFINITIONS
So, if we can trace the modern Victimhood Culture to its roots in Marxist doctrine, can we go deeper and clarify what legitimate human desire the bait in the trap seeks to emulate?
If the first two categories of human cultures are the Honor Culture and the Dignity Culture, what shall we call the third?
Aristotle wrote of the concept of three “souls” within mankind. (7)
The “Sensible” soul processes the senses of the body. This is also the source of emotions and passions.
We will call this soul “The Heart.”
The “Rational” soul would involve the higher functions of the human mind. This is the intellect. The rational, logical mind.
We will call this soul “The Head.”
The “Nutritive” soul controls the subconscious functions of the body and its basic appetites. It is concerned with the meeting of immediate needs, rather than delaying gratification to meet long term goals.
Because the ancient Romans would say of an undisciplined person that they, “think with their belly,” we will call this soul “The Belly.” (8)
Note: Readers of Aristotle may notice that I have arranged his list of souls differently to the order usually given. This is due to my assigning each “Soul” as a definer of a culture.
Here then are my descriptions of the three cultures, along with their historical and modern representatives.
Honor/Heart Culture: “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.” – C.S. Lewis.
Historically, this seems to be the default human culture. However, the larger and more stratified a society became, the more this culture becomes the domain of the ruling elite. (Note: In the 21st century, the honor culture has almost entirely disappeared as a binding force on our own ruling elite).
Icons: The young male warrior. Spartans. Samurai. Knights. Apache. Maasai. Zulu.
Identifiers: Patriarchal. High value on societal reputation and respect. The duel is how “questions of honor” are settled. Merit based reward system. Loyalty to tribe/clan/family before all else. Emphasis on the tools and skills needed for acquiring resources.
Historical* Positive attributes: Physical courage. Respect for truth and keeping one’s word. Stays within strict rules of courtesy to avoid violence. (* I used the preface “Historical” for this section, because many positive attributes of traditional honor cultures are uncommon in their modern, First World equivalents).
Negative Attributes: Easily insulted. Easily resorts to violence.
Political systems: Historical warrior societies. Democracy. Anarchy.
Note: An interesting intellectual exercise can be had by comparing the Medieval codes of Chivalry (9) with the 18th century Code Duello (10).
Dignity/Head Culture: “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” – Proverbs 4:7
With a few exceptions*, this culture came about relatively recently in human history; as stable governments with consistently applied laws became more wide spread. (* the exceptions include the high points of classical Jewish, Athenian, Roman and Chinese cultures).
Icons: Grandparents. Mentors. Teachers. Philosophers.
Identifiers: Patrician. Noble. The highest virtues in this society are wisdom, self-restraint and forgiveness. Decisions are based on experience and logic.
Positive attributes: Value of every human life. Ethic of restraint and tolerance.Trial by laws.
Emphasis on saving excess resources for troubled times. Legacy based reward system.
Negative attributes. Overly cautious. Prone to long deliberation when immediate action is needed.
Political systems: A Republic or Monarchy.
Mercy/Belly Culture: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” -Matthew 5:7
Icons: Historic-The Young Mother. Modern-The Social Justice Warrior.
Identifiers: Matriarchal. Focus on eliminating immediate, visible discomfort of those under their care. Emphasis on equal distribution of resources. Relationship based reward system.
Positive attributes. Nurturing. Fair. Charitable.
Negative attributes: Envious. Bureaucratic. Seeking an equality of outcome, rather than an equality of opportunity.
Social or Political systems: Nuclear Family. Socialism/Communism.
***
This essay is intended to be an ongoing effort with input from my wiser and more learned friends. Please contribute as you see fit.
Regards,
Bill McGrath
NOTES:
1.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rise_of_Victimhood_Culture
2. https://archive.schillerinstitute.com/fid_91-96/921_frankfurt.html
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_each_according_to_his_ability,_to_each_according_to_his_needs
4. https://tifwe.org/resource/does-acts-2-5-teach-socialism/
5. https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-rise-and-disastrous-fall-of-the-kibbutz
6. There are basic behavioral differences between the male and female of every mammalian species on this planet; including Homo sapiens, A.K.A. we human beings. If you want to understand the behavioral differences between men and women, you should know that we spent the majority of our history in hunter-gatherer societies and it was the differing survival needs of these two groups that explains much of the differences between male and female psychology and physiology. For more on this subject, read “Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus.” https://www.amazon.com/Men-Mars-Women-Venus-Understanding/dp/0060574216
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Soul
8. To see Aristotle’s concept of three souls used in modern fiction, read the section on “The Heroic Trinity” in my essay on Hierarchy vs Equality. https://theswordoffire.com/?page_id=595
9. https://theswordoffire.com/?page_id=316
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_duello
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