Capitalism is in the crosshairs of most progressive, post-modern, Marxist and anti-progress intellectuals and academics. Destroying capitalism would reduce our standard of living. But leftists might already be making Americans less happy than our prosperity should afford.
Chris Rufo dissects the progressive assault in his excellent book America’s Cultural Revolution, including the work of the highly influential Herbert Marcuse. Professor Marcuse recognized the grave threat prosperity poses for a Marxist revolution. The following passage involves Mr. Rufo discussing Professor Marcuse’s writings, contained in the secondary quotes.
“The political outlook, Marcuse concluded, was grim. ‘The reality of the laboring classes in advanced industrial society makes the Marxian proletariat’s mythological concept; the reality of present-day socialism makes the Marxian idea a dream.’ Modern man was … deprived of his own imagination and found his ‘soul in [his] automobile, hi-fi set, split-level home, kitchen equipment.’”
This passage is telling, in two ways. First, it demonstrates that intellectuals ultimately care about their plans for society and not the persons comprising society. As Paul Johnson observes in Intellectuals, Rousseau and Marx vociferously proclaimed their love of humanity while treating most human beings in their lives horribly.
Other people matter to social planners only because they must follow the grand plan, whatever the details, from seizing the means of production to eliminating structural racism. Thomas Sowell emphasizes this natural tendency of elites in Intellectuals and Society.
Progressives likely believe that their plans will create utopia but do not know or ultimately care about the values, hopes, dreams, and plans of others.
Commitment to the Marxist project led Professor Marcuse to view prosperity and happiness as bad.
Capitalism’s successes disprove Marx’s claim that the workers had nothing to lose but their chains. How does a revolutionary get prosperous people to revolt? Destroying abundance is an option, but taking things from people may backfire. Making prosperous people feel miserable offers better prospects.
Americans’ relative unhappiness amid plenty may not be an accident nor a consequence of the limits of materialism. Consider some of the harms emanating from universities today.
Status often depends enormously on grievances and victimization. Society consists of irredeemable oppressors and the oppressed, helpless due to historical injustices and systemic forces. College educated blacks perceive far more racism than others despite the disappearance of legal discrimination.
Paul Ehrlich’s The Population Bomb warned that millions would starve in the 1970s. Frightened Americans chose not have children and today miss the joys of grandchildren even though famine never materialized. Climate anxiety causes depression and anxiety among millions who expect human extinction during their lifetimes.
Universities birthed post-modern critical theories and inflicted misery first on college students and then wider society. Control of professional schools transmits these messages across society. Social workers, for example, assure welfare state clients that they are helpless victims of intersectional oppression.
College educated liberal young women might be the biggest victims of self-inflicted misery. A recent poll found conservative women three times more likely to be very or fully happy than liberals. Young liberal women have the highest rates of mental health issues of any political demographic.
Feminism promised liberation for those unfulfilled by being “barefoot and pregnant.” Intelligent women would be empowered to pursue careers using their talents. This is an admirable goal. But perhaps some of these ladies’ professors intended spreading misery, not empowerment.
The work of Hans Rosling highlights the gulf between popular perceptions and reality. While liberals might claim to be depressed by the unpleasantness conservatives ignore, they frequently experience trauma over nonexistent harms.
No great conspiracy is at work here, just widespread recognition of Marcuse’s observation that prosperity works against radical reform. Many then seek to make Americans feel miserable and oppressed.
Markets have enormously improved the quality of life across the globe, feeding the expanding global population and dramatically reducing extreme poverty. Yet Americans are surprisingly miserable and distressed amidst plenty. Perhaps this is not an accident.
