Posted by Dan Ewert : 10/08/2002 12:24:00 AM (Archive Link)
The other day, I read in the paper about some anti-war protestors. One of them was quoted as saying, “People are out of the practice of ‘screaming for peace’ – for doing the socially unacceptable thing. I think people haven’t quite regeared. They haven’t quite readjusted to the idea of being uncomfortable with institutions by being willing to speak out what is not popular.” I think this brings up something very odd about the movement. She clearly thinks that the protestors are not espousing a popular opinion and that it’s an opinion that goes against the majority. She takes great pride in being in the minority. The majority consists of the ignorant brain-washed who must be educated (re-education… well, I’m sure some of the protestors have Communist leanings). The movement then has one of two courses that it can take: either it remains in the minority or grows so large that it brings the majority over to its side. In the first case, they wind up battling the majority and the tacit will of the people. They contradict the very people they claim to represent. In the latter case, they themselves become the majority they previously resented and they can no longer be anti-establishment as they have become established. At this point, however, they would stop taking pride in being the minority and would shift to taking great pride in being the majority; they adopt the pride they denounced in their former opposition. It seems like a good set-up for self-hate to me. No wonder they always feel so guilty for everything.