A superficial observer of present-day ideologies could easily fail to recognize the prevailing bigotry of the molders of public opinion and the machinations that render inaudible the voice of dissenters. FULL ARTICLE by Ludwig von Mises
Source link: http://archive.mises.org/15231/the-bigotry-of-the-literati/
The Bigotry of the Literati
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The article describes our anti-reality media and educational institutions today, and it is instructive but sad to think that they have held sway for over 50 years.
It is a very sad commentary on the World, But true.
It’s amazing how much matters have changed. In America, no one of any repute openly advocates communism, social democrats are intellectually hamstrung against conservatives and libertarians, our ideas are covered regularly by our intellectual detractors in major publications, and Ron Paul is chair of the committee overseeing the Federal Reserve for Christ’s sake!
Libertarians need to be aware that just because society isn’t moving towards some fantastic, anarcho-capitalist libertopia with hands joined singing Kumbaya that contemporary matters in anyway reflect the historical period in which Mises wrote this article.
Robert
“no one of any repute openly advocates communism”
Not openly. That’s been the case for a very long time now. Socialist policies are another matter however….
“social democrats are intellectually hamstrung against conservatives and libertarians”
They always were intellectually deficient, but so are conservatives. This fact has not prevented the destructive policies of social democrats and conservatives from being enabled and enforced against people.
“our ideas are covered regularly by our intellectual detractors in major publications”
Assuming you are referring to libertarianism by the terminology “our ideas”, then you’d be remiss in not mentioning that it is very rarely the case that libertarian ideas are covered accurately and honestly by their “detractors in major publications.”
“Ron Paul is chair of the committee overseeing the Federal Reserve”
You are remiss in not mentioning Ron Paul’s comments about what he expects he’ll be actually be able to do while in this position, what the limitations of the chairmanship position are and what can be realistically expected to be achieved. Needless to say the “oversight” is illusory and has never existed in practice (despite the official rhetoric). He is up against an established system which has been in existance for a long time, has powerful special interests supporting it and is of itself extremely powerful.
You sound like you are very young when you write things like contemporary matters don’t in anyway reflect the historical period in which Mises wrote. Given the experience of a few more decades of observing politics/economics it is unlikely you’ll continue with your sentiment.
Sione
Stealth has always been a major tactic of Communism; Castro in Cuba in 1959 is a very good example. With the social laws of this country nearly all Communist and the economic laws rapidly catching up, the attention given to other systems is more in the nature of “There’s a mouse in the house; we have to get rid of it as soon as we can!” I doubt if the current revolt in some quarters will amount to much more than that, unfortunately. A population trained to live from the spoon is not going to seriously revolt until the spoon comes up empty.
Lee
Unfortunately, it would appear your observations are correct.
Sione
Mises’ sentences flow like poetry. Saintly poetry.
Mises appears to not understand the definition of “bigotry.” Maginalizing a stupid idea, be it human slavery or misogyny or Austrian “economics” is not an example of bigotry, which is an irrational hostility towards persons of a different ethnicity, nationality, or faith tradition.
Now, if the good people at Mises “Economics” Blog would like to follow in the footsteps of the Scientologists and “come out of the closet” as a faith tradition, I’m all for that. Certainly you meet all the criteria for a fundementalist sect (including, ironically given the nature of Mises’ lament, vicious hostility towards anyone who fails to embrace the tenents of your faith); hatred of modern science, unthinking idol worship, belief in an absolute truth laid out by your religious texts (one recent commentator, hilariously, referred to one of said texts as “our shield,” paraphrasing the New Testament), etc.
But until then, for as long as you pretend to be engaged in a rational discourse, you cannot lay the rejection of your shoddy ideas at the feet of bigotry, when their very shoddiness is a much simpler and more cogent explanation for their unpopularity.
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