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Peter Critchley

Know Thy Enemy






Prominent conservative voices on social media are circulating these articles with the caption 'typical socilalists/typical marxists.' I am not concerned with defending such actions. I long ago concluded that, beyond betrayals by leaders, the humanism at the heart of marxism - and of the Enlightenment project in general - does close in on and turn against itself, eating its own standards from within. But I don't single Marxism out in this respect - that idolatry is the basic premise of capitalism and secular rationalism and humanism. Within these parameters, the cause of human brotherhood and sisterhood fragments, divides and ends in universal hatred. Because it is driven by a distorted self-love and not by the love that seeketh not its own.


It is significant that the worst thing that the apologists for the anarchy of the rich and powerful under the capital system can say about contemporary 'social justice warriors' is that they are hypocrites - hypocrites, that is, in becoming just like them, selling out the people and just causes for their own personal gain.


I couldn't agree more, with respect to all involved in these power games. But the idea that the representatives of this new Left are 'typical socialists' is fanciful. I don't have multi-million dollar houses to my name and I can take you to countless more ordinary working class people who can say the same and identify as socialists. As for socialist and marxist 'leaders' targeted here - they are typical capitalist individualists looking after their own interests. And for the record, I never bought the idea that any of this crowd are 'Left' - issues of race, sex, gender etc are all perfectly capable of being resolved under the capital system. You can liberate all those identities under the capital system, so long as the great god of accumulation is facilitated:


Know thy enemy:

he does not care what colour you are

provided you work for him

and yet you do!


he does not care how much you earn

provided you earn more for him

and yet you do!


he does not care who lives in the room at the top

provided he owns the building

and yet you strive!


he will let you write against him

provided you do not act against him

and yet you write!

he sings the praises of humanity

but knows machines cost more than men.

Bargain with him, he laughs, and beats you at it;

challenge him, and he kills.


Sooner than lose the things he owns

he will destroy the world.

SMASH CAPITAL NOW!


But as you hasten to be free

And build your commonwealth

Do not forget the enemy

Who lies within yourself.


- Christopher Logue, Know Thy Enemy


And the lesson is: social formation and personal character and moral effort go together. Lose one, and the other turns in on itself.


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