Because it’s Historically Progressive

Recently I’ve been thinking about this mindset, which I’ve taken to calling Economism (not in the Leninist sense). There’s a lot wrong with it, with the obvious core of the issue being the insistence on trading Social Solidarity (SS) for Economic Growth (EG). Thankfully, Alex was confident enough to very blatantly espouse this dynamic. It seems that SS is a very under appreciated concept in the world of liberal/libertarian/anti-national economics, and I think that this stems primarily from their economics-centered worldview. If one believes that every problem originates from an economic source, then it is logical that the solution is also economic in nature. The issue here is that not every problem is economic. I think a good way of putting it revolves around Irving Kristol’s “Two Cheers for Capitalism” in which two cheers are given for Capitalism’s economic feats and its congruence with a sense of personal liberty. However, the third cheer is withheld by Kristol due to Capitalism’s inability to satisfy people’s “existential human needs” and its creation of a spiritual malaise in the population if taken too far. So I would like to further build on this by stating that there are two types of crisis that society can face: Economic Crisis and Social Crisis. The causes of both of these types of crises may overlap, but the solutions do not. In theory, an Economic Crisis may be overcome through EG. A Social Crisis, however, is a different beast. It’s not just about economics, but about how we see ourselves, how we see and interact with others around us, and our relationship with “The System”. SS is very important in maintaining a healthy society, because no man is an island. Alex, and those of his ilk, do not see the value in SS. They are of the belief that all problems can be resolved through short term EG. As such they blatantly support importing as many foreign populations as possible in order to purposefully divide people and lower SS (SS leads to Big Government, which is the ultimate sin in their eyes). Of course, the rampancy of this mindset will eventually lead to it consuming itself for short term gains as crises inevitably arise. And it’s here where I think it’s important to take this to heart: High Social Solidarity can get a Nation through an Economic Crisis. High Economic Growth is insufficient to get a Nation through a Social Crisis. I will elaborate more on this in time, but another connection that I will be making is towards the New Deal, and how those who view it purely through an economic lens fail to see how it actually helped to combat the Great Depression. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Cato Institute delenda est.