On Complaints & Paranoia
We often complain about complainers, but our understanding might be more charitable if we understood the different breeds of complaint.
While there is much overlap, some differences of purpose can perhaps be discerned.
- When a man complains he typically is asking another man to fix a problem for him. The wants the problem fixed because it vexes him.
- When a woman complains she typically is asking a man for emotional support. She wants her heart to be soothed with the reassurances of a strong protector because the problem vexes her.
It is for this reason that men and women, when they speak, even when discussing the same topic, are rarely speaking about the same thing.
When an intellectual complains, he typically is asking his peers for admiration to feed his vainglory. This admiration is not awarded when an intellectual discovers a real fix for a real problem: only the counterproductive fixes for imaginary problems are considered.
When a hypochondriac complains, he typically is asking for pity, which gives him leverage over the sentimental. Again, only imaginary problems vex him, because, being unreal, they cannot be fixed. He wants a fix the way a miser wants to spend his last coin.
These days, hypochondriacs alleging medical illnesses are more rarely seen than those alleging philosophical, psychological, political, social, or spiritual ills in society at large.
When the News complains about Trump, or any foe, when he does any given thing, but also when he does the exact opposite; and likewise lauds Obama, or any friend, for doing any given thing, but also when he does the exact opposite; then nothing done nor said is the cause of the complaint nor of the applause: only who.
The complaining in this case is neither to solve a problem nor to ease a heartsickness, nor does it solely seek vainglory nor pity. It is merely meant to belittle foes and accumulate power.
In most of these cases the meaning of the complaint is not literal. Fixing the problem voiced in the complaint will only quell the complaint in the literal case.
When a Modern man complains about an evil allegedly done by another man, this is inevitably a confession of his own evil, merely projected onto others.
This complaint acts as a preemptive counterblow against critics, and as an escape from discussion. It fuels a paranoid worldview, since all men just so happen to be guilty of whatever it is the Modern will never admit to himself is gnawing his guts.
Such paranoia is not a side effect nor accidental feature of Modern political and philosophical thought, but is its heart and animating spirit.
All men know men are sinful, crooked, corrupt, untrustworthy, and warped. Christians call this the Fall of Man, and we beg for supernatural aid to escape the coils of sin, because no natural aid will do. Leftist are too proud to beg, and scorn supernatural aid.
Logic forces them to place the blame for human nature on something other than human nature: either a corruption of civilization caused by the invention of private property, or by hierarchy hence inequality of power, or by an admixture of the races, or by a lack of education, or by an insufficient deference to sophomoric & self-appointed expert opinion, or by a lack of political ruthlessness needed to butcher the reactionaries, rape their women, and burn their innocent, screaming children in ovens of black iron.
Hence, the evil in life and the lack of cure are, for the Modern, never a given train of human nature, ruling us all until Doomsday. For the modern, the evil is life is caused by someone else and something else, not by me. Never by me.
Evil is caused by something hidden — or else it would long ago have been discovered — by something powerful — or else it would long ago have been battled and vanquished — and also cunning — or else long ago, it would have been outsmarted.
In other words, the evils in life are caused by a conspiracy. The different breeds and flavors of Modern differ only by what scapegoat is selected to replace the Fall of Man.
For the Anarchist, it is law and order. For the Socialist, it is the free market. For the Feminist, it is the male. For the Pervertarian, it is chaste. For the Leftist, it is the Jews.
For the Racist, the source of all evil is the White race; but this kind of racist counts Jews as white. For the other kind of Racist, it is the Negros and Spaniard, but especially the Jews, for the other kind of racist counts the Jews as non-white.
For the Islamic Fascist, it is the Jews. For the Atheist, it is the Jews; but Atheists will also blame the Christians, a Jewish heresy.
About John C Wright
John C. Wright is a practicing philosopher, a retired attorney, newspaperman, and newspaper editor, and a published author of science fiction. Once a Houyhnhnm, he was expelled from the august ranks of purely rational beings when he fell in love; but retains an honorary title.
