Opposition to authority clearly does not automatically translate into a libertarian philosophy. Karel Dyba, a senior researcher at the Academy of Sciences in Prague and former Communist Party member, observes that free enterprise has won the intellectual battle among many serious economists in Czechoslovakia. But, he adds, implementation of free markets will face many obstacles. Interest groups will undoubtedly be hurt as, for example, some prices increase. Already in Czechoslovakia, parliamentary deputies from mining regions have raised objections to free-market reforms that could put miners out of work.
But Dyba also notes that few people understand just what “the free market” entails. Deep-seated egalitarianism, reinforced by decades of Marxist assumptions, may rouse people to oppose the privileges of the communist system. But it may also make them uncomfortable with the inequalities of capitalism - as Soviet citizens have begun to resent the prosperity earned by owners of private co-ops.
Central European opposition groups, who overwhelmingly draw their leaders from among intellectuals, face another problem as well: adapting to the realities of politics. Romanian- born Vladimir Tismaneanu describes the psychology of the Central European intellectual: “swinging between utopia and despair, East European intellectuals have acquired a sense of surreal political sociology unknown to their peers in the West. They are inheritors of that culture of apocalyptic irony symbolised by names like Franz Kafka, Robert Musil, Karl Kraus, Arthur Koestler, or Elias Canetti, a world where dreams and politics were mysteriously intertwined in a foreboding allegorical texture.”
Such a mindset ill equips the intellectual to run for office. And in some cases those who seek political involvement may be doing so for unfortunate reasons - such as the newly acquired taste for power and publicity. The hard work of campaigning and earning public support, moreover, requires respect for the opinion of common folk. Intellectuals now have to develop a popular base, which is no small task. In some cases, they are facing the challenge surprisingly well - witness the successful referendum sponsored in Hungary by the Alliance of Free Democrats in November. By contrast, the populist Hungarian Democratic Forum appealed to the baser instincts of some ordinary Hungarians, including remnants of anti-Semitism, only to see the tactic backfire.
It is impossible not to speculate about the psychology of the long-captive Europe. In the absence of reliable opinion polls, let me suggest a poem by Adam Zagajewski, a talented Solidarity activist born in 1945, by way of illustration for what I take to be some of the principal lessons learned by the people of Central Europe. The poem is entitled "Fire."
Probably I am an ordinary middle-class
believer in individual rights, the word
freedom is simple to me, it doesn’t mean
the freedom of any class in particular.
Politically naive, with an average
education (brief moments of clear vision
are its main nourishment), I remember
the blazing appeal of that fire which parches
the lips of the thirsty crowd and burns
books and chars the skin of cities. I used to sing
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Alex|2.15.10 @ 9:14AM|#
wow, what a brilliant text. Ive always been open for anything that calls itself conviction, but marxism is like..... it may work on a paper, but practcally its kind of nonsense
aide a domicile|6.10.11 @ 6:38AM|#
Exactly
The theory is interesting but in fact it's not applicable like the other extremist principal
abercrombie milano|5.27.10 @ 5:51AM|#
My only point is that if you take the Bible straight, as I'm sure many of Reasons readers do, you will see a lot of the Old Testament stuff as absolutely insane. Even some cursory knowledge of Hebrew and doing some mathematics and logic will tell you that you really won't get the full deal by just doing regular skill english reading for those books. In other words, there's more to the books of the Bible than most will ever grasp. I'm not concerned that Mr. Crumb will go to hell or anything crazy like that! It's just that he, like many types of religionists, seems to take it literally, take it straight...the Bible's books were not written by straight laced divinity students in 3 piece suits who white wash religious beliefs as if God made them with clothes on...the Bible's books were written by people with very different mindsets...
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ystr
giter|5.18.11 @ 10:40AM|#
Kolakowski was flattered and poisoned by the idea of communism when he was young just like many others...
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http://www.avidom.fr
nike shox|8.11.11 @ 2:09AM|#
is good