#sociopathy — Public Fediverse posts on home.social

Point made and taken. I too have been guilty of using Arendt quotes (and using her name for gravitas) as simple axiomatic slogans.

“Arendt became a privileged citation for those not so much ignorant of as uninterested in her work, and who canonised her for a new age at the price of reducing her to utter conventionality. Referencing her gave many a think piece the patina of a famous name and pseudo-profundity. Her words opportunistically provided revulsion towards Trump with the imprimatur of a supposed philosopher of fascism, for those who were less willing to think about where he came from and how he was possible.”

But there's always the flip side. "If the shoe fits..."

She's stated so many important things that needed stating and with such clarity that why wouldn't one use those quotes? Moreover, I myself was almost certainly introduced to her work through a hastily made quote-gif...

“In their invocations of Arendt as a theorist for a new age of “post-truth,” her new fans missed that she argued that truth and politics have never mixed. On the contrary: politics is a realm of appearance, not one of correspondence with fact.”

Now this I think is taking it too far. Arendt had to try making sense — in the immediate aftermath of Holocaust no less — of a country with high culture that, through prevalent lying, manipulation and pervasive threat of violence (internal and external), turned into a deranged obeissant mass virtually overnight.

It's absolutely crucial to understand and recognize the intent and capacity of various actors for overthrowing representative government and the pillars supporting functioning civil society.

BUT... it is not fait accompli that "truth and politics have never mixed" or that politics is merely "a realm of appearance". To believe that is to give up and just meekly accept that sociopaths will be victorious over humanity.

Last I checked there were a number of well-functioning liberal democracies where truthfulness is essential and the darker impulses of human nature are, with reasonable degree of success, being kept in check. There are lessons to be learned and those lessons also contain hope that not all will inevitably be lost.

But now stop letting me waste your time and go read that insightful article. That'd be time well spent.

#HannaArendt #authoritarianism #totalitarianism #sociopathy #psychopathy #narcissism #democracy
@emmalbriant