The Spoiled-Child Psychology

Chapter Six of Ideas Have Consequences

"Incriminating" is the adjective that came to mind when I wanted to summarize Weaver’s essay. Or “Guilty as charged” fits the description, too.



As Weaver delineates his impression of man’s *brat* behavior, it is easy to identify with his examples and it would be easier still to turn this synopsis into a parenting guide, like I did here.




But that’s not where Weaver is headed as indicated by the opening quote from Hermann Rauschning (1887-1982).

Wherever the typical mass character becomes universal, all higher values are as
good as lost.

This German conservative and reactionary became an opponent of Naziism and Hitler and fortunately lived to write about it, although his repuation is somewhat scarred. The quote is possibly from his book The Revoloution of Nihilism, published in 1939, and was a warning to the West against the anti-cultural, anti-Christian, philosophy of the National Socialists. It is interesting to note that Herr Rauschning died a farmer in the Portland, OR area.

So, while I find it easy to pick out the individual personality traits and characterisctics described by Weaver in the people I deal with everyday (not just my own children), I believe Weaver wants us to take a few steps back from the pages and look at the entire world from a national (mass) character point of view.

The author begins by surveying the landscape and reminding us of the development of national personality types in: Plato, Aristotle, the Renaissance, the Bourgeois, Thomism, and our current Middle Class. I cant get out of my head the image of the Wizard of Oz as the Stereopticon telling us what to think, where to live, what kind of work, where to worship, what to eat. But if we had a wide enough perspective, we could see these personalities in the various countries of the world. For example, Mao Tse Tung's vision for the Chinese.

Weaver blames urbanization for many of society’s ills because cities encourage man to believe he has superiority over nature, especially with the benefits of modern science. Because a person is separated from nature it makes it easier to forget the presence of something greater than himself. Good point. But being a suburbanite myself and grasping Weaver’s ideas and consequences, I am just a little resentful of that broad generalization. I like to think that I appreciate comfort appropriately and could live without the many which I have.

So, let’s acknowledge from the outset what Mr Weaver admits on p 114,

“If all this had been couched in terms of spiritual insights, the case would be different.”

That means no religious solutions count in his logical argument.

Weaver’s “big question” pg 121 is whether this spoiled-child psychology has made us unfit for the political struggle which now seems to loom before us. He identifies the balance of power between the East and the West, or the bourgeois liberal democracy and Soviet communism, but I’m sure we can easily name the current tensions or polarities, like Hilary Clinton as President! I assure you she has visions of a certain type of national character.


It was a surprise to learn that some of Norman Rockwell's famous drawings were commissioned to illustrate FDR's Four Freedoms Speech.

IMO FDR was the ultimate Stereopticon with his ABC government programs perpetuating the modern man's idea that the world/state/father owes him a living.

I had to laugh when Weaver proposed his whimsical solution of having the opposing philosophers duke out the world's problems with the winner’s solutions being adopted by the losers.

Can you imagine?

I do agree that discipline, hard work, and distancing one from the Father/State are key to maintaining the desired culture. Read Cindy on discipline.

So, despite the fact that Cindy refuses (wisely) to use logic when *arguing* with her sons, in this case, we are called to don our intellectual caps and employ the powers of deductive reasoning in order to apply Weaver‘s knowledge to our humdrum existences. Perhaps tomorrow I will post a few stories of how the spoiled-child psychology rears it's ugly head in a small town family practice where my DH works long hours to serve man and his family.

Suffice it for the moment, however, that if you read nothing else today, read chapter six of Ideas Have Consequences. The more people who understand this warped mentality and can thwart it, the better chance we have of correcting our nation’s mass character and restoring its intrinsic value.

Better yet....buy one and give it as a gift.

But remember, because the recipient is a spoiled brat, you will probably have to read it for him/her, tell him/her what it says, AND then explain what that means!

Just dont get bitter about it, as Carmon says.