Ressentiment
The left is not motivated by resentment—this is a misconception promulgated by Nietzsche. The left is narcissistic, it is adolescent and feminine. The left’s narcissism takes the form: “I will save the blacks, cut their chains, and they will weep in gratitude. I will voluntarily refuse prestigious positions and watch, without taking credit (I am very modest), as oppressed black folks work their way up into prosperity.” The illusion can work with the environment, the working class, or women—whatever cause you want.
The left recognises it themselves, and that’s why they coined the term “white saviour complex”—that didn’t come from the right. Of course, people who accept that formulation just say to themselves, “I’ve overcome my white saviour complex, I made the necessary criticisms—not like those middle-class liberals over there.” All this can happen with no resentful feelings whatsoever—if you’re a “good-thinker” you actually think well towards all, except those who perpetuate *obvious* injustice; if you think you’re a perfect just person, why would you feel malice towards anyone?
There is no resentment involved, there is no pleasure in pulling down—except insofar as what you pull down is seen as unjust; yet that is not the same as to pull down from resentment. If you are very narcissistic, you assume that everyone is like you—hence if some people fail to succeed, it must be due to injustice; it’s not because they’re different and can’t do what you do. This is why, paradoxically, you often find the most left-wing people among the highest social strata—unable to imagine anyone isn’t as capable as they are, they assume some gross injustice must have been committed when inequality manifests itself; and having lived a sheltered life, they have little reality to shatter the illusion (being very intelligent, they also lie to themselves and others more effectively).
Who are resentful? Conservatives. It’s conservatives who are like some scorned dad at Christmas whose ex says the kids won’t speak to him or see him but still sends really generous Christmas presents and then stomps around and says, “Not that I get any thanks.” It’s conservatives who let people walk all over them and then mope around mumbling under their breath, “You can’t say anything these days—country’s gone to the dogs, I tell you.” “Okay, do something about it then.” “Oh, can’t do that, there are laws you know. Gone to the dogs, I tell you.”
That’s real resentment—impotent moaners, spiteful and vindictive (people who like Margaret Thatcher); they resent the left for their narcissistic self-confidence. Conservatives are all like that: “I’ve worked hard all my life, followed the rules, never complained—and now look at the state of it.” “What are you going to do about it?” “I could lose my job, mate. I’m not stupid.” So you could say you resent the situation but are not prepared to make the sacrifices to rectify it?
It’s Nietzsche’s fault that people think the left is driven by resentment. This is because Nietzsche was an atheist who hated tradition and consorted with “psychological” Jewish intellectuals while he threw over Wagner and the Holy Grail—he’s not on the right at all. He’s not on the left either really, but he helped them more than not. Three great advocates of the “hermeneutics of suspicion”: Marx, Freud, Nietzsche—three enemies of Western civilisation.
Why did Nietzsche split with Wagner? Because he resented Wagner’s musical facility. Nietzsche wanted to be a musician, but he wasn’t; and when he played his compositions for the Wagners he was received tepidly. Nietzsche resented Wagner’s ability, he was envious—that’s why he split with him; he wanted to destroy the beautiful Grail music. The Wagners, for their part, pinned Nietzsche as a chronic masturbator who needed to get laid—and they were right, all Nietzsche’s fulminations about whipping women were because women had the whip…over him. As with many resentful people he would never do it (whip a woman, I mean).