[Good book recommendation] Eric? Hoff's "fanaticism"

Introduction: This book mainly discusses some characteristics of mass movements, focusing on the personality of fanatical rabble. People who take an active part in mass movements are often frustrated. They think that life is hopeless and are eager to escape from themselves and seek rebirth. They entrusted their lives to a sacred cause, which made them feel good. The stereotyped collective life makes personal responsibility, fear and incompetence buried. The leaders of the movement deliberately cultivate the guilt of the participants and call for self-sacrifice to get salvation.

About the author: eric hoffer, blind at the age of 7, regained sight at the age of 15. Parents die young and become self-taught. 1964 became a senior researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, and 1982 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Reagan. His life works exceed 10.

Let's share it from three aspects:

1. How did people become fanatics? Second, how do mass movements turn people into fanatics? Third, what role do leaders play in mass movements?

First, how do mass movements attract people to become fanatics?

When people's lives are precarious and they can't control their environment at all, they will cling to a familiar lifestyle. Fight against deep insecurity by changing lifestyle.

For example, the nationalist movements in France, Russia and Japan are tools for pursuing change.

The desire for change is only the superficial motivation of people to join the mass movement, and there are deeper reasons behind it.

People with a sense of accomplishment will regard this world as a friendly world and be happy to see it remain the same. Depressed people are happy to see great changes in the world because they blame the world for their failures.

Thoreau said: If a person is ill and can't play his physical function, he will try to reform.

It is often those who feel that they have invincible power and join the reform movement without thinking. The generation that launched the French Revolution believed in the omnipotence of human reason and the infinity of human wisdom. The same is true of Lenin and Bolshevik, because they believe that Marxism is omnipotent. If Germans don't believe that blitzkrieg and propaganda technology can make Germany invincible, the Nazi movement will not progress rapidly.

Whether a person welcomes change or not, what matters is not having power, but having faith in the future. If a powerful person has no faith in the future, he will use his power to exclude new things in order to maintain the status quo. On the other hand, unrealistic dreams can make people have the greatest fearless courage even if they are not backed by actual strength. This is because those who have great hopes can have the most absurd source: a slogan, a sentence.

For example, the theory holds that if it wants to be a source of strength, it must claim that it is the key to the book of the future.

People who try to transform a country or the whole world can't do it by cultivating and using dissatisfaction. They must know how to ignite people's unrealistic hopes. It doesn't matter what this hope is.

For example,16-17th century British enclosure movement,18-19th century industrial revolution.

If the capitalists can conquer Europe and most parts of the world one day, it is not because they know how to incite discontent or hatred, but because they know how to manage the future.

One of the most powerful attractions of mass movement is that it becomes a substitute for personal hope. In a society deeply influenced by the concept of "progress", this attraction is particularly strong. This is because the concept of progress will enlarge "tomorrow" and make people who can't see their own prospects feel more frustrated.

A mass sports meeting attracts a group of followers, not because it can satisfy people's desire for self-improvement, but because it can satisfy people's desire for self-denial.

For the frustrated, mass movement is a substitute. Either he can replace the whole "self" or he can replace some elements that can make his life unbearable.

Hitler pointed out that the more jobs a movement provides, the more inferior talents it attracts. In the end, these political climbers will fill a successful political party, so that its former loyal fighters will never recognize its true colors.

One of the greatest attractions of mass movement is that it can replace personal hope.

The unemployed would rather follow those who sell hope than those who give relief.

Because, except for the hope for the future, they cannot have real satisfaction or comfort.

What kind of frustrated people are particularly easy to participate in mass movements?

* * * Yes 1 1 Category: 1. Poor, 2. Not normal, 3. Abandon, 4. Ethnic minorities, 5. Teenagers, 6. Ambitious, 7. People are held hostage by some evil morality or paranoia, 8. Incompetence, 9.

1. The poor

Not all poor people are depressed. Some poor people trapped in urban slums will be satisfied with their situation. Advise them to leave the familiar mud, and they will be frightened because they are used to poverty.

The poor who will be stung by setbacks are generally the "new poor" who have just fallen into poverty. Memories of a better life burn in their veins like flames. For example, the success of the Puritan Revolution in England in the17th century was greatly contributed by the new poor. In Germany and Italy, the main supporters of Nazi and fascist revolutions are the bankrupt middle class.

2. Abnormal zero people: temporary abnormal zero people and permanent abnormal zero people.

After the war, a large number of veterans fought abroad for too long, which was incompatible with civilian life. Demobilized soldiers will find it difficult to adapt to the rules of life before the war, and it is a slow and painful process to readjust to peace and family life, thus causing temporary deformity.

A permanently deformed person refers to a person who cannot realize his lifelong wish because of lack of talent or irreparable physical and mental defects. Such as writing, painting, composing music, etc. Although there is a desire to create, it cannot be satisfied. Or show talent, and then Jiang Lang. They will be shrouded in despair. Even gaining fame, power or wealth in other fields is not enough to dispel their hunger and thirst.

3. Extremely selfish people

Extremely selfish people are particularly prone to frustration. The more selfish a person is, the harder it is to be disappointed. Therefore, extremely selfish people are often the bravest defenders of selfless spirit.

The most violent fanatics are often those who are selfish but are forced to lose confidence in themselves for some reason. So they no longer serve their incompetent self with clever self-interest means, but serve a sacred cause.

4. Ethnic minorities

Among the ethnic minorities to be assimilated, those who have achieved the most and those who have not achieved the least will feel more frustrated than the moderates. A loser often thinks he is a marginal person. If he is a minority, his failure will make his sense of belonging stronger.

It will also appear in a few successful people. Although they are famous and profitable, it is often difficult for them to break into the circle of the majority, which makes them particularly aware that they are outsiders. In addition, they feel superior because of their success, so they hate the assimilation process of their inferiority.

For example, the African-Americans with the most national consciousness are the nations with the highest and lowest achievements.

5. People who are tired of life

People will be bored, mainly because their ego makes them bored.

Realizing that your life is poor and meaningless is the main source of boredom. Individuals who are not lonely, such as members of tribes, churches or political parties, are not easily infected by boredom. People who write or live on three meals will not be bored.

For a person who deliberately incites mass movements, it is more encouraging to know that all people are bored than to know that all people are suffering from economic and political exploitation.

Even if a person's living environment is not too bad, if he lacks the ability and opportunity to engage in creative work or beneficial activities, he can easily be incited to become a fanatic in order to give his life meaning and purpose.

Even if the Nazis were so opposed to women going out to work, they could still find some women who played an important role in the initial stage.

Second, how do mass movements make people become fanatical?

1. Integrate individuals into the collective

Part of the ability to resist high pressure comes from a person's sense of identity with the group. In Nazi concentration camps, the people who can endure torture most are those who feel that they belong to a certain party or church. On the contrary, all individualists (regardless of nationality) are on the verge of collapse.

The author draws a conclusion: when faced with the threat of suffering and death, individuals cannot rely on their own courage. The only source of his strength is not himself, but that he belongs to a great, glorious and indestructible collective. This belief mainly comes from identification, through which the individual is not only himself, but also a part of something eternal.

In the liquidation of Bolshevik veteran cadres, Stalin succeeded in turning these conceited and brave people into cowering cowards one by one. His way is to completely cut them off from the party and the Russian masses who have served for a lifetime.

British colonial officials believe that since Hitler wiped out 6 million Jews with no effort, the 600,000 Jews in Palestine should be easy to control. It turns out that although Palestinian Jews are new immigrants, they are tenacious and resourceful. What British colonial officials don't understand is that in Europe, Jews face their enemies with a personal mentality, just like dust floating in the air. But in Palestine, they no longer feel like insignificant little atoms, but belong to an eternal nation.

2. ism

The spirit of self-sacrifice is often a derivative of insufficient understanding of reality. A person who has the ability to judge according to his own experience and observation usually doesn't have the idea of martyrdom. Because self-sacrifice is an unreasonable behavior and cannot be the result of exploration and meditation. Therefore, all mass movements claim that the ultimate and absolute truth has been included in their teachings.

Japanese expatriates in Brazil still don't believe that Japan has been defeated after the war.

A "faithful believer" disdains what is not worth seeing or listening to.

Doctrine is not understandable, but believable. Only what we don't understand will be believed 100%. An understandable theory will lack strength.

1934, when Hess took the oath to join the Nazi Party, he told the audience: Don't use your brain to pursue Hitler, as long as you put your heart into it, you will find him.

If a theory is complicated and obscure, it must be vague; And if it is neither complex nor fuzzy, it must be unverifiable. In other words, to make it, you have to go to heaven or the future to determine its authenticity.

Those who are confident in mastering the absolute truth will have a net covering everything. For him, there will be no accidents and no unknowns. Pascal sarcastically said: People who know Jesus know everything.

According to the official history books of the Soviet Union, the strength of Marxism-Leninism theory lies in that it enables the Party to find the correct direction, understand the internal relations of current events, foresee its trends, not only see the current development direction, but also know how it will develop in the future.

Be crazy.

Inciting passion can effectively overturn the balance between a person and himself, and this overthrow will inevitably release passion. Only those who can compromise with themselves can keep a calm attitude towards the world. By igniting fierce passion in the hearts of followers, mass movements can prevent their followers from returning to internal balance.

Enthusiasts always feel incomplete and unsafe. He can't gain confidence from himself, only from the holy organization. He often regards himself as the defender of the sacred organization to which he belongs, and is ready to sacrifice his life at any time to show that he is the defender of truth.

If a fanatic gives up the great cause he believes in, he will become a homeless wanderer. In the eyes of fanatics, tolerance is a symbol of weakness, frivolity and ignorance. Soviet Russia can easily transform Japanese prisoners of war into fanatical producers. On the other hand, no matter how ingenious and perfect American propaganda is, it has failed to transform the Japanese into freedom-loving Democrats.

Third, what role did the leader play in the mass movement?

All the leaders of mass movements will wait for a long time (often a long time) before taking the stage. Before they perform, there must be all kinds of accidents and other people's activities to set the stage for them.

The most mysterious ability of a leader is to control a small group of capable people, who are fearless, smart and conceited, and have the ability to organize and promote large-scale actions. At the same time, they completely obey the leader's will, get inspiration and motivation from him, and feel glorious in obedience.

For example, Chiang Kai-shek seems to lack all the necessary conditions for a mass movement leader, while Charles de Gaulle is obviously a charismatic leader.

A leader must be a pragmatist and a realist, but he must speak like a dreamer and a realist.

Those who can pave the way for mass movements are those who are good at using language; However, if a mass movement can really be born and thrive, it must rely on the temperament and talent of fans; Finally, pragmatic actors can consolidate mass movements.

1. Speaker

Can be priests, prophets, writers, professors and other intellectuals.

No matter what kind of speaker, almost all have a deep yearning: to be affirmed. This yearning determines their attitude towards the current order. Every intellectual has a hopeless insecurity in his heart. Even the most talented and prolific writers will live a life of constant self-doubt and need to create new works every day to affirm themselves.

The author thinks that the orators played a great role in the early stage of the movement, but the final power of the mass movement will not fall into their hands. Unless he can unite with the powerful actors in time, he will die, and his final outcome is likely to be retirement, exile and execution.

2. Enthusiasts

Even if all conditions are ripe, only fanatics can hatch mass movements. Without him, the dissatisfaction aroused by the previous speaker has no sense of direction and can only be vented aimlessly, which is easy to be suppressed.

A fanatic is a fish, and chaos is water. They think that there is no construction without destruction.

For the development of a mass movement, the danger of a fanatic is that he will never be quiet. Once victory is achieved and a new order begins to take shape, fanatics may become a source of chaos.

Therefore, most mass movements will have internal conflicts on the second day of victory.

If the fans are allowed to go their own way, it will pose a threat to the sport itself. At this time, only with the intervention of pragmatic actors can the mass movement be expected to retain its achievements.

3. A pragmatic actor

Generally speaking, a mass movement is preceded by verbal people, realized by fanatics and consolidated by actors.

After the mass movement reaches the hands of doers, it becomes a tool for aspirants to realize themselves. At this stage, it will attract people with professional aspirations, and those with professional aspirations will join in, which will completely change the nature of this mass movement and make it reconciled with the present.

If the three roles of speaker, fanatic and actor are played by different people in succession, it is usually beneficial to mass movements. This is especially true when a mass movement wants to last.

Nazi and fascist actions were dominated by one person from beginning to end, so the outcome was tragic. What destroyed the Nazi movement was that Hitler's fanaticism could not be suppressed and he could not play a pragmatic actor.

Of course, a person's personality can be changed. A speaker may become a real fanatic or a pragmatic actor. However, all kinds of evidence show that these deformations are often temporary, and they will return to their original state sooner or later.

When the active stage of the mass movement is over, it will become the power tool of the winners and the opium of the losers.

The golden sentence in the book:

The unemployed would rather follow those who sell hope than those who give relief.

The reason why the lower classes can have a great influence on society is that they have no respect for the present.

Mass movements can rise and spread without believing in God, but without believing in the devil.

A massive mass sports meeting has cultivated the guilt of followers.

The way to repent is to abandon the particularity and independence of the individual, and the way to be saved is to bury yourself in the sacred organization of the group.

When we lose our independence in mass movements, we gain a new freedom, a way to hate, intimidate, lie and abuse with a clear conscience and no guilt.

In the mass movement, we gained the right to do dirty work.