Listen, Little Man!

Wilhelm Reich's Listen, Little Man! is an enjoyable read addressed to us, the little men who put other little Fuhrers, Stalinists, and generals in power because we are afraid to live. Based on his earlier work, Reich's analysis of sexual repression, the oppressive Western family structure, and the recent experience of fascism and World War II lead to a somewhat angry in tone essay to us, but Reich's work hits upon several points made in Fromm's Escape from Freedom. Since both authors appear to have built upon the works of Marx and Freud, there are bound to be similarities in how both approach the question of mental health, love, totalitarianism, or other topics. However, Reich's persecution complex and fashion for promoting his theory of orgones throughout the essay weakens the larger thrust of the work, even as his accessible essay persuasively challenges the reader to think beyond nation, race, groups or classes to consider the human condition after World War II. Most perceptively, Reich did not see fascism as going away after WWII, and something of the crowd mentality persists. 

Ramblings on Escape From Freedom

Although it took much longer than it should have, I finally finished Erich Fromm's Escape from Freedom. After listening to several interviews with Fromm on Youtube and reading an article about his brief involvement with the Frankfurt School, I had to finish this book. Indeed, it seems particularly relevant given the state of the world and the debates about the nature of Trump. However, I approached Fromm's work as someone with a renewed interest in the Duvalier regime in Haiti. While Haiti certainly does not have as much of a direct connection with the Reformation and the changes from the feudal medieval world to liberal capitalism, Fromm's explanation of the social character of the lower middle classes in Europe, from Luther to Nazi Germany, brought to mind the ways in which scholars write of the Haitian middle class and the rise of Duvalier. 

Certainly, the sadistic and masochistic elements of Haitian politics under Papa Doc and Baby Doc invite comparisons (just think of the Tonton Macoutes), as do the Haitian middle class intellectuals drawing on far-right ideologies and fascist thought in the period from 1934-1957. The other issue with Fromm's thesis's applicability to Haiti, one which he would probably agree given his reference to "Mexican peasants" in one chapter, is whether or not the Western political history and social psychology he discusses, one which arose with the Reformation, capitalism, and industrialization, can be applicable to Haiti. I'm a little skeptical on that front, but the importance of the middle class in Haiti and the context of urbanization and economic decline in the Haitian countryside does make me inclined to investigate further the social psychology of the Haitian middle class and working-class, particularly the degree to which a breakdown of the bonds of the precapitalist world broke down. Pierre-Charles certainly left me an impression in his work on Duvalier that economic shifts and the fuedalism/capitalism dynamic played a role, although I also find Cary Hector's thought-provoking on the applicability of "creole fascism" to Duvalierism.

To end my rant here, I will say that I found Fromm's use of Freudian and Marxist theory more readable and convincing than that of Adorno, who was probably influenced by Fromm's earlier work on the authoritarian personality among the German working class. Both shared certain affinities, particularly with their attitude towards the culture industry, but Fromm's use of psychological insight drew from his practice as well as social science research. However, Adorno's work on irrationalism and occultism was more developed than Fromm's references to it here. As for Wilhelm Reich and Fromm, I have not yet decided how to go about addressing Reich and his focus on libido in explaining the mass psychology of fascism. Fromm's work strikes me as more nuanced and expansive, and more persuasive in explaining the appeal of fascism and totalitarianism in liberal capitalism. Much more will be said on these subjects in the future.