Tom Shactman's Mistake

 I have strongly dissented from Shactman's characterization of Eric Hoffer as  racist against blacks. He may have been in part, but, in the main, he just was not willing to be politically correct, even back then, and wanted to challenge black America with tough love. 

I have tried to right show that Hoffer is an individualist, and believed that the individual is sovereign, and if black Americans moved away from group-living and the fatalistic vestiges of their tribal heritage, and adopt the Horatio Alger values that helped millions of people reach prosperity in free market, liberal democracy of America. The Left mis-identifies such a view as racist, but Hoffer like me and other conservatives are profoundly pro-black, because like Prager we know that American black youths, equipped with the right values, as free standing individuals, will be free, prosperous and unstoppable, and these values are the traditional, conservative American values that Prager and Hoffer support. This support does not make them racist, but they are politically incorrect and viciously maligned and falsely accused of being against blacks.

The Left loves to accuse all conservatives of being racist because that is the most damning criticism of anyone's moral character than can be hurled at them in America. Once you are accused of being a racist, and the label sticks, you are discredited and besmirched forever after that, whether the accusation is merited or not. I want to defend Hoffer's good name for this good man does not deserve this hurtful mischaracterization.

One of my favorite Hofferian books is "The Syndicated News Articles" by Eric Hoffer put together in 2010. I wish to review what he wrote on Page 129 of that book: "It always seemed self-evident to me that a free society is a skilled society. No matter how free its constitutions and laws, a society will not be free if its people lack technological, social and political skills to do the world's work and manage affairs without tutelage and minute supervision.

It follows that if we want to bring freedom to non-free countries we cannot do it by inculcating a sense of freedom, or by having them copy our constitution, but by transmitting to the common people the technological and social expertise which would enable them to do things on their own without masters to push them around."

Hoffer does not mention African nations here explicitly but they are included under his phrase "non-free countries". For black there are here for that matter to be free, they must be skilled, accomplished achievers wielding technological, social and political skills to do the world's work and manage affairs--personal and public--without tutelage and minute supervision from and army of federal, state, county and municipal social worker types and intellectuals directing their lives down to the last detail.

It is probably okay to inculcate them with a sense of freedom, and have for them a constitution and just laws written, but blacks require the technological and social expertise able to do things on their own without masters to push them around.

If the majority of blacks are able to individual-live and live self-sufficient lives, here and abroad, in a society with constitutional protections, a liberal democracy with limited government,  and working and participating  in a free market economy, blacks can compete with anyone and flourish. This Hofferian stance is utterly non-racist, humanistic and humane. This is what I want Tom Shactman and the world to recognize and remember about this brilliant, kind and good man.