Hoffer, The Iconclast

 Tom Shactman is a mystery to me. He is obviously quite intelligent, and his characterization of and speculations about Eric Hoffer, in his (Shactman's biography on Hoffer, American Iconoclast), are often sensitive, accurate and penchant. Then he misreads Hoffer's brilliance, goodness and intent by a country mile. Part of it is Shactman does not know Hoffer as I do from the Mavellonialist vantage point. The other part is that Shactman is very Progressive, and Hoffer is pure American and deeply, deeply American, and Progressives loathe America as an unjust, racist, rotten country to be wiped out or fundamentally transformed into a Marxist utopia. Shctman may sincerely believe that Hoffer was a Social Darwinian, racist dinosaur all in for evil, Imperial America.

From Shactamn's biography on Hoffer, Page 43, let me produce a quote: (Shactman is writing about Hoffer's early efforts at writing literature before he found his voice as a philosopher.): ''In 'Chance and Mr. Kunze,' Hoffer painted characters even more reflective of his already-crystalized philosophic and political views of life, the social contract, capitalism, the need for iconoclasm, and the varieties of survival. The time the narrator was unnamed, an observer in the story but not a participant."

What I wish to isolate the phrase above: "the need for iconoclasm". Now if iconoclasm means individualist, anarchist or libertarian, then iconoclast is appropriately descriptive Hoffer.

Otherwise, I wonder why Shactman refers to Hoffer as an American Iconoclast. 

According to Webster's Third New International Dictionary, an iconoclast attacks established beliefs, ideals, customs, and institutions. Well, because Eric Hoffer is well recognized as pro-traditional American, how is he iconoclastic, because he defends, not attacks its established (traditional beliefs, ideals, customs, and institutions)?

Now, since Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and John Dewey, the Left incrementally, steadily, peacefully almost imperceptibly  has been growing it Progressive, Fabian, socialist  movement until now in 2022, postmodernist neo-Marxism is on the verge of overthrowing America. Could this be the cause that Shactman champions, and that Hoffer was so opposed to as an iconoclast? This is the only way that the iconoclast label given Hoffer by Shactman makes sense.