It’s Okay — Call Republicans Social Darwinists

[ProSense]

It’s Okay — Call Republicans Social Darwinists

By Jonathan Chait

Three days after President Obama used the term “social Darwinism,” the phrase continues to rankle conservatives. David Brooks, Geoffrey Norman and Mitt Romney adviser Greg Mankiw all find the phrase (which I defended) to be a vicious smear.

Part of the problem here is that both Brooks and Mankiw have different views of what Social Darwinism means. Mankiw defines it as a belief “that the strongest or fittest should survive and flourish in society, while the weak and unfit should be allowed to die.” Brooks describes it as “a 19th-century philosophy that held, in part, that Aryans and Northern Europeans are racially superior to brown and Mediterranean peoples.”

Neither definition describes the philosophy of Paul Ryan and the Republican budget. But neither really captures the meaning of the term “social Darwinist,” either. I managed to track down and look over my old copy of Richard Hofstadter’s “Social Darwinism in American Thought,” and it describes a fairly wide range of right-wing thought. But the main guiding principle is a defense of the free market as a moral arbiter, rather than merely a tool for creating wealth. Just as natural selection allows better-adapted species to thrive and poorly adapted ones to die out, the free market rewards talent and hard work and punishes laziness or lack of talent, in a perfect or near-perfect way.

He quotes William Graham Sumner, who wrote, “'the strong’ and ‘the weak’ are terms which admit of no definition unless they are made equivalent to the industrious and the idle, the frugal and the extravagant.” Conservatives have been echoing that logic repeatedly the last few years. And their embrace of health care as an earned privilege rather than a right actually comes perilously close to endorsing the more radical versions of social Darwinism.

- more -

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/04/okay-call-republicans-social-darwinists.html

[Zalatix]

1. Finally the truth is getting out.

"Social Darwinists" is not a term the GOP wants slapped on them.

It will harm them far worse than "Nanny State" will harm the Democrats.

[Icicle]

2. "Survival of the Fittest"

Survival of the Fittest is Darwin's concept -- those species able to adapt and overcome adversity are the ones who survive.

In Republican terms, it boils down to "Survival of the Richest." Those without jobs or healthcare or shelter can be left in the street to die. Remember earlier in the primary, Republican crowds cheering "let him die" when the speaker was talking about a man who didn't have health insurance? This stuff, coupled with Republican hate of anything that is "other," brings out the rabidity of people who don't realize just how precarious their own situation is. And that's probably because Republicans defunded education where they live.

[handmade34]

3. Darwin gets a bad rap on this...

Herbert Spencer coined the term "Survival of the Fittest" which Darwin picked up on merely as a metaphor... the adage used economically and socially is much different than scientifically (natural selection)

[MindMover]

5. An instructional video for Republicants.....

[NutmegYankee]

14. Now that was hilarious!

The 1950s style sets and dress juxtaposed with the modern day Zombie theme, LOL

[iemitsu]

4. republicans do embrace social darwinian notions

but most of them want nothing to do with darwin (ie. evolution).
so they don't want the label.
they do however like the ideas associated with this pseudo-scientific belief. in fact, many subscribe to it as if it was a religion, just like in the days when it was called manifest destiny.

[deacon]

6. K/R

[tokenlib]

7. Social Darwinist THUGS!!

I think "the weak and the unfit should be allowed to die" is the ultimate destination of the Ryan budget and his supporters. And I can see where some conservatives consider it a vicious smear--it is the truth after all.

[RainDog]

8. social darwinism is a smart political attack

because Darwin himself has so many negative associations for fundamentalist religious people who vote for Republicans. even if they don't entirely understand the phrase, it achieves a goal of negatively portraying Republicans.

Of course, the reality is also that conservatives (on both sides of the aisle) create legislation that works to harm those who need help the most, so, whatever their motivations, they are acting to promote social darwinism.

[eShirl]

10. "social" + "darwin" = "ew" to republicans

[longship]

9. This is a perfect meme for us. Raindog nails it. nt

[quaker bill]

11. The term is one of the most accurate for them

It is harder to describe their intent using different words, and be nearly as truthful. If you go back to the early materials they source, Adam Smith and such, you can't really get to where they have ended up without reading them from a social darwinist perspective.

Of course later there is Ayn Rand, but her picture should be next to "social darwinist" in the dictionary.

If you take the early writings, warp them through a bit of Nietzsche nilhism and Randian objectivism, the only place you can end up is Social Darwinism.

[denem]

12. Survival of the Richest.

I think that's the point.

[Gman]

13. Their first serious attempt at this was NOLA after Katrina

And they've only done more since.