"I believe that all government is evil, and that trying to improve it is largely a waste of time."

"It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever ineligible for public office."

- H. L. Mencken

I despise him for the same reason Nietzsche had the good sense to despise himself... He puts his scribblings above political activity and attempts to persuade the reader that self-preservation is above the polis when, in fact, the opposite is true.

Better one persevering leader than a thousand irreführende ineffectuals.

I see writers and readers as a dance couple. Neither would be anything without the other. Writers are usually in that trade because that is how they best express themselves. Others may be more effective with action. Ideas need action. Action without ideas, is what?
Or are you trying to say he holds himself above the fray? Keep in mind, he was no lover of humanity. As such, he did not see it as his job to rescue men from themselves. Only to comment with a dry wit. Which he does quite well.

I see writers and readers as a dance couple. Neither would be anything without the other. Writers are usually in that trade because that is how they best express themselves. Others may be more effective with action. Ideas need action. Action without ideas, is what?
Or are you trying to say he holds himself above the fray? Keep in mind, he was no lover of humanity. As such, he did not see it as his job to rescue men from themselves. Only to comment with a dry wit. Which he does quite well.




Yes, I agree.







[edited]





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Or are you trying to say he holds himself above the fray? Keep in mind, he was no lover of humanity. As such, he did not see it as his job to rescue men from themselves. Only to comment with a dry wit. Which he does quite well.
That he was no lover of humanity, is the best thing that can be said about him. You go too far, however, with the cagey comment "rescue men from themselves". It's not about rescuing men, it's about collective, biocultural preservation - something scribbler Mencken, apparently, deemed beneath the petty art of satire. When he shits on government rather than democracy, he is reduced to a blustering, Amerikwan newspapermanlet.

Take a stroll around Baltimore one of these days and witness what generations of men, shirking their civic duty, have allowed to have happen.

So I say "f***'em" and all the squinty-eyed truth tellers that give up without a fight; and from the confines of their libraries defame the capacity to implement sound and necessary political objectives.
[This is the CIVIL FORUM- 1ST WARNING]

Mencken's diary is full of his despair for the way things were deteriorating around him. Working in an industry increasingly controlled by moneyed jews. Eventually leaving the work he loved, out of disdain for where the newspaper industry was headed.
I did not live in that time. So his chronicalling it was the only thing that informed me directly that things were not always as they are now.
He most certainly enjoyed an elitist lifestyle. He also cared deeply for his sickly brother. Both positions I understand better because of having read his words. Sorry to hear he is not on your favorites list. Any authors who's points-of-view you do agree with? As a contrast? I ask this in all civility, honest.

That he was no lover of humanity, is the best thing that can be said about him. You go too far, however, with the cagey comment "rescue men from themselves". It's not about rescuing men, it's about collective, biocultural preservation - something scribbler Mencken, apparently, deemed beneath the petty art of satire. When he shits on government rather than democracy, he is reduced to a blustering, Amerikwan newspapermanlet.

Take a stroll around Baltimore one of these days and witness what generations of men, shirking their civic duty, have allowed to have happen.

So I say "f***'em" and all the squinty-eyed truth tellers that give up without a fight; and from the confines of their libraries defame the capacity to implement sound and necessary political objectives.
[This is the CIVIL FORUM- 1ST WARNING]

I think your view is unwarrantedly harsh. His circumstances were far different from ours. Race was not as big a problem, nor was immigration.

Mencken wrote against our involvement in WWI, so strongly the Anglomaniacs refused to print his columns. He also attacked Roosevelt like few others. He was named by one the most influential private citizen in the country. He also attacked the forerunners of the fools we know today as the Rapturebunnies.

"I believe that all government is evil, and that trying to improve it is largely a waste of time."

"It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever ineligible for public office."

- H. L. Mencken

I despise him for the same reason Nietzsche had the good sense to despise himself... He puts his scribblings above political activity and attempts to persuade the reader that self-preservation is above the polis when, in fact, the opposite is true.

Better one persevering leader than a thousand irreführende ineffectuals.

I would take his comment in the sense of what Evola called apoliteia. It does not mean non-involvement, but it does suggest staying above the fray.

Also, Plato criticized the evils of government as well and it would hardly serve to say he was an "ineffectual." Ideas have consequences.

I despise him for the same reason Nietzsche had the good sense to despise himself... He puts his scribblings above political activity and attempts to persuade the reader that self-preservation is above the polis when, in fact, the opposite is true.

Better one persevering leader than a thousand irreführende ineffectuals.


Too true! I've always found Nietzsche's anti-politicism ridiculous and quite frankly at odds with the mainstream of his thought, and, to say the least, good common sense. You can't live in an ivory tower when the bluegums are pulling down the brickwork.

I think your view is unwarrantedly harsh. His circumstances were far different from ours. Race was not as big a problem, nor was immigration.

Mencken wrote against our involvement in WWI, so strongly the Anglomaniacs refused to print his columns. He also attacked Roosevelt like few others. He was named by one the most influential private citizen in the country. He also attacked the forerunners of the fools we know today as the Rapturebunnies.

There were quite a few contradictions in Mencken's character. For example, Mencken was the only nationally prominent journalist located south of the Mason-Dixon line to oppose lynching in print in a major newspaper. To top it off, Mencken opposed/editorialized against lynching in his backyard on the eastern shore of Maryland, sometimes called "Southern Maryland", at considerable personal risk. By the same token, there can be no doubt that Mencken was a racist or racial realist, who enjoyed poking fun at the negro, or those whites with negro pretenions at every opportunity. Mencken actually had stationery made up in the name of the American Academy of Arts & Letters (Colored), that he would send to his White friends annoucing they had been nominated to that society.

[QUOTE=Alex Linder]I think your view is unwarrantedly harsh. His circumstances were far different from ours. Race was not as big a problem, nor was immigration.

I see him as race traitor.In the writings I've read,he was nowhere near as anti-semitic as some make him to be;in the aftermath of WWII,he said that the US could absorb a couple million of them without,much trouble.


Not only that,he was totally naive about nigorillas,helped them in his own ways,and was liked by them.

"I believe that all government is evil, and that trying to improve it is largely a waste of time."

"It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever ineligible for public office."

- H. L. Mencken

I despise him for the same reason Nietzsche had the good sense to despise himself... He puts his scribblings above political activity and attempts to persuade the reader that self-preservation is above the polis when, in fact, the opposite is true.

Better one persevering leader than a thousand irreführende ineffectuals.

That's, well, certainly a different take on H.L. than I've heard previously. I'll have to say, despite sharing your concerns, I couldn't disagree more with you. I can't begin to think of a country where every wordsmith or muckraker is the professional rabble-rouser, too. As far as I'm concerned, there's far too many Adams and not enough Johnsons; that is, in the world of Samuels.

A people can have their men of letters and men of the sword, as well. I can't see why I can't take my proverbial cake and shove it down my gullet, if I so desire, so to speak. There's certainly no reason to despise such a talented man. That said, so much of Mencken's strengths are in his roles of the textual critic and word painter. I, for one, being a wretched writer, really can't appreciate them for what they are. I prefer several of his contemporaries between the wars - e.g., Nock, Pegler, Garrett etc. They were less ambiguous in the ideological stances. I often wondered, if H.L.'s works were to have taken a more strident rightward tilt, if he would've been so revered now? No, is my guess; as I imagine he would be nearly as obscure as the aforementioned authors.

So perhaps your on to something - sans this despise business, of course.

Action without ideas, is what?

A day job?

A people can have their men of letters and men of the sword, as well. I can't see why I can't take my proverbial cake and shove it down my gullet, if I so desire, so to speak. There's certainly no reason to despise such a talented man. That said, so much of Mencken's strengths are in his roles of the textual critic and word painter. I, for one, being a wretched writer, really can't appreciate them for what they are. I prefer several of his contemporaries between the wars - e.g., Nock, Pegler, Garrett etc. They were less ambiguous in the ideological stances. I often wondered, if H.L.'s works were to have taken a more strident rightward tilt, if he would've been so revered now? No, is my guess; as I imagine he would be nearly as obscure as the aforementioned authors.
The problem with 'men of letters' is not that they are not 'men of the sword' - that's not the point I want to make. I agree that there is more than enough room for both and each can gain insight from the other. What I despise in Mencken is certainly not his elitism or his discriminating wit, but rather his slips into libertoonianism, or the belief that indifibuals would be better off without 'government' and further that government is a dirty business better left to the riff-raff and scum of society.

For a cognizant, educated man such as Menken proported to be to have the wrong opinion on such an important matter... is simply unforgivable error.

Government is the closest thing to holy this insane planet has to offer: refuge, health, plenty, efficency, reciprocity, art... To tear it down, is to tear the roof off the house.

To qualify as a Nationalist there must be a sympathy, a deeper understanding and reverence for the political principle ! Not as mere nay-sayers but intimates of a better not-yet-state-of-affairs.

Let us take care to draw the distinction between Menckans and Freiherren, subversives and heroes.

You must remember Mencken's main job was to "sell" newspapers. :D

The problem with 'men of letters' is not that they are not 'men of the sword' - that's not the point I want to make. I agree that there is more than enough room for both and each can gain insight from the other. What I despise in Mencken is certainly not his elitism or his discriminating wit, but rather his slips into libertoonianism, or the belief that indifibuals would be better off without 'government' and further that government is a dirty business better left to the riff-raff and scum of society.

For a cognizant, educated man such as Menken proported to be to have the wrong opinion on such an important matter... is simply unforgivable error.

Government is the closest thing to holy this insane planet has to offer: refuge, health, plenty, efficency, reciprocity, art... To tear it down, is to tear the roof off the house.

To qualify as a Nationalist there must be a sympathy, a deeper understanding and reverence for the political principle ! Not as mere nay-sayers but intimates of a better not-yet-state-of-affairs.

Let us take care to draw the distinction between Menckans and Freiherren, subversives and heroes.

While I respect your opinion on the subject, I'm quite certain we have extraordinarily different views on the nature of government. Quite frankly, I view the centralized leviathan as the incarnate of evil. I see nothing holy in an omnipotent institution that, if history is any barometer, routinely takes freedom from its subjects.

For some strange reason, I doubt you'd enjoy one of my favorite works from Nock: Our Enemy, The State. :)

While I respect your opinion on the subject, I'm quite certain we have extraordinarily different views on the nature of government. Quite frankly, I view the centralized leviathan as the incarnate of evil. I see nothing holy in an omnipotent institution that, if history is any barometer, routinely takes freedom from its subjects.

For some strange reason, I doubt you'd enjoy one of my favorite works from Nock: Our Enemy, The State.
Think more in terms of things and not the naming of things... "leviathan" "incarnate of evil" "omnipotent" "freedom" is prop-speak for plebians. The plebians are not only to think that they are incapable of taking up the reins of government, but also that it is some kind of infernal apparatus for the subjection of mankind run by psychopathic, authoritarian personalities... And we all know where that leads... per the Frankfurt School.

By propagating a devalued estimation of "government", it is possible to take it away without much resistance from its native population. It's strange how few people want to be the next "incarnation of evil"...

Libertarian "moral codes" provide psychological utility (for the subject) while they negate socio-political utility (for the collective): A win-win situation for Tyranny.

The problem with 'men of letters' is not that they are not 'men of the sword' - that's not the point I want to make. I agree that there is more than enough room for both and each can gain insight from the other. What I despise in Mencken is certainly not his elitism or his discriminating wit, but rather his slips into libertoonianism, or the belief that indifibuals would be better off without 'government' and further that government is a dirty business better left to the riff-raff and scum of society.

For a cognizant, educated man such as Menken proported to be to have the wrong opinion on such an important matter... is simply unforgivable error.

Government is the closest thing to holy this insane planet has to offer: refuge, health, plenty, efficency, reciprocity, art... To tear it down, is to tear the roof off the house.

To qualify as a Nationalist there must be a sympathy, a deeper understanding and reverence for the political principle ! Not as mere nay-sayers but intimates of a better not-yet-state-of-affairs.

Let us take care to draw the distinction between Menckans and Freiherren, subversives and heroes.

Well, that is the Greco Roman view and I think Nietzsche tried to resuscitate it. Without an ethnostate to play the role of polis or civitas however, it is not possible. You have articulated part of the reason I am a White Nationalist. I do not believe I can reach my highest potential without an ethnostate to which I can whole heartedly pledge my loyalty. Today, there is no such entity. I want to bring it into being or at least spend my life trying.

Well, that is the Greco Roman view and I think Nietzsche tried to resuscitate it. Without an ethnostate to play the role of polis or civitas however, it is not possible. You have articulated part of the reason I am a White Nationalist. I do not believe I can reach my highest potential without an ethnostate to which I can whole heartedly pledge my loyalty. Today, there is no such entity. I want to bring it into being or at least spend my life trying.

Yes, that is exactly how I feel. I want to feel and more than feel actually be part of something that extends backwards and forwards, just as Burke described. Not a fly of a summer. Every other species on earth, and every other human subspecies, has a right to protection and its own living space...but not us?

Mencken on democrazy:

“Politicians seldom if ever get [into public office] by merit alone, at least in democratic states. Sometimes, to be sure, it happens, but only by a kind of miracle. They are chosen normally for quite different reasons, the chief of which is simply their power to impress and enchant the intellectually underprivileged….Will any of them venture to tell the plain truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about the situation of the country, foreign or domestic? Will any of them refrain from promises that he knows he can’t fulfill – that no human being could fulfill? Will any of them utter a word, however obvious, that will alarm or alienate any of the huge pack of morons who cluster at the public trough, wallowing in the pap that grows thinner and thinner, hoping against hope?

Answer: may be for a few weeks at the start…. But not after the issue is fairly joined, and the struggle is on in earnest…. They will all promise every man, woman and child in the country whatever he, she or it wants. They’ll all be roving the land looking for chances to make the rich poor, to remedy the irremediable, to succor the unsuccorable, to unscramble the unscrambleable, to dephlogisticate the undephlogisticable. They will all be curing warts by saying words over them, and paying off the national debt with money no one will have to earn.

When one of them demonstrates that twice two is five, another will prove that it is six, six and a half, ten, twenty. In brief, they will divest themselves from their character as sensible, candid and truthful men, and simply become candidates for office, bent only on collaring votes. They will all know by then, even supposing that some of them don’t know it now, that votes are collared under democracy, not by talking sense but by talking nonsense, and they will apply themselves to the job with a hearty yo-heave-ho. Most of them, before the uproar is over, will actually convince themselves. The winner will be whoever promises the most with the least probability of delivering anything."In worldwar 1 Mencken could openly be against a war the jews wanted, in worldwar 2 that wasn't possible anymore.