Tea at Trianon: Radical Leftism Linked to Narcissism and Psychopathy

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Saturday, June 3, 2023

Radical Leftism Linked to Narcissism and Psychopathy

From The Blaze:

Radical leftism is linked to both psychopathic tendencies and narcissism, according to a new study out of Switzerland.
"Individuals with dark personalities – such as high narcissistic and psychopathic traits – are attracted to certain ideologies and forms of political activism," said the researchers, citing the 2020 BLM riots as one example. Those whose authoritarian reflex predisposes them to leftist causes reportedly tend not to care about social justice or equality, contrary to whatever rhetoric they deal in; rather, they gladly partake in coercion, censorship, and violence to satisfy their own "ego-focused needs."
Researchers Ann Krispenz and Alex Bertrams from the University of Bern noted that past research into authoritarianism and the corresponding mindsets has focused almost entirely on rightist political formations. Past attempts to investigate left-wing authoritarianism have, on the other hand, been downplayed or met with skepticism in the leftist-dominated academy, "even though some empirical studies found evidence for the existence of authoritarianism also on the left side of the political spectrum." (Read more.)