The Washington times., 1934-02-05
True To
. Type
Happy Radicals
Russia's Best
Export
By GILBERT SELDES

ways had one thing against
them-the radicals. It is a
remarkable thing that religions
Of universal brotherhood attract
hundreds Of people who OBJ
viously dislike humanity and
to whom no man in his senses
would care to be a brother.
Religions Of the pagan JOY Of
life are crowded with the
gloomiest and sourest individu-
ais. And radicals, for ex.
ample. with such a strict. logi'
cal formula as communism,
have around them a fringe of
illogical and irresponsible peo'
pie.
At the same time, any kind
Of radical movement is in. it
self q great opportunity for
paying off a grudge against
society or fate so that you may
become q populist because you
are pockmarked, and an an.
archist II you have bad teeth.
TO add to all these misfortunes
radicals are so often on the
weaker side and are so often
conscious Of being the only
just and pious people, that
they become unbearable-smug
and sniveling when they are
not violent.
A New Thing
~ The great exception are the
Communists in Russia who
have had the superb luck of
becoming successful while they
were still comparatively radi'
cal. The thing which makes
it so hard for us to understand
the Communists from Russia is
that We are now dealing with
happy radicals. Our own radi-
Gals have not prepared us for
this sort Of thing. They have
kicked against the Government:
the radicals Of Russia are the
government.
It is quite possible that the
Russians will upset some Of
the most respected arguments
about radicalism, one of which
is that if it isn't one thing
it's another. and there's no
pleasing them; they would
fight against the Government
even if it were perfect. So far
as I know. the Communist
party is still the most radical
movement in Russia; the com.
parative]y new Trotskyites and
philosophical anarchists hardly
count. And it is certainly true
that the members Of the party
are not all unbalanced, they
are not a lunatic fringe and
they are not working off
grudge against society. They
are society.
Happy Days
The next five years in Russia
are intended to make every
body - including non-members
Of the party-a great deal hap
pier than they have been. Our
domestic Communists may still
despise cosmetics and good
times, but the Russians are 60
ing to have pretty clothes and
good food and they have al
ready imported Harpo Marx
and produced farcical movies,
50 that life is not going to be
quite as grimly propaganda as
it has been 1t is of course one
Of their major principles that
their ideal classless society will
in the end bring happiness to
all. All, I suppose, except the
constitutional radical and
fighter for the happiness OF
humanity, who will have moth
ing left to fight for.
However, the thing for lis to
note and be warned against is
that we are dealing with some
thing new in the world--sWeet
radicals instead of bitter ones.
The bitter ones have been
fairly successful in the past,
but it has taken them a long
time. Psychologically, happy
people ought to be far more
effective than miserable ones.
At that, Russia hasn't done so
badly.
= 4 X
r. w. e. Writes:
A, correspondent challenges
me. on one of the ideas OF the
Douglas social credit scheme
fhe idea that we all inherit the