By Jon Henchen

Founded in 1923, the Frankfurt School, a philosophical and sociological movement with the aim of developing Marxist studies in Germany that operated out of Goethe University in Frankfurt. After the Nazi takeover in 1933, the Frankfurt School relocated to Columbia University in New York City. 

The influence of the Frankfurt School has been far reaching, with Critical Theory their primary focus, which has a preoccupation for critiquing modernity and capitalist society.  Unable to attract converts to communism due to capitalism’s abundant material wealth, the cultural Marxism of Critical Theory perpetuates discontent by dividing people by race, sex, and class with individuals falling into either oppressed or oppressor roles.  Students of the movement became the New Left radicals of the 1960s, led by the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), and its militant offshoot, the Weather Underground. The mainspring of the movement was opposition to the Vietnam War, but they were also focused on racism, police brutality, economic injustice, authority, and the belief that America was an oppressive country that exploited other nations and its own oppressed classes.

The students of the 60s are now professors at our universities, expounding on the teachings of the Frankfurt School, disseminating these race, class, and sex theories throughout academia. Now these theories are being pushed heavily into the workforce.  Small and midsized companies often times not having Human Resources (HR) departments, focus on hiring the best qualified person for a job while larger companies with expansive HR departments heavily push identity politics agendas.  It is commonplace for HR staff to have educational backgrounds heavily weighted in the social sciences, which are deeply indoctrinated in leftist ideology biases. 

A centerpiece of leftist ideology that defines the oppressed victim of society vs. the privileged oppressor is intersectionality. 

A person’s moral authority to speak out on issues of oppression depends on the intersectionality of his identity groups, because only the oppressed can know what oppression feels like.  As an example, say you are a white female who is poor and disabled vs. an upper-class black male who is able-bodied.  The white female would rank higher in moral authority because the score is three to one in favor of the female for the greater number of victim rankings. What is considered a victim category can be quite arbitrary as in the case of Cuban Americans who are typically not labeled as a racial minority even though they are Hispanic, because they vote heavily Republican.  The same holds true for Mormons not qualifying as a religious minority because of their strong leaning to voting Republican.  The classification that has no moral authority to speak on any matter would be the white heterosexual male who is able bodied. If they happen to be Christian, that would make them the most preeminent of oppressors.  Yours truly falls into this category of the greatest of oppressors.

In The Coddling of the American Mind, Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt consider the genius of Dr. Martin Luther King regarding perpetuating unity in society.  “King appealed to the shared morals and identities of Americans by using the unifying languages of religion and patriotism.  He repeatedly used the metaphor of family, referring to people of all races and religions as “brothers” and “sisters.”  He spoke often of the need for love and forgiveness, hearkening back to the words of Jesus and echoing ancient wisdom from many cultures: “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend” and “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.”  Contrary to the teachings of the Frankfurt School, King’s approach makes it clear that his movement would not destroy America; it would repair and reunite it. 

Lukianoff and Haidt also draw parallels to the social theories that evolved out of the Frankfurt School with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) which was developed in the 1960s.  They explain that CBT therapy is used to treat depression by changing distorted thinking caught in a feedback loop in which irrational negative beliefs caused powerful negative feelings, which in turn seemed to drive patients’ reasoning, motivating them to find evidence to support their negative beliefs.  Here are some of the nine most common cognitive distortions that people learn to recognize in CBT. 

Emotional Reasoning: Letting your feelings guide your interpretation of reality.  “This class is difficult; therefore, I must not be cut out for college.”

Catastrophizing: Focus on the worst possible outcome and see it as most likely. “I have no reason to live if I can’t get a degree.”

Overgeneralizing: Perceiving a global pattern of negatives on the basis of a single incident.  “College is just one of many things I fail at.”

Dichotomous Thinking or Black & White Thinking or Binary Thinking: Look at people and events in all-or-nothing terms.  “None of the colleges will want me.”

Mind Reading: That you know what people think without having sufficient evidence of their thoughts.  “The students in my classes think I’m a loser.”

Labeling: Assigning global negative traits to yourself or others (often in the service of black & white thinking) “I’m stupid and don’t deserve to be in college.”

Luckianoff and Haidt explain that many social theories like intersectionality coming out of universities tend to greatly amplify the mental distortions that CBT tries to diminish.  Intersectionality, for instance, looks at the world in “Black and White” and puts people into groups (Oppressors and Victims) rather than looking at them as individuals.  They breed tribalism (them vs. us) and when the tribal switch is activated, they bind themselves tightly to the group, embracing and defending the group’s moral matrix, and they stop thinking for themselves.  In tribal mode, they go blind to arguments and information that challenge the tribe’s narrative. 

An article in Scientific American titled “Unraveling the Mindset of Victimhood” by Scott Kaufman discusses the “victimhood mindset,” which is broken down into four manifestations:

1. Moral Elitism — Perceive themselves as having an immaculate morality and view everyone else as being immoral.  Moral elitism can be used to control others by accusing others of being immoral, unfair, or selfish, while seeing oneself as supremely moral and ethical.
2. Feel they have suffered enough so they no longer feel obligated to care about the pain and suffering of others.
3. Victims that tend to ruminate over their interpersonal offenses have decreased motivation for forgiveness by increasing the drive to seek revenge.
4. Constantly seeking recognition for one’s victimhood.

In the world of the Victimhood Cult, the victim is the only moral authority in society.  The greater number of victim categories you fit in, the greater your moral authority becomes.  Anyone whom disagrees with this construct are intolerantly shouted down as homophobic, Nazi, misogynistic, xenophobic, racist, sexist, Islamophobic, etc.  The biggest victim gets top billing and is most to be admired in this upside down belief system. 

The author G. Michael Hopf sums up a stunningly persuasive cyclical vision of history.  “Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men and weak men create hard times.” In a society that labels masculinity as toxic, safety a sacred value, feelings to always be trusted and victimhood virtuous, hard times will be our future.

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2021/03/a_cult_of_victimhood.html

The post-coronavirus Europe will offer a chance to rebuild the continent’s identity, the leader of the Italian League party, Matteo Salvini, told journalists in an online interview on Tuesday.

“The European Union must find its soul, its backbone, its mission, it cannot be a mere supermarket or business center, because it will not be able to respond to the needs of 500 million Europeans,” Salvini said. He was speaking before a Thursday meeting in Budapest with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

He believed that it was the epidemic that offered the opportunity to create a “different, real” Europe and a European Union with a “new role, a new meaning”.

He thanked Viktor Orbán and Mateusz Morawiecki for giving him the same honors that a prime minister would receive, although he does not currently hold a government position. He added that the League is the largest Italian party preparing to govern in the next election.

Salvini added that his trip to Budapest will be not a short journey, as in the absence of direct flights, he will have to travel seven hours from Rome to Budapest.

He noted that the League, Hungary’s Fidesz and Poland’s Law and Justice (PiS) party share common European values, but the time was not ripe to discuss creating a separate faction in the European Parliament, according to Hungarian news outlet Magyar Nemzet.

“No joint party group will be formed… In Budapest, we will discuss the vision of the future Europe, and we deal with work, welfare, security, identity, family, education, defense, migration, foreign policy, health cooperation, and the real life of our citizens. We are presenting a common charter with common values, purpose and reason,” Salvini said.

He mentioned the Hungarian family policy as an example to encourage population growth in Europe.

According to Salvini, some European treaties that hinder growth need to be revised. He stressed that Europe needs to do more on certain issues and give nation states freedom in areas such as electoral or judicial reform and family policy, rather than tying them up with bureaucracy.

“Where is Europe when the epidemic is a source of concern for migrants?” asked the leader of the Italian right-wing party, adding that the EU did not properly monitor the vaccination process against the coronavirus and that those who made mistakes should therefore be held accountable.

Salvini said that the consultation with Orbán and Morawiecki was the first stop on his planned tour of European capitals, in which he wants to discuss the same topics in Portugal, France, the Netherlands, Austria, and Germany, among others.

He added that the League’s accession to the European People’s Party is not on the agenda.

“Joining the EPP is only in the interest of the press, while neither the League nor 60 million Italians consider this issue a priority,” Salvini said.

He said that his dream is to unite the party families of Identity and Democracy and the European Conservatives and Reformists, as this would form the second largest faction, making Europe big again, returning to its original values. Salvini noted that he was not trying any other political “experiment”.

The League is currently a member of the European Identity and Democracy party family, founded in 2019.

The Law and Justice (PiS) belongs to the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, which was formed in 2009 and includes the Brothers of Italy (FdI) party. FdI leader Giorgia Meloni, whose party is a member of the Italian center-right coalition led by Salvini, was elected president of the ECR last September.

https://rmx.news/article/article/salvini-to-meet-with-morawiecki-and-orban-in-budapest-to-build-the-future-of-europe

A 26-year-old man is on trial for allegedly pushing a man onto the tracks in front of an incoming freight train at the railway station in Waghäusel (district of Karlsruhe).
The prosecution accuses him of attempted murder and dangerous bodily harm. At the end of July last year, he prevented the 54-year-old from escaping to the platform by punching and kicking him.

The train hit the man, who was seriously injured. As of Wednesday (9.00 a.m.), the alleged main perpetrator will be joined in the dock by his 23-year-old brother, who is charged with involvement in the crime. According to the prosecution, he had covered the scene of the crime.

At the time, the victim had been sitting on a bench at the railway station and claimed to have been attacked suddenly for no apparent reason. The police arrested the suspected brothers from Syria in a shared accommodation for asylum seekers. The trial has so far been scheduled for four dates until April the 23rd.

https://www.karlsruhe-insider.de/news/karlsruher-vor-zug-gestossen-und-erfasst-fluechtlinge-vor-gericht-73097/?fbclid=IwAR1UG9y2QOfjtU5L7el7Igh6T3eEYIrzAM00QdjT1r6DQpGM2sF_Eo94_v4

The 42-year-old German Dieter Kellouche has been imprisoned innocently in the Emirate of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, since September 2017. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. He shares a cell without daylight with 15 other prisoners. His health is poor, but he has been denied medical help. During the entire time, the German Embassy paid him three visits.

The human rights spokesperson for the AfD parliamentary group in the German Bundestag, Jürgen Braun, comments on the matter:

“Foreign Minister Heiko Maas is abandoning the German Dieter Kellouche in the Arab prison. The Foreign Office has done nothing worth mentioning for Mr Kellouche. The answers to my questions are downright outrageous: the Foreign Office states that it is paying close attention to Mr Kellouche’s case and is in contact with him, and that he is receiving consular assistance, including prison visits. Mr Kellouche, on the other hand, says that the last visit by the German embassy was in February, more than a year ago. He feels abandoned, almost forgotten, by the German authorities.”

Background: Kellouche was convicted by a kangaroo court. An influential sheikh felt that Kellouche had insulted his honour. The sheikh had him arrested and negotiated the sentence with a judge. Four months ago, Kellouche went on hunger strike to gain media attention. He has not counted on help from the German embassy for a long time.

Braun says:

“What this person has gone through over the last few years is a nightmare. Kellouche told us that prisoners of other nationalities often received visits from embassy staff, and some have already been released. He, on the other hand, is also treated like a criminal by the German embassy. The Foreign Office must finally take the initiative to end Dieter Kellouche’s detention.”

https://afdkompakt.de/2021/03/31/maas-laesst-deutschen-im-arabischen-gefaengnis-im-stich/

Here is the press release, the language of which is reminiscent of the GDR’s unjust regime:

The AfD parliamentary group in Schwerin is accused of having a connection to a dubious offshore company. This is the result of research by the news website netzpolitik.org. The agency New Network Communications (NNC), allegedly based in London, is run by two Austrians – and is responsible for the right-wing disinformation website “Unser Mitteleuropa” (Our Central Europe).

The portal “Our Central Europe” is a place for anti-Islam and anti-migration articles and spreads doubts about climate change and Corona vaccinations. The research centre Correctiv has checked articles from “Our Central Europe” for their truthfulness, and finally declared that the portal spreads false quotes and makes misleading claims. As media owner noted in the imprint: NCC.

In addition, the company covertly operates a campaign website called “Akte Borchardt”, which attacks Barbara Borchardt (Die Linke), judge at the state constitutional court, and spreads conspiracy narratives. The site writes of a “GDR 2.0”, and speculates about a “possible rope relationship” between Borchardt and Chancellor Angela Merkel. And again, the work of the AfD parliamentary group in Schwerin is advertised.

(She is a member of the proven left-wing extremist organisation ‘Anti-Capitalist Left’ (AKL), and was a member of the ruling SED in GDR times, Ed.)

Meanwhile, the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution is looking into the connection between the company and the parliamentary group. Especially “[…] with regard to ‘security-endangering or secret service activities within the scope of the Basic Law for a foreign power’ in the area of the federal state and with regard to ‘endeavours directed against the idea of international understanding or against the peaceful coexistence of peoples'”, explains spokeswoman Marion Schlender in response to a Nordkurier enquiry. “On this basis, the facts of the case are being examined.”

https://www.nordkurier.de/mecklenburg-vorpommern/afd-in-mv-bezahlte-firma-hinter-rechter-desinformationsseite-3042967703.html

Left-wing extremists and “refugee” workers protested again in Vienna against the deportation of illegal immigrants, causing traffic chaos. As the police and several media reported, around 50 demonstrators blocked a motorway junction at Vienna Airport.

Accordingly, the left-wing radicals abseiled from a bridge and set up road blocks. The photos showed how they blocked the multi-lane access road to the airport with a banner that read “Stop deportations!” and “Deportation is murder”.

Guerrillas from the left-wing extremist Antifa and the Bündnis Bleiberecht [Right to stay Alliance] were also involved in the actions. Left-wing photographers criticized the fire brigade for supporting the police in clearing the blockades.

According to the Green politician Birgit Hebein, around 45 Afghans were to be returned to their homeland on Tuesday. The Lower Austrian police announced that the protests had been unannounced. After the blockades had been cleared, the demonstrators announced that they would be protesting against collective deportation in Vienna the same afternoon.

At the end of February too, pro-migrant activists tried to prevent the deportation of several Afghans in the Austrian capital. Among the rejected asylum seekers were several men who had committed very serious criminal offenses in the past. For example, three of them were found guilty of either having attempted or having committed rape.

The government’s asylum policy had also led to disputes in the black-green coalition in the past. The Greens stressed that the government had a “political commitment to humanity”. The ÖVP, on the other hand, insisted on compliance with the law.

https://freewestmedia.com/2021/03/31/pro-immigration-guerrillas-cause-traffic-chaos-to-prevent-deportation-in-vienna/

The European Union plans to allocate €276 million to the construction or renovation of five migrant camps on the Greek islands, sparking protests from locals on the island who want relief from the endless waves of illegal migrants.

The funding decision was announced on Monday in Lesbos by the European Commissioner Ylva Johansson.

The migration commissioner who came to the Aegean Islands to urge the Greek government to speed up the opening of new camps on the islands of Samos, Chios, Kos, and Lesbos before winter also called on “Turkey to urgently readmit the migrants returning from Greece”.

The EU leaders are expected in Ankara on April 6. Asked about the accusations of repression of migrants by the Greek coast guard in the Aegean Sea, she asked Greece “to do more” and to investigate.

As Georgios Christides reported on Twitter, hundreds of people in Lesbos marched towards the government building project with the slogan: “Neither in Lesbos nor anywhere else will we turn Greek islands into prisons.”

Regional Governor of Noth Aegean even canceled the meeting with Commissioner Ylva Johansson, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd. He is against building new camps as well.

The Greek islanders have struggled with migrants burning down their own camps, slaughtering livestock, and destroying churches, leaving many of Greeks angered over their government and the EU’s inability to stem the flow to the hard-hit islands. 

https://rmx.news/article/article/eu-to-spend-276-million-on-migrant-camps-on-greek-islands-sparking-protests-from-fed-up-locals