Envy in the Arab world

Columnist Gary North wrote an excellent column titled the Evil of Envy. http://www.lewrockwell.com/north/north548.html North talks about how socialists do not want equality, out of justice, but want to punish those who have more, out of envy.

In 1966, the German sociologist Helmut Schoeck wrote a classic book, Envy: A Theory of Social Behavior. He argued that envy is the root cause of socialism and other forms of compulsory wealth redistribution. Most people think the cause is jealousy. The jealous person says: "You’ve got something I want. I’m going to take it away from you." Schoeck said this explanation misses the more intransigent underlying outlook: envy. "You’ve got something I want. I can never possess it. So, I’m going to destroy what you have. I don’t want anyone to have it until everyone can have it."

This envy applies to our current situation in the Arab world where the average age is 21 years old. The unemployment rate is very high and the standard of living is very low. One estimate is the Arab world needs to create one hundred million jobs by 2020 just to keep up with the present employment.

Bitter and unemployed young men are envious of the United States, the powerful and rich country that is invading their country. The same old envy that has plagued the Jews, America's friend in the Middle East, for generations is now rampant among young Arab men who are unemployed. Envy makes these young men want to destroy what we have, because they cannot have the same things.

The United States should adopt a foreign policy that addresses the causes of the anger in the Arab world. Killing a few hundred million of them may make a few war lovers feel good, and makes the timid feel safe, but it only breeds more Arab men filled with hatred. These young men will produce future generations that will be filled with hatred, and envy.

Hitler did not hate the Jews, he envied them. He could not have their family structure, wealth, and mores, so he destroyed them.

Bilbo Baggins