Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by Supermancho 1885 days ago
> is actually in a description of the socialist movement itself,

While, overall, Steinbeck said something different, your description of the intent is incorrect. "I guess the trouble was that we didn’t have any self-admitted proletarians. Everyone was a temporarily embarrassed capitalist." - This can only make sense when attributed to capitalists (believers in it) regardless of what systems they are currently participating in. This is a subtle description of human nature at large, which is why it's so memorable.
1 comments
jdminhbg 1885 days ago
No, this is wrong. The context for “we” is “most of the so-called Communists I met.” He is describing the people in the movement as temporarily embarrassed capitalists. It is the opposite of the apocryphal quote, which has Steinbeck positing that the reason the movement is unsuccessful as it being opposed by the temporarily embarrassed millionaires who should have embraced it.
link
Supermancho 1884 days ago
> No, this is wrong.

My interpretation is not.

> most of the so-called Communists I met

> Steinbeck positing that the reason the movement is unsuccessful as it being opposed by the temporarily embarrassed millionaires

> This can only make sense when attributed to capitalists (believers in it) regardless of what systems they are currently participating in <--- ie Communist support or however you want to constrain it

The same phrasing you repeated, reiterates my point. Good luck with whatever.

link