Violent Protest and the Intelligentsia

It is dangerous to draw parallels in history, but there are certain trends and facts that seem to run through history. In this excellent interview from the Wall Street Journal of Gary Saul Morson, a professor of Russian history at Northwestern University, he points out the role of the “intelligentsia” during the Russian Revolution and in today’s protests. The concept of “the right side of history” or “an idea whose time has come” is believed by the highly educated who see themselves as the movers of history, the only ones able to lead the lower classes. They believe they are the movers because they are the “intellectuals” and “know” what is best. For over 50 years we have been governed, since the Kennedy Administration by the “best and the brightest” and we have gotten to a point where Freedom of Speech has become passe on the liberal left. https://www.wsj.com/articles/violent-protest-and-the-intelligentsia-11591400422?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=1