Mamdani: the frigidity of rugged individualism, the warmth of collectivism

After Mamdani was sworn into the office of mayor of New York City, he said in his speech, "And if for too long these communities have existed as distinct from one another, we will draw this city closer together. We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism."

The last was as beautiful propaganda line. It appeals to the emotions. Who wants to stay out in the cold when a warm fire is waiting inside? It evokes the novel, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, by John le Carré in which disillusioned British agent Alec Leamas "comes in from the cold" by exposing the brutal dishonesty of the espionage business. 

However, Mamdani exposes either his ignorance or dishonesty in calling individualism frigid. Based on his biography, I'm supposing ignorance. Here's why. There is nothing frigid about true individualism. Hayek explained the problem in his essay, "Individualism: True and False." 

Here is the Google AI overview of the essay: "True Individualism (British tradition), Hayek wrote, recognizes spontaneous order, the limits of human reason, values individual liberty within society, and relies on voluntary association, seeing institutions emerge from human action, not design. False Individualism (French tradition) wrongly assumes human reason can design society from scratch, leading to dangerous centralized planning, coercion, and potentially tyranny by ignoring inherent societal complexity and knowledge limits, despite its aim for liberation."

To simplify further, true individualism (capitalism) is merely the rights of individuals to life, liberty and property that the state can't violate. False individualism (socialist) atomizes society into lonely people with nothing to help them but the state. True individualism promotes families, churches, communities, clubs, markets, etc., that individuals naturally want to be a part of. 

So, whether he knows it or not, Mamdani is saying that he will replace the frigidity of socialist individualism, or collectivism, with socialist collectivism. Capitalist individualism, the true one, is the warmth of families, churches, communities, etc., without the state. 

Capitalism causes voluntary community to thrive. Mamdani's collectivism crushes every institution but the state. Is the state cuddly and warm as he suggests? The extremes of his socialism, the U.S.S.R., China, North Korea, Cuba, etc., don't paint a warm Thomas Kincaid landscape. 

What about democratic socialist states like those in Europe? The E.U. is poorer than the US. Visit Wikipedia's site on median incomes. Is poverty warm? Many European countries have embraced euthanasia because their socialist medical systems have run out of money. Many die during long waits for treatment and millions travel to the U.S. annually to buy treatment they are refused in Europe. Does that sound warm?

The history of Mamdani's socialism is clear: it impoverishes everyone everywhere it has been tried. The biggest problems in the U.S. issue from over a century of increasing socialism. 

Mamdani's statement is a veiled appeal to envy. Individualism allowed many to succeed more than the average, which appalls envious people. Someone said of Poles that they are happiest when their neighbor's house burns down. That describes Democrats. The "warmth" of collectivism is Mamdani's way of saying he will crush anyone who succeeds more than the average. Envious people cannot be happy in a free society in which a few are allowed to succeed more than others. Envy is warmth to Mamdani. 

Mamdani's propaganda is gibberish, but because it inflames emotions while bypassing the brain it is successful with gullible, envious people.