Progression from Poverty to Evil to Animalism

Progression from Poverty to Evil to Animalism. An exerise in rhetoric
and an inquiry into reality.

Poverty makes some people revert to their animal heritage, instead of inducing empathy, because they focus solely on their humiliation and resentment. They become selfish, cunning, and animalistic. Even when they get out of poverty, they retain the selfishness and animalism which have helped them survive. That is what has happened to the Vietnamese Communist Party leaders. They have become selfish, evil animals who are determined to cling to power at any costs and any price. Thus, they didn't hesitate to sell their country to the Chinese, the historical enemy of the Vietnamese. They didn't give a damn about anybody else. Evil is contagious. For survival, almost everybody else in Vietnam becomes selfish and animalistic as well. Morality breaks down. Everybody lives to meet their biological needs while concepts like patriotism and responsibility become impractical. Everybody engages in selling. They sell away their souls, their own bodies, and the bodies of others.

Some, maybe most, Viet immigrants, who have lived under this dehumanizing atmosphere where everybody is reduced to animalistic existence, still retain this pernicious behavioral adaptation. They found out they didn't want to get rid of it even though it is no longer necessary, now that they are living under prosperous, democratic societies. Maybe they are so comfortable with it that they accept it as a matter of course. Thus, they regard their turning their backs to Vietnam at this juncture when Vietnam is facing a takeover from China is acceptable because Vietnam no longer means anything to them, because their obligation and responsibility are only to themselves. Maybe that was why they have reacted with visceral antipathy and spurious arguments when they are accused of being creatures devoid of conscience, love, and moral responsibility.

Animals act only on instincts. Humans act on both instincts and transcendence. Humans learn to care about and love others. Humans learn about responsibity and manage to transcend, to rise above selfishness. Any human who cares about himself only and turns his back on his people when his people are in danger is an animal. In fact, he is worse and more despicable than an animal because he has choices whereas animals have none.