The Patriot Post® · The Lie of Thoreau

By Stephen Guy Hardin ·
https://patriotpost.us/commentary/8754-the-lie-of-thoreau-2011-01-20

What has Thoreau ever done for you?




Nothing, I suspect. Yeah, same here.




Henry David Thoreau and the mosquito infested, rancid, backed-up septic tank he called Walden Pond has become the pre-teen wet dream of every spoiled rich kid and faux Liberal who ever rebelled against Daddy’s trust fund. Every self appointed Progressive cultural elitist has laid claim to the mantle of Thoreau. To this cadre of over educated under achievers Thoreau is the embodiment of their eco-friendly, anti corporate, greed is bad lifestyle that is the opposite of their silver spoon childhood. Childhood guilt is a terrible thing to waste.




‘Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves.’ –Henry David Thoreau




Well, this is a Thoreau quote a Conservative can get behind. This simple and eloquent thesis, which bemoans the power of the state over the power of the individual, is a political statement that never loses its topicality. Though, I suspect this is one of Henry’s philosophical concepts that his Progressive idol worshipers like to skip over.




The delusional image of Henry sitting on his fat ass, in a mold infested cabin, pondering the inequities of American society, is such a prurient image that any East Coast elitist intellectual, who managed a C-minus in prep school, can repeatedly enjoy in a fit of masturbatory mania, while locked up in the privacy of their pool house. The pathetic attempt to justify their unearned birthright is such these Freedom Rider wannabees will literally roll around in the dirt at Thoreau’s grave side, while clutching ‘Dreams of My Father’ to their chest, and screaming out whole passages from Mao’s little Red Book.




Mao’s little Red Book, indeed?




I guess this is the end result of slacker rich kids and fraudulent Ph.D.‘s who have more time on their hands than callous’. It’s pretty hard to find people who actually work for a living giving a damn about Thoreau or Walden Pond. People who work for a living actually have productive things to do besides feeling guilty about inheriting large amounts of cash and bonds. Personally, I wouldn’t mind inheriting large amounts of cash and bonds, but that’s just me.




The last time I drove by Walden Pond all I could see was a group of pseudo hippies wandering around in designer hemp ponchos and listening to Life in the Woods on their i-Phones. So much for living off the land.




Living off Daddy, well that’s a different story.

Somehow, I have the feeling that Henry David Thoreau would do the classic rolling over in his grave at the way his writings and philosophy have been perverted by the lazy, spoiled Leftist elitists and other assorted nefarious Progressive pollywogs.




Ah, the irony of it all, eh?




The concept and true meaning of Thoreau’s essay Civil Disobedience has been abused and twisted by generation upon generation of spoiled and intellectually lazy punks with tallow complexions and maxed out credit cards. But as Henry would say of his legion of dope addled, half shaven and morally indifferent followers, they are living A Life Without Principle and living the lie of Thoreau.