How Erich Fromm created the 1960s and why his Public Sociology did not succeed

Watch Neil McLaughlin, author of 'Erich Fromm and Global Public Sociology', give his talk on 'Big books and celebrity intellectuals: how Erich Fromm created the 1960s and why his Public Sociology did not succeed' at McMaster University.
As the rise of global right-wing populism and Trumpism creates new interest in psycho-social writing and popular sociology, this timely book tells the story of the rise, fall and contemporary revival of the theories of Erich Fromm, a 1930s influential and creative public intellectual. Find out more about the book: bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/...

[@robertburatt5981]

I think this is a--very important topic. I agree that Fromm became disillusioned by the lack of progress in america for the emergence of a new humanitarian perspective among a substantial number of americans and that Fromm's lack of direct involvement at the grassroots level was an (apparent) contributing factor--but why did all the other socialists also fail to make a dent in the american armour using their organizing knowledge and tactics, to redirect the american people toward a new humanitarian perspective ?
The very reasons for Fromm's disillusionment lay in the very statements he made and in the books he wrote.
For one thing, Fromm characterized the 'average american' adult as an 'automaton' who lacks the capacity to love--a critical character trait necessary for a true democracy of mature adults who have the capacity to love; this was written in 1941.
For another, Fromm characterized the american lower middle class as 'reactionary '--the same class of individuals on Germany who murdered Rosa Luxembourg in 1919, and supported Hitler to the end.
Additionally, in an interview in, I believe held in the 1970's and is on UA-cam, Fromm stated that if-- in the next five or so years--a new humanism had not emerged from a significant number of individuals in the american population (and permit-by sheer cowardice and moral apathy-the american necropholous lust for death and destruction to continue unabated-my addition in quotes), then he (Fromm) would no longer be optimistic or have faith that humanity can extracate itself from the existential catastrophe that has been hanging over the heads of the World for decades.
Addendum:
When I was a child in the american public school system in nyc, we used to be drilled regularly on the event of a nuclear attack--8 year old children. We had to drop under our woodcdesks, place our hands over our heads which was tucked on our chest while resting on our knees--where the collective adult outrage over this moronic and genocidal policy to their own elected political office holders--instead of the mindless cowardice toward elected "authority" and even an apathy over the potential extermination of their children whom they "love" ?

[@clemfarley7257]

Well, the good news is, although coal miners are still no Einsteins, we got Biden, Blinken, and Rice.
As Paul Volcker wrote, America is run by a plutocracy, left leaning and Ivy League educated, which is good because they don’t pay attention to racist mid-America.
Trust in the Ivy Leagues and Davos; they’ll do a better job in fixing human nature and engineering a planet up to our standards.

[@roc7880]

my first college paper was on Fromm's theory of violence, I do not remember what I wrote about it anyway, thanks for a refresher.

[@markswoolley]

Unfortunate that the graphics didn’t match the talk toward the end. Would it be possible to provide a link to the slide deck?

[@1timbarrett]

Great content here. But the wind howling in the background was irritating…! 😠

[@AnthonyStJohn1]

The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness

[@ohmss069]

Neil looks just like Adam Schiff 😂