Robert Crumb’s Misanthropic Diatribe Against Humanity

American cartoonist, Robert Crumb, is not a fan of humanity. Here’s one of his more misanthropic diatribes: “I’m such a negative person, and always have been. Was I born this way? I don’t know. I am constantly disgusted by reality, horrified and afraid. I hate most of humanity. Though I might be very fond of particular individuals, humanity in general fills me with contempt and despair.

I hate most of what passes for civilisation. I hate the modern world. I hate the hordes, the crowds in their vast cities, with all their hateful vehicles, their noise and their constant meaningless comings and goings. I hate modern architecture. I despise modern music. I hate business, having to deal with money. Money is one of the most hateful inventions of the human race. I hate the commodity culture, in which everything is bought and sold. I hate the mass media, and how passively people suck up to it.

I hate having to get up in the morning and face another day of this insanity. I hate having to eat, defecate, maintain the body – I hate my body. Nature is horrible. It’s not cute and lovable. It’s kill or be killed. How I hate the courting ritual. I was always repelled by my own sex drive, which in my youth never left me alone. I was constantly driven by frustrated desires to do bizarre and unacceptable things with and to women. My soul was in constant conflict about it. I never was able to resolve it. Old age is the only relief.

I hate the way the human psyche works, the way we are traumatised and stupidly imprinted in early childhood and have to spend the rest of our lives trying to overcome these infantile mental fixations. And we never ever fully succeed in this endeavour.

I hate organised religions. I hate governments. It’s all a lot of power games played out by ambition-driven people, and foisted on the weak, the poor, and on children. Most humans are bullies. Adults pick on children. Older children pick on younger children. Men bully women. The rich bully the poor. People love to dominate. I hate the way humans worship power – one of the most disgusting of all human traits. I hate the human tendency towards revenge and vindictiveness. I hate the way humans are constantly trying to trick and deceive one another, to swindle, to cheat, and take unfair advantage of the innocent, the naive and the ignorant.

I hate the vacuous, false, banal conversation that goes on among people. Sometimes I feel suffocated. I want to flee from it.

For me, to be human is, for the most part, to hate what I am. When I suddenly realise that I am one of them, I want to scream in horror.”

MUSIC
Allégro by Emmit Fenn

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