In Paul Hollander’s themes, he argues that there are several reasons why many western intellectuals appear to have some sort of double standards, where they are very critical of their own society yet they embrace communist societies while being tolerant of the flaws in communist societies.
The first reason is that these western intellectuals are being alienated from their own society.
Imagining how good the “other” society is with the goal of criticizing the flaws of their own society. Even when these intellectuals are aware of the flaws of the “other” society – like Jean Paul Sartre, who defended the USSR’s Gulag. Sartre selectively ignored it as a flaw, intentionally lied to the public, and defended the USSR so that it can be seen as the model society. Then, he could compare and contrast his own society to this model society, focusing all on the flaws of his society and the good of the model society, so that he has a ground to criticize his own society and potentially gain more societal influence.
There was little access to information on the actual life in these “police states.” Unlike the world we live in today – where pictures and videos can be sent even from Iran after their government had shut down the internet, it was a lot easier to control what information that people can see, if a government wished to control that.
Another reason for the double standards of western intellectuals is that they are often idealistic and romanticize the idea of communist societies. They may see communism as a way to create a more egalitarian and just society, and thus are willing to overlook its flaws and human rights abuses. This idealization of communism is often based on a lack of understanding of the realities of life in communist societies, and a willingness to believe in the propaganda put forth by those regimes.
Additionally, western intellectuals may also be motivated by a desire to be seen as progressive and enlightened. By expressing support for communist regimes, they may be able to position themselves as being on the cutting edge of political thought and more enlightened than their peers who criticize those regimes. This can give them a sense of superiority and self-righteousness, and can also help them gain influence and respect within intellectual circles.
Overall, the double standards of western intellectuals towards communist regimes are driven by a combination of alienation from their own society, idealization of communism, and a desire for personal and societal influence. These factors can lead them to overlook the flaws and human rights abuses of those regimes, and to express support for them despite their shortcomings.