tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13144649.post114307847958909967..comments2023-10-21T08:02:56.571-07:00Comments on No Dhimmitude: Give Me Stalin and St PaulDaghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10664271893389366772noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13144649.post-1143151724446865522006-03-23T14:08:00.000-08:002006-03-23T14:08:00.000-08:00I'm going to go back and put some effort into read...I'm going to go back and put some effort into reading Voegelin properly. There is too much to be said about his ideas to overlook them any longer.<BR/><BR/>For those who want a quicky view of fascism, refer to Umberto Eco. Or take some time and read George Mosse. Or read any number of studies of what it is instead of relying on automatic cliches and silliness. Read Plato. Even think about it for a few minutes. Or look around if it's too much trouble to think.Daghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10664271893389366772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13144649.post-1143144771486967542006-03-23T12:12:00.000-08:002006-03-23T12:12:00.000-08:00Fascism is more of a pressure to turn a democracy ...<I>Fascism is more of a pressure to turn a democracy into a dictatorship</I><BR/><BR/>-that's a convenient definition, i imagine constructed in order to rest in some righteous Bushitler nonsense. Is there no question of the communists of the twentieth century being like fascists unless they came to power in what had been for a time a democracy, like say Czechoslovakia?<BR/><BR/>As Dag suggests, what ties together the socialists and fascists of the last century is their indulgence in forms of Gnosticism, the belief that one can build totalitarian systems to overcome the uncertainties of human existence and faith, to control human processes of transcending or representing reality. Check out Eric Voegelin's account of the totalitarian mind.truepeershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16401984575637492845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13144649.post-1143141722736684722006-03-23T11:22:00.000-08:002006-03-23T11:22:00.000-08:00Adorno is one of the worst men to happen to the 20...Adorno is one of the worst men to happen to the 20th century. I've written here on him a few times, not any fun for me. <BR/><BR/>When we look at Adorno's f-scale and adjust for his ideological leanings it seems obvious to me that he shows today's Leftist to be cut from the same cloth as any fascists preceding. Of course, anyone can plead special circumstances and blow smoke, but reality is theere for those who wish to see it.Daghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10664271893389366772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13144649.post-1143141252843022202006-03-23T11:14:00.000-08:002006-03-23T11:14:00.000-08:00If we limit our definitions of fascism to Italian ...If we limit our definitions of fascism to Italian and German and Spanish anomolies then we have no dialogue possible. Look at the broader themes of fascism, beginning with Plato, and move on to the reactions against the French Revolution to see the similarities between them and today's actors.<BR/><BR/>Or, one might look at the roughly 500 posts at this blog that explain in detail the idea that there is no difference between Left and Right.<BR/><BR/>500 posts. This is not some cranky comment off the top of my head. I might well be cranky but the point remains that there is too much documentation to dismiss out of hand. Learn the nature of fascism and return with criticism, after which time I will be happy to debate.Daghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10664271893389366772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13144649.post-1143129221477206552006-03-23T07:53:00.000-08:002006-03-23T07:53:00.000-08:00Fascism is not a coherent movement. It doesn't hav...Fascism is not a coherent movement. It doesn't have any stated principles. In fact, most fascists will not admit they are fascists, and in fact might not even know it. Fascism is more of a pressure to turn a democracy into a dictatorship by any means that the majority of a particular nation will <B>find acceptable.</B> This usually involves hyper-populism (you describe The Left as elitist, so that one's out), stirring up hatred against a minority (not really The Left's cup of tea), militarism (ditto) and constant appeals to tradition (ditto again), among other things.<BR/><BR/>Again, let me stress that you can't have an unpopular fascist movement. It just doesn't make sense. So I'm very interested in hearing how The Left, which currently doesn't have one pinky finger on a lever of government, is the biggest threat to our democracy. And, no, "Hitler was a vegetarian" doesnt' count.Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08962290643747011937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13144649.post-1143098210506851842006-03-22T23:16:00.000-08:002006-03-22T23:16:00.000-08:00well i stopped reading this post when i read Adorn...well i stopped reading this post when i read Adorno was the author of this authoritarian personality test. As history has now amply proved, fascism and socialism are blood brothers in the same authoritarian cult. The differences between the two do not rightfully allow anyone to play one against the other in the name of freedom. Let's get serious.truepeershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16401984575637492845noreply@blogger.com