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The Ultra-Reactionary Left (?)
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trueblue



Joined: 15 Jun 2014
Location: In between the lines

PostPosted: Sat Oct 24, 2015 10:21 am    Post subject: The Ultra-Reactionary Left (?) Reply with quote

http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2015/10/the_ultrareactionary_left.html

What I am wondering, is, why does the article not provide a comparable demonstration regarding the far-right? Fascism and Totalitarianism are both far-right ideologies, where as the Welfare State, Socialism and Communism are left and far-left...or so I am told.

Excluding that, I found it interesting. Perhaps extremities on each "side" of the "left/right paradigm" simply joined forces?
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trueblue



Joined: 15 Jun 2014
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 24, 2015 10:39 am    Post subject: Fascism in America Reply with quote

I think this helps explain, or, demonstrate suggestions to my initial question in the OP, above.





Fascism in America
By Richard Winchester
http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2013/06/fascism_in_america.html

When fascism comes to America, what will it look (and feel) like?

Very much like what we have now, because a version of fascism is already here.

I am not the first to worry about the prospect of fascism in America. In 1935, for example, Sinclair Lewis published It Can't Happen Here, which is a fictional account of a fascist take-over of the country. In 2008, Joe Conason published It Can Happen Here. The book's subtitle, Authoritarian Peril in the Age of Bush, tells all we need to know.

Others have also breached the topic, but these works suffice. Lewis' and Conason's tomes ought to caution against too readily concluding that fascism could happen here. Nevertheless, there are grounds for concern.

Fascism is associated with Hitler's brutal dictatorship in Germany between 1933 and 1945, or Mussolini's milder version in Italy between 1922 and 1943, Franco's in Spain between 1936 and 1975, or a host of lesser-known personalities in various countries at different times.

Fascism is a totalitarian political system, in which an all-powerful central government directs a nation's economy. Virtually no aspect of society is independent of the state, which is a one-party regime, dominated by an omniscient leader. Although heavily influenced by populistic themes, fascist ideology is at once anti-democratic and collectivist.

At first blush, the American variety of fascism is different. For one thing, the traditional institutions associated with government in the United States are still in place. Sadly, however, the primary principles of American governance -- especially limited government, federalism, individual liberty, personal responsibility, and so on -- have been severely compromised.

I am reminded of The Roman Revolution, published in 1939 by the late Ronald Syme. The book covered Roman history from Julius Caesar's assassination in 44 B.C.E. till Augustus' death in 14 C.E. Its main thesis is that the Roman Republic's institutions and processes, which had worked during most of the republican era, had become inadequate for the needs of empire. Without drastically changing the Republic's major institutions, Augustus "revolutionized" the key features of Roman government consistent with his monarchial rule. He did so in ways that went largely unnoticed during his lifetime.

The Roman Revolution was inspired by fascism's emergence in Italy and Germany, which is why it has much to teach Americans today.

Ours has become a system of virtually limitless central governmental power. Whatever one thinks of the IRS and Justice Department scandals -- targeting conservatives and evangelical Christian and orthodox Jewish organizations, spying on AP reporters, and labeling a Fox News journalist a potential felon -- their common theme is that the federal government can do anything it wishes.

Think back to Barack Obama's comment that the main problem with the Constitution is that it is a charter of "negative liberties," because it primarily specifies what government cannot do to people. The Obamians want a charter of "positive liberties"; they want an organic law asserting what government can do to -- oops, sorry -- for people.

Harvard University law professor Cass Sunstein -- a czar in the first Obama Administration -- is the co-author with Richard Thaler of Nudge (2009), a book which argues that government should "gently" push people to do what they ought to have the sense to realize they should do.

Thaler and Sunstein's thesis is an exemplar of the "progressive" theory of government, which was a precursor to fascism, as Jonah Goldberg noted in Liberal Fascism (2008). Progressivism is belief in big government. It has two principles: (1) government regulation of the economy and society; and (2) redistribution of private property in the name of social justice.

Progressivism is a harbinger of fascist collectivism. Omnipotent central government, economic regulation -- sometimes known as "crony capitalism" -- redistribution of wealth; all these are consistent with fascism. (Many conflate progressivism with socialism, but the same features apply to fascism.)

How can a variety of democratic theory like progressivism can be a harbinger of fascism, which is obviously totalitarian? The distinction between progressives' notion of democracy and totalitarianism blurs.

No discussion of fascism would be complete without considering ordinary citizens' role. One of the most disturbing books to come out of World War II is They Thought They Were Free (1955), by Milton Mayer, who traveled to Germany in 1952 and interviewed ten ordinary Nazis who lived in west-central Germany. All were anti-Semitic. Two were Alte Kämpfer -- "old fighters" -- who had become Nazis before the Reichstag elections of 1930; the rest joined the party later, typically for opportunistic reasons.

Mayer's "friends" mentioned that the Nazi transmogrification of Germany occurred in a series of small steps, none of which was so wrenching as to produce massive resistance. Had the Nazis moved too swiftly, and made major transformations of Germany, some people -- perhaps enough to make a difference -- might have changed history. (One can't help thinking about Pastor Niemöller's account of how he remained passive during early Nazi outrages, only to discover that, when they came for him, it was too late.)

One is also struck by Mayer's "friends" lack of curiosity about what was going on beyond their narrow sphere of interest. (For a sense of what this mind-set must have been like, get the movie, Judgment at Nuremberg, set in Germany in 1948, and watch the scene where "Chief Judge Dan Haywood" -- Spencer Tracy -- meets "Mr. and Mrs. Halbestadt" -- Ben Wright and Virginia Christine -- a German couple who have been assigned to be his butler and house keeper. The "Halbestadts" beautifully exhibit this mind-set.)

Even though neither uses the term "fascism" -- two slender books present evidence buttressing the assertion that a version of fascism has come to America.

The first is Angelo Codevilla's The Ruling Class (2010), which argues that a relatively small proportion of the populace -- "the ruling class" -- governs the rest of the population, a.k.a. "the country class." The ruling class is America's elite, and their desires dictate what government does.

The second is Nicholas Eberstadt's A Nation of Takers (2012), which claims that a large proportion of the population -- sometimes approaching half -- receives some kind of government benefit. Instead of sturdy self-reliance, we confront the spectacle of a sizable slice of the public "gaming the system" to "qualify" for government benefits for which they might not be entitled.

How do these books buttress the argument that fascism already exists in America? The Ruling Class illustrates how the country is already governed by a tiny slice of the populace, ruling in their own interests. A Nation of Takers shows that, because they are already so dependent on government, millions of ordinary people lack the resources and the inclination to oppose government diktats.

Can anything be done to at least ameliorate fascism's impact? Yes, but, as the barkeep in Irma la Douce, was wont to say, "that's another story."



Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2013/06/fascism_in_america.html#ixzz3pVmpCKUk
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Swartz



Joined: 19 Dec 2014

PostPosted: Sat Oct 24, 2015 4:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The post-world war(s) historical narrative we’re taught throughout our lives is largely inaccurate. The “Right” is the natural state of a homogeneous society, one that protects its values, culture, and breeding spaces. The “Left,” in the modern sense, is an outside force that corrupts that culture and undermines the native population. But since leftism functions as a utopian ideology, it is able to brainwash many of weaker native citizens against their own interests.

Early twentieth century fascism was a response to Bolshevism and communism. Germans and other Europeans knew that ethnic Russians were being slaughtered by Bolshevik and communist outsiders in the Soviet Union and were worried about the same happening in their own nations, so they turned to ethnic nationalism to rid their homelands of these powerful agitators.

WWII was fought to destroy this and any sense of ethnic nationalism within the West, and communists have been in charge ever since to varying degrees. After the Red Scare, the US had its own soft Bolshevik revolution in the 1960s which brought these people to media/academic/cultural power, though they have reached the heights of political power only relatively recently. OTOH, Russia was finally able to rid itself of these influences after the SU collapsed and since then have regained control over of its national interests and restored its sense of identity.

Fascism and totalitarianism are NOT “far-right ideologies”; they are bogeyman terms meant to scare and shame Western people against acting in favor of their own group interests. That many believe the opposite is proof of the effectiveness of the left’s outright control over the propaganda war for the past ~50 years. Socialism and communism are leftist ideologies and they are designed to weaken people and make them dependent on the ever-expanding state.

The left has almost total control over the West now and are using this power to destroy European nations and identity and marginalize any who oppose them. Since the enemy of the left is nationalism based on ethnic identity, they want to crush any potential backlash completely by flooding the West with foreigners. This latest flood will likely be the catalyst for the sea change against the left and will hopefully usher in a return to national ethnic identity, which will be necessary to restore European homelands to their natural state and protect the native peoples against displacement.

The left has dug its own grave anyway by relying on fake debt-money to build up its bureaucratic web of control; the rot has already set in and it is only a matter of time before its own system collapses on itself.
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Leon



Joined: 31 May 2010

PostPosted: Sat Oct 24, 2015 4:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Are you an American Thinker street teamer now?
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Leon



Joined: 31 May 2010

PostPosted: Sat Oct 24, 2015 4:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Swartz wrote:
The post-world war(s) historical narrative we’re taught throughout our lives is largely inaccurate. The “Right” is the natural state of a homogeneous society, one that protects its values, culture, and breeding spaces. The “Left,” in the modern sense, is an outside force that corrupts that culture and undermines the native population. But since leftism functions as a utopian ideology, it is able to brainwash many of weaker native citizens against their own interests.

Early twentieth century fascism was a response to Bolshevism and communism. Germans and other Europeans knew that ethnic Russians were being slaughtered by Bolshevik and communist outsiders in the Soviet Union and were worried about the same happening in their own nations, so they turned to ethnic nationalism to rid their homelands of these powerful agitators.

WWII was fought to destroy this and any sense of ethnic nationalism within the West, and communists have been in charge ever since to varying degrees. After the Red Scare, the US had its own soft Bolshevik revolution in the 1960s which brought these people to media/academic/cultural power, though they have reached the heights of political power only relatively recently. OTOH, Russia was finally able to rid itself of these influences after the SU collapsed and since then have regained control over of its national interests and restored its sense of identity.

Fascism and totalitarianism are NOT “far-right ideologies”; they are bogeyman terms meant to scare and shame Western people against acting in favor of their own group interests. That many believe the opposite is proof of the effectiveness of the left’s outright control over the propaganda war for the past ~50 years. Socialism and communism are leftist ideologies and they are designed to weaken people and make them dependent on the ever-expanding state.

The left has almost total control over the West now and are using this power to destroy European nations and identity and marginalize any who oppose them. Since the enemy of the left is nationalism based on ethnic identity, they want to crush any potential backlash completely by flooding the West with foreigners. This latest flood will likely be the catalyst for the sea change against the left and will hopefully usher in a return to national ethnic identity, which will be necessary to restore European homelands to their natural state and protect the native peoples against displacement.

The left has dug its own grave anyway by relying on fake debt-money to build up its bureaucratic web of control; the rot has already set in and it is only a matter of time before its own system collapses on itself.


I am a white, upper middle class man, with a foreign wife who can (probably) easily work in many places in the world and be succesful. What is my group interest? Please let me know so I can act accordingly.
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Swartz



Joined: 19 Dec 2014

PostPosted: Sat Oct 24, 2015 5:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Leon wrote:
I am a white, upper middle class man


I’m happy to hear that. Congratulations on your success, Leon. You can act however you want, it’s no matter to me. Many came before you though, so perhaps you should consider what they went through to construct an environment which is able to provide you with the opportunities to achieve such success.
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Coltronator



Joined: 04 Dec 2013

PostPosted: Sat Oct 24, 2015 6:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sweden is so reactionary, man that hell hole needs to be bombed off the face of the earth. Damn pinkos ruining everything with clean air, smug education for all ruining the minds of twenty somethings with liberal bias. They even help make sure that people on hard times have help.... They help people with the money of others. Disgusting!
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sirius black



Joined: 04 Jun 2010

PostPosted: Sat Oct 24, 2015 10:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The right uses this as a scare tactic. Ultra liberalism has never been a doctrine adopted widely.
They will use some place like SF or Santa Monica which may have some kooky law such as pet owners having to be called guardians instead of the 'oppressive' word owner as evidence America is going to look like the world in the book 'The Giver' when in fact, its the fringe right that we have to save ourselves from and have far, far more power. Even historically, the know nothing party of the late 1800s had many mayors, state legislatures and even governors and influenced an election.
Things we now accept as right and fair such as women voting in 1919 or blacks being able to vote in the deep south were argued as a ultra liberal.
Gay marriage is now.

Europe was labled as 'socialist' knowing Americans didn't travel, Americans would take their word for it.
If Americans did actually travel to Sweden or South Korea in any large numbers and see what was out there, we would turn our back on much of conservative doctrine.
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trueblue



Joined: 15 Jun 2014
Location: In between the lines

PostPosted: Sun Oct 25, 2015 7:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Liberalism appears to be an easy mask for other forces/ideologies to hide behind.
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trueblue



Joined: 15 Jun 2014
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 25, 2015 7:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Swartz, if the pure meaning of fascism is the merger of state and corporate power, what takes it off tbe far-right line?
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Who's Your Daddy?



Joined: 30 May 2010
Location: Victoria, Canada.

PostPosted: Sun Oct 25, 2015 1:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

sirius black wrote:

If Americans did actually travel to Sweden or South Korea in any large numbers and see what was out there, we would turn our back on much of conservative doctrine.


I understand what you wrote in relation to Sweden, but why South Korea?
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Swartz



Joined: 19 Dec 2014

PostPosted: Sun Oct 25, 2015 3:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Who's Your Daddy? wrote:
sirius black wrote:

If Americans did actually travel to Sweden or South Korea in any large numbers and see what was out there, we would turn our back on much of conservative doctrine.


I understand what you wrote in relation to Sweden


It is incredible how misinformed people become when they receive their news from the liberal news media. Sweden is not your bastion of liberal success anymore, friends. It was the ultimate guinea pig and is the farthest along in the experiment, and is also on the brink of collapse. It’s estimated that a quarter to a third of Sweden’s population is now comprised of foreigners. Malmo, Sweden’s third largest city, is a Muslim dumping ground with soaring crime rates, riots, no-go zones, and regular hand grenade attacks against police and businesses, and many of the Swedes have fled. Oh, you haven’t read about that in HuffPo? How surprising. This is why the Swedish Democrats, the nationalist party that is constantly ridiculed in the media as racist “Nazis”, is now the most popular political party.

In order to survive in climates like Sweden, an altruistic social structure was absolutely necessary and straying from the group meant certain death. So Scandinavians and other N. European groups evolved to be exceedingly open and welcoming. However, this dynamic has been hijacked, and now, due to constant propaganda, being stigmatized as racist means committing social suicide; though, by bringing in third world savages who share none of those social properties or value systems, in order to not stray from the groupthink, the nation commits cultural suicide.

Short clip about the causes of Sweden's suicide that should be watched by everyone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFE0qAiofMQ

Podcast with heretical Swedes on the impending collapse: http://www.redicecreations.com/radio/2015/10/RIR-151023.php

trueblue wrote:
Swartz, if the pure meaning of fascism is the merger of state and corporate power, what takes it off tbe far-right line?


Jonah Goldberg misappropriated the term “Liberal Fascism” but it can be aptly applied here. That’s essentially what the West is experiencing.
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Leon



Joined: 31 May 2010

PostPosted: Sun Oct 25, 2015 4:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Swartz wrote:
Who's Your Daddy? wrote:
sirius black wrote:

If Americans did actually travel to Sweden or South Korea in any large numbers and see what was out there, we would turn our back on much of conservative doctrine.


I understand what you wrote in relation to Sweden


It is incredible how misinformed people become when they receive their news from the liberal news media. Sweden is not your bastion of liberal success anymore, friends. It was the ultimate guinea pig and is the farthest along in the experiment, and is also on the brink of collapse. It’s estimated that a quarter to a third of Sweden’s population is now comprised of foreigners. Malmo, Sweden’s third largest city, is a Muslim dumping ground with soaring crime rates, riots, no-go zones, and regular hand grenade attacks against police and businesses, and many of the Swedes have fled. Oh, you haven’t read about that in HuffPo? How surprising. This is why the Swedish Democrats, the nationalist party that is constantly ridiculed in the media as racist “Nazis”, is now the most popular political party.

In order to survive in climates like Sweden, an altruistic social structure was absolutely necessary and straying from the group meant certain death. So Scandinavians and other N. European groups evolved to be exceedingly open and welcoming. However, this dynamic has been hijacked, and now, due to constant propaganda, being stigmatized as racist means committing social suicide; though, by bringing in third world savages who share none of those social properties or value systems, in order to not stray from the groupthink, the nation commits cultural suicide.

Short clip about the causes of Sweden's suicide that should be watched by everyone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFE0qAiofMQ

Podcast with heretical Swedes on the impending collapse: http://www.redicecreations.com/radio/2015/10/RIR-151023.php

trueblue wrote:
Swartz, if the pure meaning of fascism is the merger of state and corporate power, what takes it off tbe far-right line?


Jonah Goldberg misappropriated the term “Liberal Fascism” but it can be aptly applied here. That’s essentially what the West is experiencing.


How about we make a bet. I bet you $5 imaginary dollars that Sweden will not actually collapse- game?
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Leon



Joined: 31 May 2010

PostPosted: Sun Oct 25, 2015 4:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Swartz wrote:
Leon wrote:
I am a white, upper middle class man


I’m happy to hear that. Congratulations on your success, Leon. You can act however you want, it’s no matter to me. Many came before you though, so perhaps you should consider what they went through to construct an environment which is able to provide you with the opportunities to achieve such success.


Isn't that a liberal meme- the whole you didn't build this thing? I am aware of what came before me, in terms of thousands of years of social development in Europe and now a very (relatively) brief time in America. The world is changing, and there is little you can do about it. Of course this has always been the case, throughout history.

Swartz wrote:
The “Right” is the natural state of a homogeneous society, one that protects its values, culture, and breeding spaces.



These must be very frightening times for you, but you do not really need as much Lebensraum as you think. Have you ever considered that you may be, just totally, wrong? It's a liberating thing, try it, seriously. I suggest it to anyone who is too sure of themselves and their ideology.
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Swartz



Joined: 19 Dec 2014

PostPosted: Sun Oct 25, 2015 4:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Leon wrote:
These must be very frightening times for you, but you do not really need as much Lebensraum as you think. Have you ever considered that you may be, just totally, wrong? It's a liberating thing, try it, seriously. I suggest it to anyone who is too sure of themselves and their ideology.


What you must understand, Leon, is that I viewed the world from your lens for a very long time. I’m all too aware of both sides here. We are enculturated into that mode of thinking, and most have very little choice in the matter since it is presented to us in terms of moral obligations and historical correctness. However, it is the side *I* am on that *you* know very little of, since you have been socialized into thinking people who speak like me are the enemy. But it is not as frightening as you may think, because knowing both sides allows you to see ten steps ahead, to know where all of this is going, more or less. Having said all that, I can assure you, this the side the truth is on.
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