[lit-ideas] The new fascism
- From: atri2715@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (at)
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 6 Nov 2004 18:02:43 -0500
>Religion in America is the new fascism: a cult based on fear, chauvinism, and
>perpetual war
>against its enemies. Those enemies arise from its own psychological and
>emotional depths.
>
Religious fundamentalism casts a shadow on the future of liberal democracy.
Tris is true. It is also the case that American-style liberal tolerance
allows religious belief to go by unquestioned in civic argumentation. We
lack a secularist tradition in this country. This is a serious problem.
But religion is not the only self-delusion either. The liberal belief that,
say, infinite liberty (laissez-faire) is conducive to happiness and human
dignity is another problem. There are others.
>Forget studying the Nazi of 50 years ago and whether Heidegger was a Nazi and
>the Six
>Million. Let's study the USA today. Let's see how fascism grows. Let's watch
>where this will
>go.
It happens like this. The blueprint is always the same. Fundamentalist
agendas make use of liberal society to undermine liberal society from
within. Liberalism cannot articulate values and meaning, other than
laissez-faire. The fundamentalists step in and provide those values and
people just embrace them, because nobody wants to feel empty and confused.
Look, common sense and decency are the only solution, and they cannot be
legislated. A lack of fanaticism, a sense of measure, helps. This country
right now seems to have these things in short supply, for whatever reason.
The fundamentalists are dangerous, but the radical gestures of the
ultra-liberal culture warriors are a big distraction. It's like the nazis
and the communists fighting in the Weimar republic while the political
center gradually disappeared.
Take care,
Alex T
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