[lit-ideas] Re: A Revolution in the USA?
- From: "Lawrence Helm" <lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2006 07:28:57 -0700
Irene criticizes me for "carrying on about the left in the U.S. undermining
the country." "There is no left," she writes and as evidence for this
strange assertion she cites Morris Berman and his book Dark Ages America. I
have never read Morris Berman and so went to Amazon com to check the book:
the following illuminating criticism of his book (did you read his book,
Irene?) describes a different viewpoint from Irene who upon hearing about it
or reading it, took it as gospel:
"Berman is the archetypal Leftist and therefore compulsive critic of the
status quo. He thrives on playing the role of silver-tongued jester to the
chronically cranky Leftist university crowd (a modern day plague teaching
our children to hate themselves and American society while demanding
`tolerance' for all other societies no matter how repulsive).
Based on Berman's canon, to be preferred over the current "dark ages" we
suffer in this country is some imaginary world of hunter/gatherer noble
savages communing with the sun and the moon and sharing their untreated
parasites with egalitarian esprit de corps (and with, apparently, no need
for the messy entanglements of modern society like regular meals, a safe
place to sleep, and the ability to walk down the street without being
kidnapped and pressed into dimitude by Islamofasists).
"That said, the man is obviously of high IQ and well spoken, and his
complaints about modern society are reflective of the things we all say to
each other when drinking beer (or sipping wine) and flipping through the
circus of reality shows and 24-hour news channels which have overpopulated
the satellite networks.
"But Berman turns social nuisances into 'empire' threatening omens. Give me
a break! America is an aggressive watchdog - not an empire. We have stopped
the spread of empire time and time again - and the world is better for it.
And we are a young society, historically speaking, and should have a long
way to go before the worming whispers of decline take on any serious
meaning.
"We ARE the world. We ARE the dream. Just look at the huge number of people
who want to come to this country from abroad - and we are the better for it.
We are becoming stronger and stronger for it.
If anything, it is people like Berman who pose the main threat to this
country. They would have our children believe that our society is not worth
preserving - not worth fighting for.
"In the end, as in the beginning, Berman is a typical malcontent and Leftist
(redundant), posing as both crier and savior. High IQ, no common sense and
angry with the world for not meeting the unrealistic demands of his ego
driven fantasies.
When Leftists like Berman decry Right-wing Christian fundamentalists as a
bane to our society (even if partially true), one can only wonder at the jaw
dropping hypocrisy of such charges.
"Berman is a Leftist fundamentalist of the highest (and lowest) order. If
anything, it is egomaniac Leftists like Berman (with their 95% monopoly
control of university humanities departments and newspapers around the
world) who are in the position, and most inclined, to destroy the
civilization which has created them. God help us all."
Morris Berman sounds a little bit about another anti-American other-worldly
anti-technology, high I-Q'd former Berkeley professor by the name of Ted
Kaczynski.
Lawrence
-----Original Message-----
From: lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Andy Amago
Sent: Monday, August 14, 2006 6:25 AM
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: A Revolution in the USA?
Morris Berman (Dark Ages America) makes the point that there is no left in
the U.S. We don't have and have never had a socialist or even social
tradition. And yes, Berman thinks Americans are apathetic, they'll vote
for any dictator who will allow them an SUV. He didn't use the words in
his talk, but essentially he says Americans are happy with bread and
circuses. It's what the Romans used to keep their people quiet. Berman
says we're one terror attack from a police state. He makes the point that
torture in this country has been written into law for the first time in our
history. Who was the author of that law? Gonzalez, the Justice
Department.
It's curious that Lawrence is always carrying on about the left in the U.S.
undermining the country. There is no left in the U.S. and never has been,
Berman says, and when something goes wrong, a mythical left is conjured up
to take the hit. Berman makes the argument that even FDR's social
policies, limited as they were, have been the cause of more consternation
and contention, and now in these Dark Ages, charities are peddled to
eliminate social programs all together. Result: Katrina. Berman also
makes the point that the American experiment started to go wrong virtually
at the turn of the 1800's. It's taken the rest of the time for this
experiment to play out, and, he says, the empire is now over.
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