[lit-ideas] Marquand - not the novelist
- From: Eric <mr.eric.yost@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:31:12 -0400
On 8/15/2010 11:22 AM, Mike Geary wrote:
The U,S. often denies entry of foreign artists or performers because they
don't approve of something their country
has said or done. It's not only fascistic, it's stupid.
From my point of view it seems that Mike was employing the old hippie
definition of "fascist," (roughly "oppressive authority for its own sake
or authority robotically enforcing something with which one disagrees")
in which case he's right.
Lawrence was using a political-theory based definition of fascist*,
(roughly "authoritarian hierarchical government opposing democracy or
secular liberalism") in which case he's right.
And sure, governments do really dumb stuff. The US impounded and
destroyed Zimmermann's piano when he tried to begin his US tour. Yet all
governments do really dumb stuff by their very nature. They overreact.
They goof. They never let K get to the Castle. That's an argument for a
weak central government ... part of that perpetually unresolved dispute
between the centralized and the decentralized.
_____
MW-11th defines fascism as "a political philosophy, movement, or regime
(as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the
individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government
headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social
regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition."
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