permissiveness: the cause of terrorism

[Gordon Fitch]

Max Sawicky:
> In re: the right-wing radio talkers --
>
> Their way of constantly trying to vilify people on grounds of their
> political beliefs makes me want to classify them as proto-fascist.
> It's fine to rant about Ted Kennedy, obsess about Hillary, or complain
> about the Washington Post, but
> on these stations I've noticed there is a real drumbeat about
> people who aren't public figures but simply have certain relatively
> pedestrian views.  On the shows I've heard, you can also detect
> euphemisms "New Yorkers" or "anti-christian bigots" that have
> an anti-semitic (broadly speaking) undertone.  Lately a lot of
> talk about the alleged special affinity of Islam for violence against
> non-believers.  I mentioned that in the Kensington case, one of
> them announced a jewish family's address over the air.  There's
> an underlying or overt incitement to social sanction, if not violence,
> against the bad people.  To me that verges on fascism because
> it goes to extra-parliamentary violence that is motivated by some
> popular sectarian prejudice. -- mbs

I think the class system inherent in liberalism pretty much
ensures social forces which will show up -- resonate -- as
racism, nationalism, imperialism, classism, xenophobia, sexism,
and so forth -- the whole ratbag of organized fear, hate and
greed.  That is, there is a fairly direct connection between
NPR and right-wing talk radio, and there is no reason to
talk about the latter as some kind of separate phenomenon.

I was by accident listening to NPR the other day after being
away from any form of establishment media a long, long time,
and my first reaction was that it sounded like my fantasy of
Radio Berlin 1936.  It depicted a world full of unruly lower
orders and demonic, mostly improperly-pigmented evil men who
would soon be straightened out by American power "deciding
where to strike next and what to strike with"[1]; and then,
as if by miracle, "Silent Night" came on.  I mentioned this
to the owner of the radio, and she said she knew what I meant,
but maybe she was just humoring me.

-- Gordon

[1] Tennessee Williams, "The Knightly Quest" (1965; some
things don't change, eh?)