----- Original Message ----- From: "Doug Henwood" <dhenwood at panix.com> To: <lbo-talk at lists.panix.com> Sent: Wednesday, May 29, 2002 12:47 PM Subject: Re: Vidal interview - available now!
: R wrote:
:
: >great interview, doug.
:
: Thanks. I wish I'd pressed him harder on his softness on the
: Euro-right. Just before we started recording, I heard that Pim
: Fortuyn had been shot. I told Vidal that - he hadn't heard - and his
: first comment was, "Must have been a homophobe."
a natural response for vidal. and probably true, with a mix of politics and lunacy.
He continued, saying
: that he was a pretty good guy, etc. In the interview, he explained
: the rise of the Euro-right as a reaction against U.S. power and a
: symptom of anxieety over national identity. That's kind of creepy.
vidal is deeply concerned about the future of the US, as he makes clear in the interview. i would agree with the part about national identity. for example, the influx of immigrants into euro white society is creating pressures and changes they've never deal with before and don't see. their ideas of racism are white centered: the french vs the english is "racism." they don't quite grasp the "real" racism between races that we understand to a degree in the US. these societies are the white homelands, unused to being unable to control the world, and not too happy watching the US doing the controling.
the desabilizing effect of US power on europe has been evident since the end of WW II. only the few benefit from US dominated institutions like NATO. the appreciation europeans had for the sacrifice of US soldiers during WW II quickly faded as the marshal (martial) plan entered europe with strings attached regarding what kind of politics and social institutions "free" europe could practice. the US practice of the cold war made fascism and dictatorship once again acceptable world wide after a brief hiatus during WW II.
i'd say the rise of the McVeigh type of US fascism is partly a reaction to US govt abuses, and the identity crisis of a people reacting to the fact the US govt has removed americans from consideration in all its actions. seen in this aspect, it's not hard to understand the same type of thing happening in europe.
one can't be soft on fascism. but one can understand where its coming from and ponder what to do about it in a society where the ruling class controls nearly everything.
: And he was way too soft on Buchanan too.
that's a shame. would have been interesting to know his biases in this regard. perhaps he sees the patriotic, populist side of pat and isn't bothering with the buchanan fascism since it's not as significant to vidal's perception of the "big picture" -- just as shrubs being an idiot didn't carry much weight in vidal's thinking since shrub is only a puppet and a symptom. i loved the description of shrub's state of the union speech as baby talk.
He waw pretty taken aback
: when I mentioned that neo-Nazi Tom Metzger was selling a videotape of
: one of his lectures - that's apparent not only in the interview, but
: he brought it up again later as he was leaving.
apparently vidal's worse fears about the future of the US being realized. without a viable left wing, and with a propaganda machine pumping fascist manure down the american people's throats morning noon and nite, the reaction of the US public to their frustrations over the destruction of the "american dream" and their being frozen out of the system could well take a fascist turn when it finally bursts out. dangerous for all of us.
:
: >what time is your WBAI show?
:
: Thursdays, 5-6 PM NYC time. Tomorow's guests are Bill Wolman & Anne
: Colamosca, authors of The Great 401(k) hoax, and Judith Levine,
: author of Harmful to Minors, the scandal-causing book about kids and
: sex.
:
: Doug
:
thanks, doug. will be listening in over the net out here on the west coast.
R