While I could probably guess this distinction without actually reading it in Strauss, what I was getting at wasn't entirely a smear. Within the US social and political context, elitism per se is very nearly equivalent to racism. Whenever I sense the former, I tend to suspect the latter. But your right, they are not the same, say Powell and Rice for example are elitist and profoundly anti-democratic.
``..There's book by a Canadian scholar, Shadia Drury, LEO STRAUSS AND THE AMERICAN RIGHT, that will save you a lot of agony reading..'' Justin
Thanks Justin. I will look it up.
``..Maybe it was because he was a nerdy little Jewish guy..'' Justin.
Yeah, I thought of that. I also thought or suspected maybe Strauss was one of those traditional Jewish guys who got heavy handed or paternalistic in their pursuit of pussy. Arendt might have thought he was graceless and crude. But it is funny to think she was rolling over for Heidegger at near the same time. Young-Bruhle had her problems trying to define the relationship between Arendt and Heidegger and so this Strauss business might have been part of that difficulty. I don't think Young-Bruhle understood how Arendt could have fallen for Heidegger, and I think I can understand it---it turns on the seduction and power of poetry and ideas which takes a very romantic mind to see. Okay, I admit it. It takes a guy who has used a similar line to see how well it works.
``...It's not productive to throw about Nazi/fascist as all-purpose epithets for view we don't like...'' Justin
I know it's not productive. But there is some serious affinity going on there. They have a kind of subliminal link. I do think some hint of that linkage explains the latent racism that seems to pervade Bush's bridge between the East Coast elitist crew and the Southern bible belt crew. Racism is everywhere disguised as policy points, against affirmative action, against multi-cultural and bilingual education, roll backs in civil rights, public education, public sector development, etc. etc. There is also the matter of support for Sharon, Israel and the South African apartheid parallels.
I swear to god, those neocons have a pair of lighting SS pins in a back drawer somewhere.
I guess I think of all these sorts of ideas and policies as something like different critters within the same family of creatures. Maybe that's a better way to put it.
Chuck Grimes