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From: lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org on behalf of Doug Henwood Sent: Sun 2/21/2010 3:06 PM To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] Fascism, right-wing populism,and contemporary research
On Feb 21, 2010, at 10:51 AM, Chip Berlet wrote:
> Fascist social movements are typified by an apparent ideological
> lack of a coherent ideology--full of "passionate intensity."
So fascist social movements don't necessarily lead to fascism, except in the few instances that they did?
This use of the word "fascism" is mystifyingly promiscuous.
>>>>But a right-wing populist movement that is embacing core aspects of fascism is far more destructive to society especially to the target scapegoats than one this is not. That's what is important to analyze. As I said before, I don't expect the TP movement to become a full-blown fascist movement or seize state power. What I am saying is that when right-wing populist movements began to flirt with fascist memes, the number of people who suffer as scapegoats increases. Not people like us, Doug...people not like us.
As I've said here about 40 times, the Tea Baggers have a lot in common with more than a century of right-wing petty bourgeois American populism. So did the militia movement of the 1990s
>>>>>Yes, and the fact that there was a large militia movement helped fuel the murders by John Salvi and the OKC bombing by McVeigh. It also rolled back or blocked the work of rural progressive organizers for almost a decade.
(which, by the way, sort of met its end via Tim McVeigh, so seeing him as the culmination of the thing is somewhat strange).
>>>Actually, the militia movement continued to grow for a few more years after the OKC bombing. Another liberal myth stomped on. In addition, McVeigh had moved through the militia movement and ended up in a neonazi cell that blew up the OKC federal building to try to move the right-wing populist militia movement from reformism into an insurgent stance. A little spark will start a prairie fire? Seldom works, but people die. Not a small thing to shrug off as histrionics.
American political history is full of crazy right-wing shit. Why get so unusually exercised about it? It's a chronic affliction, about which we can do...what exactly?
>>>>Recognize that people get hurt, policies go backwards, and then try to analyze what to do to minimize the damage for people who, unlike us, are not awash in privilege and skills.
But the word "fascism" is great for attracting attention, that's for sure.
>>>>Doug, I don't think I would be invited to write about neofascism for serious scholarly publications if I was just another panic-peddlig oaf.
-cb
Doug ___________________________________ http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk