Chicago Bungalow: Here's Something for Every American!

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Here's Something for Every American!

If you feel your American History class failed you - this will help.

1 comment:

DaMav said...: What a superb video. As an American Studies major waaaaay back in the day, I devoured American history and have continued to read about it throughout my adult life, although my eyesight makes reading a book a struggle these days.

The first thing the video lays out is the "false political spectrum" which is routinely taught in high school and college history & poli sci courses: that on the far left is communism, and on the far right fascism. This is flat out incorrect, unhelpful, and misleading, but serves an important purpose to the left. It "equalizes the evil" in the mind of the student, and balances out extremism. Yet fascism and communism share the feature of an extremely strong government directing the lives of the populace. How can they be opposites when this is the essence of both?

As I twittered to you this evening, Jonah Goldberg does a good job of exploring this theme in "Liberal Fascism". I learned a great deal struggling (eyesight) through about 2/3 of the book to date, including for example the popularity of Mussolini among key elements of the left in America. Goldberg does not use the book to try to rhetorically bash liberals as Nazis, but to carefully explore the similiarities of the strong and directing central authority and rule by experts that are common to both.

It's a bit verbose imo, but full of knowledge and I recommend it to anyone with better eyes than mine :-)
http://www.amazon.com/Liberal-Fascism-American-Mussolini-Politics/dp/0385511841

With respect to @ChicagoBungalow
DaMav; 3:30 AM

Post a Comment

We love to hear your thoughts! However, comments containing profuse profanity, inane insults (unless they're entertaining), or anything else that makes us cranky may disappear.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)