To start-- I believe I told you over a month ago that you might want to consider what "left-wing" and "right-wing" mean, in an *American* context. Seeing as the explicit point of the book is that the modern *American* left are the intellectual heirs of fascism and socialism.
That said:
A particularly infuriating instance is Jonah Goldberg’s recent book pretending to show that Hitler and Mussolini were “left-wingers” – a book whose indefensible thesis has gone through bloggerdom and columnist-dom like lightning, like a spreading epidemic.
The closest to a thesis he has in the opening chapter is this: "Bill Maher to the contrary, fascism is not "when corporations become the government." Ironically, however, George Carlin's conclusion is right, though not his reasoning. If fascism does come to America, it will indeed take the form of "smiley-face fascism" --nice fascism. In fact, in many respects fascism not only is here but has been here for nearly a century. For what we call liberalism--the refurbished edifice of American Progressivism-- is in fact a descendant and manifestation of fascism. that doesn't mean it's the same thing as Nazism. Nor is it the twin of Italian Fascism. But Progressivism was a sister movement of fascism, and today's liberalism is the daughter of Progressivism. Once fouls strain the comparison and say that today's liberalism is the well-intentioned niece of European fascism. She is hardly identical to her uglier relations, but she nonetheless carries an embarrassing family resemblance that few will admit to recognizing." (first para, page 2)
Thus, he is NOT saying that Hitler and Mussolini were "right wingers"--he is saying that the modern American left drew on *them.*
The Jefferson Memorial draws very heavily on Greek buildings; that does not make it Greek.
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Date: 2008-05-25 06:28 am (UTC)That said:
A particularly infuriating instance is Jonah Goldberg’s recent book pretending to show that Hitler and Mussolini were “left-wingers” – a book whose indefensible thesis has gone through bloggerdom and columnist-dom like lightning, like a spreading epidemic.
The closest to a thesis he has in the opening chapter is this:
"Bill Maher to the contrary, fascism is not "when corporations become the government." Ironically, however, George Carlin's conclusion is right, though not his reasoning. If fascism does come to America, it will indeed take the form of "smiley-face fascism" --nice fascism. In fact, in many respects fascism not only is here but has been here for nearly a century. For what we call liberalism--the refurbished edifice of American Progressivism-- is in fact a descendant and manifestation of fascism. that doesn't mean it's the same thing as Nazism. Nor is it the twin of Italian Fascism. But Progressivism was a sister movement of fascism, and today's liberalism is the daughter of Progressivism. Once fouls strain the comparison and say that today's liberalism is the well-intentioned niece of European fascism. She is hardly identical to her uglier relations, but she nonetheless carries an embarrassing family resemblance that few will admit to recognizing." (first para, page 2)
Thus, he is NOT saying that Hitler and Mussolini were "right wingers"--he is saying that the modern American left drew on *them.*
The Jefferson Memorial draws very heavily on Greek buildings; that does not make it Greek.