Provincial idiocy

[fpb]

MEMO: To all American conservatives.

If you want to get anywhere with anyone, you have to get the hell out of your own ignorance comfort zone. To wit, you have to stop talking as though everything that can be called socialism must, by that alone, be the same thing as the perversions of Lenin and Mao. Every European democracy has experienced decades of Socialist (Social Democrat or Labour, if you prefer) rule, and while I have nothing but contempt for such people as Zapatero of Spain or the Norwegian Labour Party, only the most moronic of ignorami could possibly equate them with the murderous rabble that tore Russia apart long ago and feasted upon Cambodia's blood. That sort of talk, which is universal in American conservative circles, makes it simpy impossible for Americans to understand Europe; even those among us who voted for Berlusconi, Merkel, Sarkozy or Aznar would laugh in the face of any American who insisted - as you people happily insist to each other, taking irresponsible pleasure in reinforcing each other's ignorance and prejudice - that even Zapatero is anything comparable to a tyrant. Worse still if, God help you, you take the suggestions I have seriously seen them waved about the blogosphere, that tyrants such as Salazar or Pinochet are better than democratically elected socialists - even if incompetent. If you insist on this sort of talk, I can promise you that you will remain nothing but bogeymen and hate figures to all Europeans, including conservatives, and most if not all citizens of democratic countries from India to Japan and from Argentina to Canada. America is the only democracy in the world in which it is assumed that a socialist cannot be a democrat. This is an instance, not of democracy, but of provinciality and groupthink. And I do not have to have any sympathy for socialists to say so: all I need is a little common sense.

Comments

[sanscouronne.livejournal.com]

This is a timely post. Yesterday I tried in vain to explain to my mother that Obama is not a socialist, but more a social democrat, and that socialism is not quite descriptive of the current policy of the administration.

That being said, I disagree with your assertion that all/most conservatives conflate social democratic practices with socialism/communism. Unfortunately, the most vociferous opponents of the administration will often do this, and moreover, will gain the most media attention. There are, however, those who are economically liberal AND believe in evolution (etc.), and have a coherent argument against the institution of a European-style welfare state here in the U.S.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

As I said, I disapprove of most of what Obama is trying to do - except for the institution of a national health service, for which, if you remember, I have repeatedly argued. My point is not that he is a hero of freedom, but that what he is doing is perfectly within the range of democratic politics, the politics of free countries, and that it is mere demagoguery built on provincial ignorance to argue otherwise. As you very well know.