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Great read
Enigma
Member UncommonPosts: 11,384
I would recommend anyone to read this book. I couldn't put the book down. Really great read for the history buffs too!
www.amazon.com/Liberal-Fascism-American-Mussolini-Politics/dp/0385511841/ref=pd_ts_b_6
enjoy!
And for the liberals...flame away! lol
People who have to create conspiracy and hate threads to further a cause lacks in intellectual comprehension of diversity.
Comments
Hmm. That's a pretty interesting argument, I might just pick this up.
Fascism is a buzzword filled with emotional connotations that has been thrown around so much in modern society that it has lost its historical contextual meaning, indeed most historians limit it specifically to the post-World War I governments of Europe that practiced it for that very reason. Most people that use the word don't know what it means in the slightest (Islamic Fascism sic.).
Trying to compare modern liberalism to fascism is just as ridiculous and pointless as claiming George Bush has led America down the road to fascism. Both are meaningless comparisons.
I don't think anyone would object more to being compared to socialists than the Nazis themselves, who actually despised socialism. Fascism IS collectivist and populist so in that way it does share similarities with communism and socialism (universal health care etc.). This is largely because Fascism rose up as being OPPOSED to communism (especially in Italy and Germany where fear of communist takeover was high), as a way of attracting the working class away from communism. It was collectivist but for the STATE and not the PEOPLE. Trying to say Nazism was really a liberal ideology shows a profound ignorance of what liberalism really is (hint, it's misused in modern American politics most Democrats are not really liberals but rather much closer to social democrats), and a profound ignorance of what fascism and National Socialism are.
I'm sorry, but as a student of history nothing sickens me more than seeing ignorant political pundits trying to twist history to score partisan points. I've said as much about the America: Freedom to Fascism fools too.
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Life sucks, buy a helmet.
Fascism is a buzzword filled with emotional connotations that has been thrown around so much in modern society that it has lost its historical contextual meaning,
Thats exactly the author's point. Liberals has used it in an emotional meaning to compare conservatives to Facism when they dont know the historical context of it.
I'm sorry, but as a student of history nothing sickens me more than seeing ignorant political pundits trying to twist history to score partisan points. I've said as much about the America: Freedom to Fascism fools too.
You may be a student of history but I would be considered a Master of history. I have a Ph.D. in history from Princeton. I couldn't put this book down because the author nailed the philosophy, history, and definition of facism so many times.
But, I understand liberals and where they come from. They're kinda funny to look at. But anyways, you hate the context of the book without reading it. That's your choice.
People who have to create conspiracy and hate threads to further a cause lacks in intellectual comprehension of diversity.
Fascism is a buzzword filled with emotional connotations that has been thrown around so much in modern society that it has lost its historical contextual meaning,
Thats exactly the author's point. Liberals has used it in an emotional meaning to compare conservatives to Facism when they dont know the historical context of it.
That I do agree with, and in that way I suppose it could be considered a satirical book. But it seems as though the author is trying to pass it off as a serious thesis (the smiley face Hitler notwithstanding).
I'm sorry, but as a student of history nothing sickens me more than seeing ignorant political pundits trying to twist history to score partisan points. I've said as much about the America: Freedom to Fascism fools too.
You may be a student of history but I would be considered a Master of history. I have a Ph.D. in history from Princeton. I couldn't put this book down because the author nailed the philosophy, history, and definition of facism so many times.
But, I understand liberals and where they come from. They're kinda funny to look at. But anyways, you hate the context of the book without reading it. That's your choice.
I seriously doubt the validity of the author's argument just based on the publisher's summary. I think you'll agree with me that the 14 points of Fascism presented in (edit: My bad, it wasn't Freedom to Fascism, it was Fascism Anyone?) are ridiculous at best...you can't make a legitimate comparison or argument in that way. Saying "6. Suppressing the Media" is a sign of Fascism is as ridiculous as saying "Liberals support universal health care, fascists support universal health care, therefore liberals must be fascists". It doesn't matter how many comparisons are made because in the end fascism has a specific meaning that "liberals" do not adhere to.
Anyway, true liberals would be opposed to many of the things attributed to the socialists in the Democratic party including universal health care. Any legitimate scholarly work would have to take that into consideration before naming their book "Fascist Liberals" (or "Liberal Fascism" for that matter
).
But I'll go with your idea though that it's just a satirical work meant to smear Democrats. After all, turnabout is fair play.
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Life sucks, buy a helmet.
I plan to buy that book asap. Looks good.
I have the same feeling. Seems attractive to me.