Chris Hedges, the Pulitzer prize winning writer and author of American Fascists stopped by The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos to disuss his latest release. The former New York Yimes correspondent compares the U.S. christian right to 20th century fascism.

I haven't read this, but his book War Is A Force That Gives Us Meaning was amazing.

He was one of those reporters who bounced around the world covering wars first hand, and there's a section in that book about how wounded soldiers who are in the frenzy of their death throws instinctively call out for their mothers...which absolutely broke my heart.

Wow, can't remember last time one of my vids was published this fast.

I spent a lot of time in Germany in college.. they are very sensitive/adverse to nationalism (Nationalismus), the flying of flags and patriotic rah-rah..they've seen what it can lead to.

I have to pick this book up. Another book that examines the religious/political right is John Dean's "Conservatives Without Conscience". Dean's perspective is that of a traditional conservative Republican looking at the Neo-Cons and their authoritarianism.

The "Religious Right" is a false construct of liberals, addressing a group that is both hard to define and which votes more independently than other demographics.

Christian voters are fairly evenly divided among Republicans, Democrats and independents.

Has Hedges--an obvious utopian socialist--ever heard of islamofacism? Because Falwell's and Robertson's followers aren't sawing the heads off journalists.

Compared to the agenda of the radical left, a fellow believing dinosaur bones were "planted by the Devil" seems quaint by comparison.

Ah, QM's idee fixe is the pursuit of a pyrrhic victory against a fabricated entity of the GOP word press.

I don't think that Pat Robertson and his ilk have the intelligence to pull something like this off. Granted he makes some good comparisons between Italy and some parts of rural America. He is mainly talking about the fundamentalists irrationality when it comes to government policy.

"an obvious Utopian socialist" Ahhh were did that come from? Seriously were did that come from? He made no mention of the workers in control of the means of production or the perfect society construct. This is called Ad Homonym. Attack the man and not the idea. This is a logical fallacy. Meaning it fails at basic logic and is not a sound argument.

http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/


But its something to think about.

"When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.”

Sinclair Lewis

Edit
QM you also used 2 more logical fallacies.

Appeal to fear and Red Herring.

... I think the man's point is that a large group connected in part by the open desire to impose their morality with laws and simultaneously teach mythology in place of established fundamental knowledge has been gaining in political importance, and we should be afraid (hence the loaded word).

... and quantum always throws an attack at the presenter in his political post comments, so don't get so worked up about it, Tracon. I'm 95% sure he knows this, but its his thing... try to debase and muddy the argument by calling in some tangentially related point, and also pidgeon hole and categorize away the person as some socialist/commie. Sucks that quantum didn't give the effort of making fun of the guy's name... Prick Sledges? Crap Ledges? Priss Dredges?... those are usually my favorite part.


The real discussion to be had here (as far as I can see) is whether a book like this serves to stoke the flames of divisiveness more than it helps in the understanding of fellow Americans (or fellow humans, for those abroad). As its written by a graduate of a school of divinity, I'm inclined to think that it could be pretty fair.

Winkler1 is right, over here in Germany Fascism is a very well-aware topic, especialy in all types of schools etc. The German "intellectual" press (dunno the word, opposite of yellow press) currently also widely covers the question of such tendencies in the United States. Besides the Anti-Americanism that has become "fancy" worldwide, this is a very serious topic that surely needs to be watched closely.

My Grandparents lived in a facist state under Hitler and i can tell you: Their stories how it all began sound incredibly familiar when i witness some of the things happening in the US today.

Very serious issue...

I loved the Hedges war book as well, but I fear that he may be fearmongering in the most empty way in the new book.

He seems to paint a picture of psychological and economic devastation along with a crippled Progressive movement in America during the 'Aughts that has served only to boost the fortunes of the evangelical 'fascists'. But the Hedges' fascists have been around an awfully long time, from Billy Sunday to Billy Graham to Jimmy Swaggart to Jerry Falwell to Ralph Reed to Robertson/Dobson, from Black Baptists to White Southern Baptists. And there haven't been forced re-locations and mass exterminations (yet).

Like his counterparts in the Bush White House and on the Right, Hedges now finds America particularly vulnerable to attack and control from the fascist Other. It is empty when Cheney does it and I find it equally vacuous when Hedges does it.

If anything, the Dobsonite Right in America is equivalent to something like Hamas (provides social services and a lot of angry rhetoric) and not Hitler or Mussolini or Al Qaeda. I also think that the conflation of the neocons with the Christianist is a bit of a mistake, though their interests are certainly convergent now. Although Hedges backs away from the direct Italian fascism, Spanish fascism, and German fascism comparisons in interviews, his 'generalized' theoretical fascism that he prefers (ivory tower fascism) is a construct without a sound historical anchor. Or a boogeyman in the closet.

But it is a very good fight to incite and I am glad Hedges is taking it on. Certainly, the Christianists are far more interested in crippling the judicial branch than they have been historically.

Rickegee -

There's a name for the fearmongerer -

anxiety pimp.

Sc

Hey, QM - doesn't pretty much everything look better in comparison to beheadings?
How long you gonna keep using that chestnut to avoid discussing the subject at hand?

- Paul Bremer lost $8 billion dollars meant for Iraq - but at least he's never beheaded anyone!
- Douglas Feith cherry-picked intelligence on orders from Bush to link al Qaeda to Iraq, just like we all knew he did - but at least he's never beheaded anyone!
- Dick Cheney tried taking someone's head off with a shotgun, but he only wounded him and almost gave him a heart attack.

Clear, concise, and well thought out. Things you won't find when listening to so called religious "leaders" as they call for others to "take him out" while talking about leaders of other countries.

viz a viz Robertson and Chavez

This was on CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corp.) -- what do you think the chances are that Hedges will get a media book tour in the States?

Many of Eco's list of facist qualifiers (http://www.pegc.us/archive/Articles/eco_ur-fascism.pdf) that Hedges mentions towards the beginning of this interview truly can be seen in segments of the American populace. By no means is he suggesting that they are a dominant force, but it can't be denied that in the vast majority of those fifteen qualifiers Eco identifies are visibly present in American mainstream society and given validity by their mere presense in the mass media.

Hedges was on Colbert the other night. Certainly the fact that he's American, Harvard-educated and was a NYTimes reporter makes him credible. I agree with phelixian, he puts his thoughts across very well.

There are MP3 interviews at the bottom of the wikipedia page.

QuantumMushroom couldn't be more right. No one listens to Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson. You think they have some kind of influence in today's politics, please. Paranoia at its finest folks. Hedges is obviously reporting from a position and its not in the middle or the right. He said this is the most intolerant Christian sect? I think he must of grown up in a church under a rock somewhere. Sure the 1950s were REALLY tolerant. Does anyone know how left leaning the people are who give out the Pulitzers?

grrr.... *dead

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