Q: What is conservatism?Go read the whole thing. Here are a few notes:
A: Conservatism is the domination of society by an aristocracy.
Q: What is wrong with conservatism?
A: Conservatism is incompatible with democracy, prosperity, and civilization in general. It is a destructive system of inequality and prejudice that is founded on deception and has no place in the modern world.
Characteristics of conservatism: deference to and dependence on to social superiors is natural and good; conservation of institutions is good [at least those institutions that maintain aristocratic power]; disdain for democracy, the true opposite of conservatism (not wishy-washy liberalism); freedom is good as long as the lower classes know their place [else violent repression is regretably needed--law and order, you know; break Victor Jara's fingers for good measure--he'll never play his rabble-rousing guitar again]
How conservatism works:
To impose its order on society, conservatism must destroy civilization. In particular conservatism must destroy conscience, democracy, reason, and language.I will post more on each of these with fresh examples soon!
Conservatism in American history vs. the always experimental, entrepeneurial nature of democracy. Agre concludes with his prescription for how to defeat conservatism. An outline:
- Rebut conservative arguments
- Benchmark the Wall Street Journal
I'd add the hippie chick pie wagon, Rush 'hubba hubba' Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Bill O'Lielly - Build a better pundit
- Say something new
- Teach logic
- Remember: Conservatism is the problem
- Critically analyze leftover conservative theories
- Ditch Marx
- Talk American
- Stop surrendering powerful words
- Tipper Gore is right: some pop culture is degrading, dehumanizing trash
- Assess the sixties
- Teach nonviolence
- Tell the taxpayers what they are getting for their money
- Make government work better for small business
- Clone George Soros
- Build the Democratic Party
Life under aristocratic domination is horrible. The United States is blessed to have little notion of what this horror is like. Europe, for example, staggered under the weight of its aristocracies for thousands of years. European aristocracies are in decline, and Europe certainly has its democratic heroes and its own dawning varieties of civilized life, and yet the psychology and institutions that the aristocracies left behind continue to make European societies rigid and blunt Europeans' minds with layers of internalized oppression. People come to America to get away from all of that. Conservatism is as alien here as it could possibly be. Only through the most comprehensive campaign of deception in human history has it managed to establish its very tentative control of the country's major political institutions. Conservatism until very recently was quite open about the fact that it is incompatible with the modern world. That is right. The modern world is a good place, and it will win.
Grounds for further research:
- Gordon Wood on the Radicalism of the American Revolution; the Creation of the American Republic
- Jacques Barzun: disdain for demotic culture
- Linda Weiss: entrepeneurism
- Jurgen Habermas: public relations for corporate power
- Ella Baker: psychology of conservatism
- John Keane: civil society as counterbalance to govt in democracy
- analysts of information and institutions:
- Thorstein Veblen
- John Commons
- Joseph Schumpeter
- Karl Polanyi
- John von Neumann
- Mark Casson
- Joseph Stiglitz
- Paul David
- Bruno Latour
- Michel Callon.
Father, let me dedicate All this year to you
In whatever earthly state You will have me be
Not from sorrow, pain, or care Freedom dare I claim;
This alone shall be my prayer: Glorify Your name.
--from New Year's Hymn by Lawrence Tuttiett, 1864 (alt.)
In whatever earthly state You will have me be
Not from sorrow, pain, or care Freedom dare I claim;
This alone shall be my prayer: Glorify Your name.
--from New Year's Hymn by Lawrence Tuttiett, 1864 (alt.)
