Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - I Am a Liberal, But I Am Amoral ??? Compared to What?

roachboy · 03-30-2005, 09:54 AM

kma---

in certain situations, being warned that aspects of your politics present a fascist-style danger to all of us--you, me, all of us--as is the case here with anything like a claim to knowledge of absolute morality being floated from the right--from the right, not anyone else---being translated from a conceit of certain segments of a particular religious environment into mass politics---requires that one be graphic about it.

not all references to fascism are equivalent.
despite your rhetorical efforts to make them so.

as for "why "we" have godwin's law"--"we" do not have anything---there is this stupid "law" you refer to, and the effects that follow from invoking it. it is a device that you use to trivialilze associations with fascism that pertain to your politics. that's all it is. it is a way of avoiding these problems. it is a way of not addressing concerns.

in this case, more than in most others, it is obvious evasion: or perhaps you do not see any problems that might follow from this claim that the right now works from a standpoint of absolute morality, that evangelical protestant groups know what this absolute morality is, that they and they alone define it? coupled with the total intolerance of anyone and everyone who opposes them? if you have no problem with that, then say as much and defend the position--dont resort to some facile dodge.

[[caveat: not all fascism resulted in hitler. fascism is bigger than hitler--anyone who has studied it even a little is aware of that--the danger fascism poses now has to do with the formal continuities between it and aspects of contemporary conservative discourse--no-one is here equating bush and hitler, for christ's sake--there was mussolini, there was franco, there was japan in the 1930s-40s, there was peron, lots of variants....all radically nationalist, all willing to make absolute claims about elements of that nationalism, all interested in purifying the body politics, intolerant of dissent (minions of satan, dontcha know), etc.]]

03-30-2005, 09:54 AM	#20 (permalink)
roachboy Super Moderator Location: essex ma	kma--- in certain situations, being warned that aspects of your politics present a fascist-style danger to all of us--you, me, all of us--as is the case here with anything like a claim to knowledge of absolute morality being floated from the right--from the right, not anyone else---being translated from a conceit of certain segments of a particular religious environment into mass politics---requires that one be graphic about it. not all references to fascism are equivalent. despite your rhetorical efforts to make them so. as for "why "we" have godwin's law"--"we" do not have anything---there is this stupid "law" you refer to, and the effects that follow from invoking it. it is a device that you use to trivialilze associations with fascism that pertain to your politics. that's all it is. it is a way of avoiding these problems. it is a way of not addressing concerns. in this case, more than in most others, it is obvious evasion: or perhaps you do not see any problems that might follow from this claim that the right now works from a standpoint of absolute morality, that evangelical protestant groups know what this absolute morality is, that they and they alone define it? coupled with the total intolerance of anyone and everyone who opposes them? if you have no problem with that, then say as much and defend the position--dont resort to some facile dodge. [[caveat: not all fascism resulted in hitler. fascism is bigger than hitler--anyone who has studied it even a little is aware of that--the danger fascism poses now has to do with the formal continuities between it and aspects of contemporary conservative discourse--no-one is here equating bush and hitler, for christ's sake--there was mussolini, there was franco, there was japan in the 1930s-40s, there was peron, lots of variants....all radically nationalist, all willing to make absolute claims about elements of that nationalism, all interested in purifying the body politics, intolerant of dissent (minions of satan, dontcha know), etc.]] __________________ a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear it make you sick. -kamau brathwaite Last edited by roachboy; 03-30-2005 at 09:57 AM..