Night of the living fascists

[ed_rex]

The suicidal twilight of the American 'left'
Some thoughts on Keith Olbermann's mea culpa and impotence as policy

"And if those of us considered to be on the left do not re-dedicate ourselves to our vigilance, to eliminate all our own suggestions of violence, however inadvertent they might have been, however mild they might have been, then we too

Comments

[mijopo]

Yes, the "left is just as bad as the right" schtick is getting awfully tiresome. Give me a break, guys, Rush Limbaugh youse ain't.

[dewline]

True enough. Self-criticism is one thing, but there's sensible limits even to that.

Time and place

[ed_rex]

I guess it's pretty obvious I agree. The time for constructive self-criticism is not when thugs are breaking in your head with jagged rocks.

Habit and denial?

[ed_rex]

As I think I said in my piece, I think part of the urge comes from denial about the nature of enemy, but another part may just be the unthinking reflexive habit of our simplified journalism for which there are always (and only) exactly two complementary sides to a story. Ergo, if one side is engaged in extreme rhetoric, the other must be as well.

[steelcaver]

*facepalm*

Faced with armed insurgents who have merely to start shooting, and he responds with apologies and calls for reason.

This is why no one takes the USA seriously any more. The crazies have gotten to set the agenda and the reasonable people aren't showing any backbone. I'm not going to miss that country when it collapses.

But I think you will

[ed_rex]

Miss that country when it collapses, I mean.

First, we live not very far from it. What happens there, for good or ill, affects us. A collapse there will hurt a lot of us here in very real ways.

Second, despite all its problems, I admire its (stated) ideals and would rather it was a force for good in the world than for evil.

And third, a lot of my favourite artists and bloggers are Yanks, y'know?

Thank you

[ed_rex]

I guess the subject-line says it all, but merci.