quoting "exchange students" who warn us about small increments of socialism being what brought on communism in Vietnam. Of course Communism never did arise that way anywhere, but by armed revolution or invasion, nor did it grow from or replace socialism but rather corrupt feudalism or colonial fiefdom. The slippery slope argument they all share is a fallacy of course; an unsupported assumption or extrapolation designed to deceive and frighten, but it's one of the few things left to Obama haters and they continue to use it.The recent recrudescence of a fake quote by Nikita Kruschev that first appeared to the delight of wingnuts nearly 50 years ago is a perfect example. Titled "And so it begins!" the screed tells us that:
" We cannot expect Americans to jump from Capitalism to Communism, but we can assist their elected leaders in giving Americans small doses of Socialism until they suddenly awake to find they have Communism"
That Kruschev never said it or anything like it and that extensive research supports the fact that it was cooked up by people who had private reasons to object to social security, minimum wages, welfare and unions, doesn't really matter. This is the USA and most of us are either ignorant, dishonest or both and a substantial number are barking mad and willing to believe anything that validates their obsessions, their fears and their greed.
I'm nearly convinced that the biggest problem facing our new administration is not terrorism, depression or climate change, but the enemy within; the enemy who disseminate viral e-mails, throw tantrums on AM radio, giggle and sneer on Fox News: the people who make stupid jokes and the people who pass them on and on and on.
4 comments:
So True !
I also wonder how much the "communism" catch-phrase resonates with anyone over, say, 40, in any meaningful way. I laughed during the debates when McCain talked about being on a bomber ready to take off during the Cuban Missile Crisis. For most people, that is ancient history. A footnote at best in any college 101 course on Modern History. That is part of what was wrong with having McCain as the flag-bearer in 08 -- not his age, but his being "stuck" in an era long since passed. His arguments did not resonate with most voters. The "commie" threat seemed laughable. Yet no one in his circle had the guts to tell him that the G8 and China's economy were more powerful referents....
And from what I hear, the right-wingers want more of the Reagan v. Soviet model to advance their movement. What planet do they live on? Mars, I'm guessing.
Oops, I meant to say, "resonates for anyone "under" 40...
I'm way WAY over 40 but it resonated like a lead gong to me. The idea that we would "go communist" never did make sense to me, both because Soviet Communism doesn't proceed from Norwegian or Japanese socialism and because I wasn't programed to fear unions and 5 day work weeks like my parents' generation was in the 30's.
But the spectacle of McCain the Commie fighter running off to Washington to nationalize the banking system was as funny as anything we saw in Dr. Strangelove.
Tom Delay was on TV last night claiming Obama is a Marxist who will shred the constitution. I guess it's the only game they know how to play.
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