I would like to propose that we abandon several commonly-used political words. It's not because these words are beyond the pale; it's because they have lost all meaning in popular discourse. In non-scholarly settings, no one truly knows what they mean. Here are four examples:
Neoliberal. It doesn't help that there are two established versions of this word to begin with: the Washington Consensus version and the Charles Peters version. It hardly matters, though, since almost no one in popular conversation knows either one. Instead, it's become little more than a vague accusation made against liberals who have insufficiently leftist economic opinions.
Socialism. It's hard to think of any serious definition of socialism that doesn't include state ownership of major industries like banking, steelmaking, oil extraction, and so forth. It doesn't mean that the government merely gives money to people for things like housing and medical care. That's social democracy. Republicans have always papered over this distinction, trying to tar virtually every liberal program as socialist. More recently, though, even progressives seem confused about this point.
Fascist. Even among scholars there's disagreement about exactly what fascism is. Among everyone else, it seems to mean nothing more than some kind of meanspirited attitude trumpeted by a Republican politician. That's really not very helpful. Not every hardcore conservative represents the second coming of Mussolini.
Cancel culture. There are at least two different versions of this. The first is used by progressives against other progressives and is basically an offshoot of callout culture. The goal is to shame the victim into apologizing and changing his tune. The second version is used by progressives against conservatives and represents no kind of "culture" at all. It's merely routine political disagreement. Occasionally it goes farther than it should and becomes a rallying cry on Fox News. But it's only the first version—a purely internecine spat among progressives—that has any real meaning.
"Socialism" has become an epithet on the right, drained of any economics meaning. Now it is the right-wing word for "I don't like it."
"Cancel culture" has become the right-wing response to anyone who rejects adolescent behavior from grown-ups.
I agree that "fascist" has become an overworked epithet on the left. It's become a way of going Godwin without going Godwin.
+1
^^^"Socialism" has become an epithet on the right, drained of any economics meaning%%%
Has become?
It's been like that for a century.
I’m with you on all of these. None add any clarity to what’s left of political discourse in this country. That said, we do have to be concerned about growing acceptance of, not fascism, but authoritarianism. Here’s another term - it had a brief moment sometime after the Prague Spring - ‘capitalism with a human face’. I liked that one.
I agree "fascist" is not well defined or used properly. However, I really like Umberto Eco's definition in Ur-Fascism and think it's useful to classify fascists.
The worst one by far is "populism". If you can lead the charge against that one, you'll truly be doing the Lord's work.
My quick suggestion is that "populism" -- 99% of the time used to describe Trump and or GOP "politics", if you can call it that -- be replaced with "plutocratic populism", or -- though I realize this is unlikely as it will be called "biased" -- "yacht club populism".
And on this one I think it's pretty easy to propose a definition which would absolve the media of having to appear "biased". You would simply say that any policy whose benefits are greater for the top quintile vs the bottom quintile is "plutocratic populism".
As in these two tweets from P Krugman. Or your definition could be as Krugman puts it; if the policy reduces inequality, then populist, if it increases inequality, then yacht club populism.
https://twitter.com/paulkrugman/status/1360939003046998016?s=20
I'll just add that my personal preference would be "Mar a Lago populism".
+1
If you hadn't added this, I would have, knowing a bit about the 19th-century movements where my people are. Those using the terms today probably have never heard "Georgist."
But we can't retire "demagogue."
Yea, one of the problems with the word "fascism" is that the word is religiously patrolled by most folks, as not to in any way degrade the horrors of the WW2 era.
Since that word is off limits, we need a new word to describe the bat shit crazy direction Republicans are clearly heading, so, you know, we can acknowledge it's happening.
As I said, authoritarianism is the political threat. Granted, it doesn’t capture the batshit crazies, but they are few and more a police and mental-health system problem.
The problem is that we can't even say "this is heading toward fascism". It suggests that nothing can ever again be as bad as WW2, so any discussion of the possibility should be softened out of respect... a dangerous self-imposed blind spot, especially if the goal is "never again".
Exactly. Apparently we're not allowed to use it to mean anything fascists did, short of extermination camps. Not even sure Spain's fascist government counts anymore!
Disappearing people into unmarked vans with unmarked police? A minority power structure? Like, what else do we call it?
These terms, except "cancel culture" which always was a useless synonym for criticism, describe real things in a useful way. Ceding them and their meanings away is about as purely an Orwellian move as one can imagine.
Yup.
Though I agree with DFPaul about jettisoning "populism". Even if El Jefe's populist platform was a delightful marriage of Wm. Jennings Bryan's traditional moral values & opposition to evolution & Wm. Mc Kinley's embrace of survival of the fittest economics.
(Bernie's populism was just a weird film adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis's Rules of Attraction by Aaron Sorkin.)
57 votes! Somebody here called it ... which is admittedly half luck ... but still.
Happy to put up 25. Should we just pick our own cause?
I was trying to remember who it was that I traded projections with on that.
Sure, pick your cause & give 25 in my name. I will give 25 to Southern Poverty Law Center in the name of Joseph Harbin.
Done.
$25 to Fair Fight. Stacey A. says "thanks" to Mr. Mongoose.
The meanings are already lost for everyday usage. Lewis Carroll was using Humpty Dumpty to poke fun at a formalistic view of language, you know.
Cancel culture is a real thing - or actually several things. It can be removing statues of Washington and Lincoln, or preventing rightists from even speaking on college campuses, or firing people for things they said years ago when the public attitude was completely different. Many people - not just wingnuts - think these things are objectionable and some kind of terms are needed. One problem with all these terms except Socialism is that they have been broadened to include too many things. They can't be retired without new more specific terms, which would probably themselves get broadened.
Socialism has always had a precise definition, as Kevin says - state ownership of the means of production. It has just been used by the right mainly to associate domestic movements which are mostly not socialism with hated foreign countries such as the Soviet Union or China.
There's no "culture" behind any of it. There's only people criticizing the presence of statues they object to, or not wanting rightist speakers on their campus, or not wanting to work with people with racist views, or what have you. There's nothing that needs to be done about this. If you don't like the criticism you can modulate your behavior, respond with a better defense of your views, or just grow a thicker skin.
Much as I don't really agree with the complaints about "cancel culture", I also don't think it is false to use the term "culture" to describe it. To the extent that it is a widespread (though infrequent) sort of happening that used to be even more infrequent, and is driven by different understandings of identity, acceptable behavior and the like, and the somewhat overlapping views of many of the people who are involved, there is definitely something of a "culture" to it.
But yes, nothing to do about it.
And criticizing literature. I mean, you can't allow the work of that white supremacist William Shakespeare to sully the mind of all those woke students, right?
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/feb/15/woke-teachers-want-shakespeare-cut-curriculum-abou/
So, a random group of teachers is taken as representative of all. How typically Washington Times.
Sorry, why should they spread hateful content at schools?
Exactly right. Three of the four terms have definite, specific meanings and with an historical intellectual pedigree to boot. Take Fascism, for example, which simply means the merging of corporate and state power. Of course it also can be defined by what it's operant forms are .... but that's not a contradictory definition by any stretch of the imagination.
In fact, Kevin's entire argument is that people don't use those terms correctly, therefore they should be dropped. In which case, I nominate 'quantum' as a bit of terminology that should be scrubbed from the lexicon as well.
Or "bandwidth" or any number of other terms that have been co-opted from their original specific meaning for some more general use. The original use of the term can still be useful, and in fact it would be inconvenient to have to word around it if it's no longer available.
Quantum leap is one of those ambiguous phrases that can be used to describe either very small or a very large change.
Sam!
It’s uncertain.
Cancel Culture is the one that is interesting because it is so obviously a Darkness at Noon thing, a very clear rejoinder to those who insist that show trials (and in particular the confessions) were some weird Stalinist phenomenon that was clearly forced by torture, and that has nothing to do with our times.
And of course it's not just a Leftie thing. Sure, we had the "I am 100% guilty and unconditionally accept the decision of the party" on the left (think Aziz Ansari or Al Franken) BUT we also had the same behavior on the right (think Ted Cruz or Rick Perry).
The main thing I take away from Cancel is that,
- far from the fantasies so many have of their brave independent spirit, most people want to be part of the tribe, to the extent that they will absolutely abase themselves and engage in self-criticism sessions if that's what it takes
- this desperation to be part of the tribe, and the demands for obeisance, are strong on both the left and the right.
Well said.
I agree that prior to Trump the word “fascism” was overused but if Trumpism isn’t a form of fascism I’d like someone to explain the difference to me.
Gotta agree. If the word does fit, you cannot acquit.
Agreed. Not every hardcore conservative represents the second coming of Mussolini, but Donald Trump did. Then again, Trump is in no way a conservative.
As always, while we are debating semantics, the fascists are preparing charges of socialism against us.
If Kev Mac & the Qpie Doll Lamps retake the House for 2023, HUAC will be back, too.
When I hear "cancel culture", I see people tearing down statues of Confederates, but also Thomas Jefferson and (gasp!) Abraham Lincoln. Denying the Hispanic folks in New Mexico their founding heroes. Advocating burning all JK Rowling's Harry Potter books, not because they "promote witchcraft!!!" or because "Dumbledore's GAY!!!", but because JK is insufficiently positive about men having surgical upgrades into "women". (And I guess it just shows what an eminently cancellable bigot I am, that I qir-quote "women.")
The whole "cancel" thing is just mob behavior rationalized and promoted.
Oh, and another word for Trump-style "populism" is "patter", as in the fast-talk stream of words you use to fool the rubes. The cheaper the crook, the more elaborate the patter.
Sorry, that's "air-quote", not "qir-quote". I can't find an edit button...
I agree.
Cancel Culture is just the latest wingnut bugaboo they try to hide their collective guilt behind.
I quite agree cid, it's an excuse to be an a*hole.
If Ambrose Bierce were still around he could fill a dictionary with political words that mean so many things it has become hard to know what they are referring to. Examples include Centrist, Moderate, Progressive, Liberal, Conservative, Racist, Anti-racist, Patriot, Freedom, Christian, Pro-life, Free speech. The list goes on.
Based on the poll below, we should retire phrases like "Party of Lincoln" and "Party of Reagan" too.
Who was the best President in US history? (% of Republicans)
36% Donald Trump
18% Ronald Reagan
13% Abraham Lincoln
https://today.yougov.com/topics/politics/articles-reports/2021/02/15/republicans-best-president-reagan-trump
Recency effect, I hope.
Actually, I'm surprised that Today's Republicans don't disown Lincoln entirely. I expect they're keeping him around just so they can say "You DEMOCRATS were FOR SLAVERY!! It was y'all, not us!"
Maybe they think it means Benjamin Lincoln.
You think Trump wouldn't love to be Il Duce in his heyday? Goosestepping military parades and rousing nationalist supremacist cheers? Really? He dreams of that adulation, the servile groveling worship. I dream of him reaping the whirlwind of Mussolini's end, strung by his heels. As always, it wouldn't worth the collateral damage, but I can dream. Alas, as with revenge, before setting out to conquer the opposing party, first dig two graves
Bingo. Sure fascism has been misused in the post WWII era but for Trump and the modern GOP, they DO want to go back to that time, they would be as horrible if they thought it would help their cause and they could get away with it.
& the myth of the return of on-time rail service under Benny was as real as the construction of a 2000 mile wall on the Mexico-US border under El Jefe.
Maynard Handley and Salamander have nearly convinced me that ‘cancel culture’ should be retained, but still, its pejorative use by the right, and my preference for language that is sparing in the use of abstraction gives me pause. For example, I think there would be broad agreement across the American political spectrum that we should not remove the names of Washington, Jefferson or Lincoln from schools, etc. There would be much less agreement for ‘cancel culture should be denounced’.
I'd prefer that we never name anything after anyone at all. The includes the "Capt Peter Mallory Highway", the "Senator Alfred Smith Park", the "Congressworman Lucy Hein Library", the "President Smith Airport" and so on.
Name things for concepts, places, events. Not people. We don't need to remember them in the simplistic way that these namings encourages, and in many cases, a generation later, the names (and even the history) are meaningless.
That's as true of Washington and Jefferson as it is of the slain police officer that your (or my) town decided to name a bridge after.
I don't have a huge problem with naming stuff after people.
What I do find infinitely more annoying is our insistence on honoring former officials of various sorts with continued use of their titles. I mean, one frequently hears Newt Gingrich referred to as "Speaker Gingrich." Gag.
Yup.
Used to be only presidents remained referred to after office, but now you'll see the Mayor of Omaha (1989-97) referred to as Mayor in 2021.
Meanwhile, if i, say, ran into Gordon Sondlund at Trader Joe's, ain't no way I am calling him Ambassador Sondlund. (I would be more likely to stinkpalm him.)
I agree with most of these for the reason you spelled out. The one that's tricky is fascism. "Fascism" is usually used to represent totalitarian dictatorships, usually with some sort of cult of personality involved. But the elements of this that we care about these totalitarian movements aren't necessarily the strictly "fascist" elements, and also, "fascism" has become an inflammatory catch-all for anti-democratic movements. So it's become too muddied to be useful.
At the same time, Trump and his supporters did try to overthrow the elected government of the United States. They believe crazy things about Trump and his enemies. And they've captured enough power that the mainstream Republican party either supports them or won't stand up to them. It is a movement whose totalitarian, eliminationist, and extremist aspects need to be talked about. You don't have to necessarily use "fascism", but you also can't pretend that this is just partisan hyperbole. The MAGAs are dangerous.
Thankfully, El Jefe is 74 years old (turning 75 in the summer) while Her Schickelgruber was 24 after the Beer Hall Putsch was putdown & he was incarcerated. Even El Jefecito is already closer to twice that age than he is to that age.
I don't think the Trumps's health & longevity is on their side.
(Though Jr. getting some stepped on coke would help us out a lot.)
Pretty sure Hitler was in his late 30s in 1923.
Hitler was born in 1889. He would have been 34 in 1923, which doesn't qualify as "late thirties." But neither does it mean he was 24 in 1923.
^^^I don't think the Trumps's health & longevity is on their side.^^^
He's as strong as an ox. Don't kid yourself. If Trump's going to be prevented from taking power again it'll be because of the actions of other Americans. Not because of health problems.
Sorry, but Trump is overweight, stressed, has a horrible diet, poor sleep habiuts and doesn't believe in excercise. Strong genes will get you a long way till they don't, and all too often it's in the seventies when bad habits catch up with people like Trump.
Well, look, anything's possible. Maybe he'll get hit by a bus. My point, really, is we can't COUNT on Mother Nature doing this job for us. Moreover, what makes you think MAGA would abandon their God-Emperor if he was starting to show significant signs of declining health?
I was going to quibble about ‘totalitarian’ (single authority over political, religious, cultural, educational domains), thinking Trumpism is simply authoritarian (single authority for political power). But you are correct. Trump certainly exploited his following among right-wing evangelicals and social/cultural conservatives, whether he has any convictions in those areas or not.
Excuse me....It's "radical socialism". Did you not get your copy of Republican talking points?
Generals gather in their masses
Just like Rafael at Black Masses
Warnocks feel the power
As the culture wars strike the hour
How about integrity, or honesty in politics, or patriotism? I wouldn't remove these shibboleths, necessarily, but their relevance to modern day America should be discussed.
There are more, but I would start with these.
Actually, "cancel culture" now seems to be trending as a method of tRumpist warfare against "disloyal" Republicans who don't slavishly support tRump.
Susan Collins is concerned over Maine Republicans move to censure her.
Cancelling cancel culture would result in an infinite loop I think.
Lol!
Doug Muder had an excellent discussion on understanding conservative rhetoric in last weeks Weely Sift. Well worth your time: https://weeklysift.com/2021/02/08/why-you-cant-understand-conservative-rhetoric/
That was well worth my time.
Thanks for the link! That was really thought provoking. I particularly appreciated the "stop doing things that don't work" admonition. Seems so obvious, yet so infrequently done.
Donald Trump's fun nickname for his former mistress,
https://www.rawstory.com/trump-mistress/
begs the question, what kind of drugs was she taking?
Diuretics.
& peetape: confirmed.
dear god!
Can I get some support for throwing "open borders" in there?
NOBODY wants a closed border. Think of the DMZ between South and North Korea. That's what you call a closed border. Or, indeed, the border between the United States of American and Canada circa February, 2021. That's closed, too. Does anybody think that's ideal?
I understand why immigration restrictionists like the term. But it's stupid. The rest of use should insist on, something like "insecure border."
Blame Canada!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOR38552MJA
😉
How about eliminating "podcasts"?
Seems like anyone with a camera on their phone, a you tube account and an internet connection can become an expert in ANYTHING they deem themselves experts at
We need some kind of derogatory term for anyone who believes the dictatorship of an stupid gangster/scammer/gameshow host is preferable to democracy and is a suitable platform for a national party.
Lost in the Qupermarket.
I would add "Elites" to this list. In general the right seems to use Elites as in educated, smart people, and the left uses Elites as financial well-being (ie top 1%). Others use it as those in position of power or authority.
I only use it to refer to Eli Manning.
& Joe Flacco can fuckrightoff.
'Fascist. Even among scholars there's disagreement about exactly what fascism is. Among everyone else, it seems to mean nothing more than some kind of meanspirited attitude trumpeted by a Republican politician. That's really not very helpful. Not every hardcore conservative represents the second coming of Mussolini.'
No, just every hardcore Republican. I use the word Fascism regularly now, after the last 4 years- why aren't you, Kevin? The attack on a Free Press, the sabotage of democracy and transfer of power, the total sell-out to crony corporatism (ala Mussolini), the cult of personality, the abuse of power to attack personal enemies- what, exactly is NOT Fascist about the last administration?
Canada here. I have to disagree about "fascism." We just watched an American president try to end democracy through: refusing to acknowledge he lost an election (his stance in 2016 and 2020), threats of jail (Georgia election official phone call), disregarding the constitution (Trump cajoling Pence to decline electoral votes), and inciting a riot meant to stop Congress from recognising the election results and keep him in power. And, of course, the many hundreds of party officials and media members who enabled all that, and the millions of voters who thought all this was justified.
American fascism is alive and well.