those of a fascistic disposition...

[Paul Mackin]

On Thu, 2003-05-29 at 10:39, Terrance wrote:
> pynchonoid wrote:
> > 
> > ...say that torture is OK in the USA...
> 
> It's OK with me. How about you? Is it OK with you? 
> I think it's OK to torture a word like fascism as long as everyone
> agrees that 
> after the word has been absolutely excruciated we can all go have a beer
> or two. 
> 
> Not you, of course, fascist-teetotalers are not welcome.


Yes, the terms fascism and fascist have been tortured to death. But
while we're at it, hasn't the term socialism been even more put upon?
I'm thinking of Orwell's speaking of democratic socialism as he
understood it. He meant of course an ideal for no such object has ever
existed (on more than a trivial scale) and may well couldn't exist
except as a variation on capitalism. Fascism at least was something that
existed, under minor modifications more than once. So, I think to speak
of the British Labor Party as betraying something that is only a goal
and not necessarily an attainable goal has to be seen as some kind of
Orwellian lack.

OK. If we can't retire fascism and fascist and socialism from our
thinking and discourse can't we at discipline them and make them obey
some set of carefully laid out rules?????????

P

p