The intellectual origins of America-Bashing

[Terrance]

Mike Weaver wrote:
> 
> >Most of the "socialist" revolutionary governments of last century turned,
> >often quite quickly, into "fascist" dictatorships: Kim Il Jong, Milosevic,
> >the Ceaucescus, Saddam, Pol Pot, Castro, the Gang of Four, Hoxha, Stalin.
> >It's a pretty appalling track record.
> >
> >best
> 
> I did suggest earlier in the VL reading that we refrained from using the
> next to useless definition 'fascist' and exerted the mental effort
> necessary to say what we meant. The above underlines my point. The
> statement gives a better idea of Rob's political ideology and ignorance
> than anything else.
> The only quality that is shared by the above list is that they are viewed
> by the West as leaders of brutal, authoritarian, non democratic systems.
> 

 I agree that the word "fascist" is of little use to us here, partly, as
Rob has often reminded us (and I think his ironic use of the term now is
but another example ) because of the abuse of that term by participants
here and by Pynchon's own "screwed up" use of the word.



> Pol Pot is the only one on the list who qualifies as a fascist under
> standard definitions. The transformation of the Khymer Rouge  from
> communist/nationalist to fascist/nationalist happened in the climate of a
> massively destructive campaign of bombing by the US. Comes under the
> category of new forms of order generated by conditions far from
> equilibrium. Their reign of terror was finally halted by the intervention
> of communist Vietnam who were then condemned (and embargoed?) by the West
> until they withdrew.
> 
> Saddam was never any kind of socialist and was responsible for the
> slaughter of the Iraqi communists.
> 
> I am happy to defend Castro and the ongoing achievements of the Cuban
> Revolution and find his inclusion in this list the finest indicator of
> Rob's immersion in right wing river. Their inclusion by the US on the list
> of terrorist states is a travesty, given Cuba's track record in supplying
> no strings humanitarian support to other third world nations including,
> with much loss of life, their military contribution to the defeat of
> apartheid in South Africa (while US capitalists, among others, continued to
> make millions in profits from dealings with the regime).
> The Cold War is not over - ...in one corner of Gaul a small village remains
> defiant...

 After the collapse of the Communist systems and the thorough exposure
of most of its catastrophic failures and crimes, it is difficult to
imagine how so many talented, dedicated men and women remained and
apparently still remain  loyal to the point of extreme sacrifice to a
system that perpetuated such massive fraud and suffering.