This was an interesting interview. I've not read the book but might add it to my list. Excerpts:
I'm intrigued to read her book. There's even a movie. Anyone read/seen it? Thoughts?
Sounds like it isn't just the "crackpot extremist right" that's concerned about the road America is going down.
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In her bestselling End of America, Naomi Wolf outlines the 10 warning signs that America is headed toward a fascist takeover. Using historical precedents, she explains how our government is mimicking those of Mussolini, Hitler and Stalin through practices like surveillance of ordinary citizens, restricting the press, developing paramilitary forces and arbitrarily detaining people.
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Its not just her message. She speaks their language, referring to the Founding Fathers and American Revolution as models, admitting to a profound sense of fear, warning of tyranny, fascism, Nazism and martial law. When Glenn Beck warns of these things we laugh. When Wolf draws those same connections, we listen.
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Justine Sharrock: First off, is your book still relevant under Obama?
Naomi Wolf: Unfortunately it is more relevant. Bush legalized torture, but Obama is legalizing impunity. He promised to roll stuff back, but he is institutionalizing these things forever. It is terrifying and the left doesnt seem to recognize it.
Naomi Wolf: Unfortunately it is more relevant. Bush legalized torture, but Obama is legalizing impunity. He promised to roll stuff back, but he is institutionalizing these things forever. It is terrifying and the left doesnt seem to recognize it.
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JS: Why do you think the sides dont understand each other?
NW: Frankly, liberals are out of the habit of communicating with anyone outside their own in cohort. We have a cultural problem with self-righteousness and elitism. Liberals roll their eyes about going on "Oprah" to reach a mass audience by using language that anyone can understand even if you majored in semiotics at Yale. We look down on people we dont agree with. It doesnt serve us well.
There is also a deliberate building up of two camps that benefits from whipping up home team spirit and demonizing the opposition. With the Internet there is even more fractioning since we are in echo chambers. With so much propaganda it is hard to calm down enough to listen.
NW: Frankly, liberals are out of the habit of communicating with anyone outside their own in cohort. We have a cultural problem with self-righteousness and elitism. Liberals roll their eyes about going on "Oprah" to reach a mass audience by using language that anyone can understand even if you majored in semiotics at Yale. We look down on people we dont agree with. It doesnt serve us well.
There is also a deliberate building up of two camps that benefits from whipping up home team spirit and demonizing the opposition. With the Internet there is even more fractioning since we are in echo chambers. With so much propaganda it is hard to calm down enough to listen.
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JS: In your essay, Tea Time in America" you said that some of the Tea Partys proposals are ahead of their time. What are some examples?
NW: I used to think End the Fed people were crackpots. The media paints them as deranged. But it turned out we had good reason to have more oversight. Or take their platform about states rights. Demographically, Im a hippie from San Francisco and Im not culturally inclined to be sympathetic to states' rights. My cultural heritage is FDR and Medicare and federal government solutions. But if you think through the analysis, strengthening state rights is a good corrective of the aggregation of an over-reaching federal power. Take Californias challenge of the Patriot Act or states like Vermont leading the way with addressing the corruption of the voting system. Its a good example of the Tea Party thinking out of the box on how to address a problem.
NW: I used to think End the Fed people were crackpots. The media paints them as deranged. But it turned out we had good reason to have more oversight. Or take their platform about states rights. Demographically, Im a hippie from San Francisco and Im not culturally inclined to be sympathetic to states' rights. My cultural heritage is FDR and Medicare and federal government solutions. But if you think through the analysis, strengthening state rights is a good corrective of the aggregation of an over-reaching federal power. Take Californias challenge of the Patriot Act or states like Vermont leading the way with addressing the corruption of the voting system. Its a good example of the Tea Party thinking out of the box on how to address a problem.
I'm intrigued to read her book. There's even a movie. Anyone read/seen it? Thoughts?
Sounds like it isn't just the "crackpot extremist right" that's concerned about the road America is going down.
The state is nothing more than a criminal gang writ large.
The state is nothing more than a criminal gang writ large.
