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What's with the recent trend involving ultra-conservative movements becoming more intense?
Is it just my eyes being opened to an uglier-than-I-once-thought reality, or have ultra-conservative movements around the world gained intensity in the last couple decades, especially the last few years? Christian fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalism, violent anti-feminism, violent nativism, xenophobia, violent survivalism, and generally various belief systems involving desiring to "restore" or (more accurately put) revert to older societal/ethical/moral systems, ones which almost always involve a philosophical emphasis on favoring oneself or one's tribe to the (sometimes violent) exclusion of others?
Cross-posted to OTC here: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13312642350A62080100&page=1
Comments
At this point, conservatives in first-world countries have just realized that they have the means and technology to turn the world into the nightmare of Aldous Huxley. It's gotten more blatent to you because you, unlike the majority of people in the Western world, have not yet decided to ignore politics.
"At this point, conservatives in first-world countries have just realized that they have the means and technology to turn the world into the nightmare of Aldous Huxley"
Don't you mean George Orwell?
^^ ...I was hoping for a thread with meaningful, calm discussion and without angry sniping.
The question is how they managed to make converts out of socialist parties when the people they're meant to be representing are getting screwed over by the neoliberal trends.
Somehow, I think the answer to that isn't pleasant.
You can edit that sentence out if it really bothers you, but I don't think many of us are going to follow on it. With that said, you should know better than to post a link to TvT in peoplewholefttvtropesplussomeotherpeople.com
glennmagusharvey,
Is it just my eyes being opened to an uglier-than-I-once-thought reality, or have ultra-conservative movements around the world gained intensity in the last couple decades, especially the last few years?
I am not really sure about this, but I think that for some extreme groups, the internet and the way out there blogs on it have made organizing a lot easier (i.e., unity in those kinds of movements gives them more of a presence). I probably should not repeat myself so much though.
I am not sure if what you call xenophobia or violent nativism is necessarily a recent trend, since from what I have heard, countries like the U.S. have been through stuff like that in the past which was arguably worse.
Abyss_Worm,
The question is how they managed to make converts out of socialist parties when the people they're meant to be representing are getting screwed over by the neoliberal trends.
Somehow, I think the answer to that isn't pleasant.
From the little I have read about how that phenomenon happened in France, part of the issue was that the whole proletariat/bourgeoisie distinction made less sense to some people after the economy was no longer as industrial, so some supporters of the Communist party there left it for the far right one because they found a new object of antagonism (immigrants) to replace the old one (the bourgeoisie).
@GMH
I don't know if you noticed but there is a recession going on
Because they feel threatened as all hell with the recession, 2012-ish fatalism and peak oil? Slowly realization dawns that the agenda they're pushing may very well experience an enormous backlash once those combined factors reach an apex.
I have a hypothesis about radicalism, extremism, terrorism, etc., which I think the current discussion hints at:
Radical action is fueled by two elements: hope and fear. Fear generates dissatifaction with the mundane, reducing inhibition to radical action by suggesting the consequences of failing to take radical action may be negative. Hope generates a belief that "correct" action may have positive results.
There is much to fear in the world today. Over the last hundred years or so, scientists have discovered numerous ways in which it might be possible to destroy ourselves or for nature to do it for us. A combination of economic and political factors has all but wiped out first traditionalist monarchies, then Soviet - style communism, and brought both America and Europe to their knees.
But there is also much to hope for. Extremists also see hope from what others fear. As systems of power fall victim to external or internal pressures, it creates a power vacuum into which they can move in.
My impression is that there is a general belief on the far right that the left is winning, and that the intent of the left is to suppress virtually all right - of - center thought, creating re - education camps for people who so much as keep a bible or koran in a locked safe in their own home, and the path the left would choose for human civilization is an economic, spiritual, and / or moral dead end. There are some who are willing to continue to pray, vote, and hold peaceful protests, a few who are happy to simply wait for the left to destroy civilization so they can rebuild it, but others are not so patient.
Don't you mean George Orwell?
Aldous Huxley was the one who wrote Brave New World. Bread and circuses, American Idol, etc.
Bleh, we all know Zamyatin beat them both to it. We said everything Brave New World did better anyway.
I thought Huxley's nightmare was more like something out of the left wing of politics. Meaningless sex, mandatory happiness and so on.
(insert rant about how left and right are such inadequate descriptors of the political universe here)
^^
It was a counter to the common thoughts of a utopia at the time.
A fair amount of it is disdain for American culture though.
^^ Can't disagree. I even have my own personal definitions, actually. It's just that sometimes I also use these terms as they're commonly interpreted, as a convenient shorthand.
I've said it before but I'll say it again. Reactionary movements gain strength when the world is doing crap. After all, its difficult to be an idealist when you can't put food on your table. Its the whole craving stability thing when its all unstable and shit.
lol Rick Santorum
Seriously, I'm starting to take bets on what he's gonna say next. That he wants to repeal the First Amendment for obstructing his goals?
He won't say that directly, because that will kill whatever chance he has of libertarian tea-party support.