In a message dated 6/1/00 12:53:45 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
bdelaney@infinitefaculty.org writes:
<< But it's quite difficult to know how to predict fascism. A lot
of studies were done after WWII, though, which shed some light
on the matter. There are certainly some disturbing signs among
members of Extropians (but, of course, it's not clear how less
present such signs would be on any other list): a VERY strong
"us vs. them" mentality, strong resentment towards groups
thought to have more power than they deserve (environmentalists,
Jews, feminists, etc., etc., etc. -- the circumcision
discussions are always good for a laugh: no, no, seriously,
these ZOG minions -- or would that be "minion"?... -- can
certainly be annoying; but the point about the danger manifest
in the reaction is _attitude_, not _content_).
The danger is particularly great among a group that generally
doesn't believe in the irrational (in the Freudian, not
cognitive or neuro-psychological sense), in part because such a
group generally won't agree with, or understand the force of,
the point above about the irrelevance of doctrinal content.
Speaking of Italy and Russia, I'm thinking of the end of Buber's
anti-Marxist book, _Paths in Utopia_: I think the risk, if not
underbelly, of Extropianism is "Rome"; elements of the WTA:
perhaps "Moscow"; the alternative? Well, probably not Jerusalem,
as Buber predicted... -- let's say Stockholm.
On the other hand, any attmpt to articulate an alternative, to
take a stand against elements of contemporary society, creates a
risk: "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss."
And saying more with less (also known as "negative dialectics")
may not minimize the risk much, except insofar as it lapses into
quietism (i.e. to be Hamlet or not-Hamlet).
Goodward!
Brian
(Pardon typos) >>
My take on this is more direct. Lay a veneer of futurism or libertarianism
upon racist attitudes and it still does not alter the content. It is merely
an attempt to make it more palatable, more salable. I used Marv Minsky as an
example some weeks ago regarding this thread. If Marvin is exterminated,
would the multitudes then massively, fund, Extropian interests? Nope. So then
one could then likely, assume that people who held the cog v zog mentality,
had already racist views before linking up with Extropianism. Furthermore,
since zog is a term extracted from the 1980's hitlerite fantasy, The Turner
Diaries, the people who identify, ideologically with this tract, have already
flown the hankenkrauz (so to speak) and whatever other interests they pursue
is secondary.
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