Naomi Wolf visited the Report to publicize The End of America. She claims to identify the ten steps for converting a democracy into a dictatorship. She further notes that the US is already part way down that very path. Colbert's satire derailed this interview a bit, but she certainly piqued my interest with a strong final statement.
Within the first couple chapters, Wolf's choice of hooks raises red flags. "American citizens have been forced to drink their own breast milk at airports. Mussolini made people drink vomit-inducers! The German SS made people drink castor oil and urine! Coincidence? I think not." (I paraphrase... heavily.) Such comparisons are too disparate to be meaningful; they are just loud and catchy. She does, on the other hand, deliver some winners. Consider that Rice and Cheney originated the phrase war footing (that'd be tough to prove). Nazi leaders similarly used kriegsfusz, which literally translates to war footing. Coincidence? I think creepy and scary.
If the sensationalism doesn't subside, I'll be putting the book down. Thankfully, there is much promise that more sturdy content awaits.
These echoes [à la the two mentioned above] are worth noticing–but are not ultimately that important. What is important are the structural echoes you will see: the way dictators take over democracies or crush pro-democracy uprisings by invoking emergency decrees to close down civil liberties; creating military tribunals; and criminalizing dissent. ¶ Those echoes are important.
1 comment:
How very interesting--I'll have to check it out. That last quote reminded me of V for Vendatta. I adore that movie not only because it is very well done, but also for the parallels it makes to our situation in the U.S. today (you have to read into it, and I recommend you do). If you haven't seen it, it's a must.
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