Base and Superstructure

Alienation, autonomy, and ideology

Page 45 of 117

authoritarian us

What Would An Authoritarian US Look Like?

April 25, 2022 /

So, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking and writing about the far right in the US. I do so not because I read history (though I do read history). Rather, I think lots of other people use historical analogies that don’t quite work. I think far-right politics in the US look and feel much different than those in, e.g., 1930s Italy and Germany.

At times, this puts me at odds with progressive and even leftist circles. Progressive authors – like Jason Stanley – draw analogies between Trumpism and ‘classic’ fascism. They do so, in part, in order to show the warning signs. We even see things like this in ‘Antifa‘ circles. Those circles focus on small militant groups in their early stages.

I don’t object to any of that, as far as it goes. But progressive work like Stanley’s tends to leave us with a misleading picture in mind of what authoritarianism would look like in the US.

Let’s take up that topic.

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pandemic change

Change and the Early Pandemic

April 18, 2022 /

I’m a regular reader of the magazine n+1. In each issue, we get a little set of essays at the beginning called The Intellectual Situation. This typically amounts to an essay of a few thousand words on some recent major topic. Ideally I think the topic stands out as one that’s particularly pressing among n+1’s readership. The idea isn’t without its problems. The essay often ends up centering the concerns of professional class progressives from New York. But it works out well enough.

Anyway, in the most recent issue, the author suggested that the early pandemic produced large changes in what’s politically possible. Changes that, ultimately, went away as the pandemic wore on.

Do readers agree with this? I know we saw large checks from the federal government in the early pandemic months. And we saw a rise in some kinds of social supports. But we also saw great inequality and, frankly, large pockets of selfishness.

I’m not convinced much changed, politically. The system adapted itself to the pandemic in as minimal a way as possible. For the most part, I think the background work needed was mostly missing. And so, most efforts at deep change made only small gains.

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Childhood and the Internet

April 11, 2022 /

childhood the internet

I remember the first time I heard about Facebook. I worked for the Indiana University Bookstore in my senior year of college. The job paid minimum wage ($5.15 at the time), but it was the easiest job in the world. I walked about 10 minutes from my apartment to the middle of the IU campus and lounged around for 4-8 hours. Those were the days?

Anyway, one day someone at work told me about Facebook. I thought she said ‘Face Party’ and didn’t think much of it. A few months later, I had an account and used it all the time. 17 years later – but who’s counting? – I think I’ve seen enough to reflect a bit on social media, its impact on my own life, and its impact on the lives of those younger than me.

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