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2010-05-14 Home Front: Culture Wars

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Posted by Anonymoose 2010-05-14 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11128 views ] Top

#1 That's it? A blank link? No excerpts or commentary?

Posted by gromky 2010-05-14 00:02|| 2010-05-14 00:02|| Front Page Top

#2 The site is probably very, very busy right now, gromky . . . .

I got a copy of it after I waited for over a minute.

Looks like she's got a radical brother who inspired her to look into socialism. The conclusion suggests she is somewhat saddened by the idea that socialism in America destroyed itself in the early 1900's.

Hmm. Any other takes out there from someone who actually read all 127 pages?

How does Obamao find these sleepers?

Posted by gorb 2010-05-14 01:14|| 2010-05-14 01:14|| Front Page Top

#3 They come looking for him, Gorb.

Posted by Bobby 2010-05-14 05:51|| 2010-05-14 05:51|| Front Page Top

#4 The fiorst few lines of the introduction: Ever since Werner Sombart first posed the question in 1905, countless historians have tried to explain why there is no socialism in America. For the most part, this work has focused on external factors - on features
of American society rather than of American socialist movements. Socialists and non-socialists alike have discussed the importance of the frontier in providing the U. S. citizenship with a safety valve and in keeping urban unemployment to a minimum. They have pointed to the fluidity of class lines in the United states - a fluidity which, whether real or imagined, impeded the development of a radical class consciousness.

Well, it looks like we've just about got the urban unemployment problem resolved.

And it's an external link, so you can go back to reading the 'Burg while it loads.

Posted by Bobby 2010-05-14 06:00|| 2010-05-14 06:00|| Front Page Top

#5 James Weinstein offers the alternative thesis that the dissolution of the Socialist Party resulted not from the walkout of the syndicalists in 1912 but from the infinitely more disastrous departure of the communists seven years later.

But Kagan disagrees: Weinstein's explanation is a superficial one. The Russian
Revolution.was the precipitant of the American Socialist Party's split and subsequent decline; it was not and could not have been the sole cause.

This was 1981. I'm sure she's grow up since then!

Posted by Bobby 2010-05-14 06:54|| 2010-05-14 06:54|| Front Page Top

#6 Here's the conclusion of the introduction. One need read no further.

Intra-party sectarianism had previously weakened the socialist party; inter-party sectarianism now finished the job. By the late 1920's, the socialist movement in New York City
was dead; what remained was no more than its ghost.

She was really into semi-colons, then.

Posted by Bobby 2010-05-14 07:02|| 2010-05-14 07:02|| Front Page Top

#7 She's up to a full colon now. Very full.

Posted by Deacon Blues 2010-05-14 07:51|| 2010-05-14 07:51|| Front Page Top

#8 .. countless historians have tried to explain why there is no socialism in America.

1 - it's a European disease.
2 - as a European disease it infects Euro-centric academics, which is why they don't 'get it'.
3 - it's counter the the American perspective that government works for the people rather than the European social tradition of the people/ruled working for the government/rulers.

Posted by Procopius2k 2010-05-14 08:06|| 2010-05-14 08:06|| Front Page Top

#9 .. countless historians have tried to explain why there is no socialism in America.

Selective emigration.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2010-05-14 08:54|| 2010-05-14 08:54|| Front Page Top

#10 Just go to her conclusion that starts on page 131 and that will distill her lament that socialism waned.

Posted by HammerHead 2010-05-14 09:23|| 2010-05-14 09:23|| Front Page Top

#11 The conclusion suggests she is somewhat saddened by the idea that socialism in America destroyed itself in the early 1900's.

Kagan should be ecstatic about 2008.

They [socialists] have pointed to the fluidity of class lines in the United states - a fluidity which, whether real or imagined, impeded the development of a radical class consciousness.

Fluidity of class lines is a good thing. It means people can improve their lot. Radical class consciousness is not a good thing. There is too much of that today.

Posted by JohnQC 2010-05-14 09:36|| 2010-05-14 09:36|| Front Page Top

#12 Conclusion: Kagan = radical leftist?

Posted by JohnQC 2010-05-14 09:52|| 2010-05-14 09:52|| Front Page Top

#13 Possibly.

On the other hand she wrote this 30 years ago as an undergraduate. A lot of people are stupid at age 21-22.

What it does suggest is the intellectual climate that shaped her as an undergrad.

Posted by lotp 2010-05-14 09:56|| 2010-05-14 09:56|| Front Page Top

#14 Thirty years ago she was what she would call a pragmatic socialist, that is, someone trying to tame the radical socialists so that a real American socialist will gain power and demonstrate the greatness of socialism.

Basically, the first part of this has happened. A real American socialist has gained power.

However, it has instead begun to demonstrate the awfulness of socialism as contemporaneous socialist regimes in Europe are similarly demonstrating their awfulness.

It must break her heart.

Posted by lord garth 2010-05-14 12:06|| 2010-05-14 12:06|| Front Page Top

#15 Socialism would come not as the culmination of a plethora of insignificant changes but as the result of a swift and sudden revolution.

Or both.

Posted by Bobby 2010-05-14 12:45|| 2010-05-14 12:45|| Front Page Top

#16 It must break her heart.

Naw. She must know that you gotta break a few eggs if you wanna make an omelet.

Posted by Ebbang Uluque6305 2010-05-14 14:29|| 2010-05-14 14:29|| Front Page Top

#17 Ever since Werner Sombart first posed the question in 1905, countless historians have tried to explain why there is no socialism in America.

We're smarter.

Posted by Redneck Jim 2010-05-14 16:09|| 2010-05-14 16:09|| Front Page Top

#18 To get a sense of where she is coming from, this is an excellent article. Mainly a fluff piece, but with plenty of hidden gems to make the read worthwhile.
Basically a North-East liberal, who would feel she had to don a safari suit if ever found herself in the unfortunate position of having to venture into flyover country.
A Climb Marked by Confidence and Canniness

Posted by tipper 2010-05-14 21:18|| 2010-05-14 21:18|| Front Page Top

23:55 DMFD
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