There are rare exceptions (see: Diana West), but publicly-displayed ignorance of matters European is the rule in the United States. Even commentators who are otherwise intelligent and well-informed — people who should know better — speak the most appalling nonsense about Europe.
Perhaps everybody picks up his information from the lefty state-sponsored European media, and simply parrots the party line he finds there. The reverse is certainly true: 90% of the pernicious drivel uttered by Europeans about the USA is derived from the PC crap on American television networks, wire services, and other major media outlets.
American conservatives are no less susceptible to Euro-nonsense than their liberal cousins. There’s some truth to the European fear that the United States will one day use its military might to enforce the “human rights” of Muslims in Europe. The travesties of Bosnia and Kosovo have set the precedent.
Most Americans, even conservatives, have bought the line put forth by the technocrats of the EU: any expression of nationalism in Europe is proto-fascist in nature, and has to be squashed to prevent the resurgence of Nazism. To the American mind, Europe is like a malaria patient who is prone to periodic bouts of the same old disease. Every now and then you have to dump a few quarts of quinine — PC Multiculturalism, American style, in this case — into the patient, and strap him to the bed until the fever passes.
I bring all this up because of the latest outbreak EuroNaziPhobia from an American conservative. The Strange Case of Glenn Beck was brought to my attention last night and this morning by several readers (more than half of them Americans, by the way). In the video below you can listen to Mr. Beck hold forth on the alarming rise of fascism in Europe. Pay particular attention to his citation of Whitehall’s decision to bar Mr. Wilders from entering the UK — as if that proved his case that the Blond is a fascist:
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[Update: Since I first watched this excerpt, Fox has invoked copyright and Youtube has taken the video down. Which is interesting, because many, many Fox News videos go viral on the internet without interference. Do you think they’re embarrassed?
Further update: Thanks to Thrasymachus, we now have a new embed of the clip from a different site.]
I’ve never been a big Glenn Beck fan. Every now and then he has said something I really like — we’ve even posted a few of his clips here — but his style is generally a little too moist for my taste.
In this case, however, he seems to have executed a flawless Charles Johnson. Is LGF going to have to do a full 180 and embrace this noble enemy of European fascism?
If any of our readers like Glenn Beck’s show, you might want to call or write the man and advise him to educate himself about what’s really happening in Europe. Tell him he can start with the Gates of Vienna archives, paying particular attention to Fjordman’s essays — which will certainly point him in the direction of useful further reading.
As Yorkshire Miner is fond of saying, we live in interesting times.
27 comments:
It is his astounding ignorance of Europe that really gets me. I mean De Villepin as far right!? This from a guy who claims to a big reader. So much for his crack team of fact checkers. I wont even get into the hypocrisy of Beck hurling out the "Fascist" accusation after being accused of being one himself. He has millions of listeners and viewers who swallow anything he says as gospel. This can be really damaging. I am really disappointed. I really hope he makes a retraction but am not counting on it.
I never called Glenn Beck "An ignorant bum". This be hereby done.
Since he recently did a show with Jonah Goldberg about Liberal Fascism, Glenn really should know better. He's calling calling one of the few marginally libertarian European parties 'fascist'. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Actually, in this - by producing an absolutely senseless smear - Glenn himself acts more like a fascist than Geert Wilders or PVV ever did.
I remember when Beck called Ron Paul's supporters "terrorists," back in 2007. I haven't taken him seriously since.
Beck is a clown. I suspect he's not mentally stable - not unusual for an alcoholic - but his comment about Wilders may suggest he is also an opportunist.
Beck has no excuse for this as he has interviewed Wilders in the past: See here
So he's not getting his info on Wilders from LGF. He knows him personally but has apparently decided to use the old tactic of detracting criticism of one's self by pointing to someone else and saying "he's the real fascist, not me, go after him instead".
The only other interpretation is that Beck is just another American conservative who adheres to the proposition nation myth and perhaps believes everyone else on earth should do the same. Such conservatives get nervous about any identity based on something one is born into - ethnic group, race, etc. If Beck suspects Wilders is motivated by a desire to preserve his nation (the ethnically Dutch nation) rather than ideas like freedom of speech, then Beck may indeed see him as beyond the pale.
Unfortunately, the problem is deeper than ignorance. It is part of the American narrative about Europe: according to it, the greatest danger to the world is the European ethnic state. This is the "fascist" enemy that must be crushed and annihilated. This is the point where inevitably Glenn Beck meets Charles Johnson.
Mark my words: if Geert Wilders becomes the Dutch prime-minister in June, expect the angry reaction of the Multicultural Empire (US) in alliance with EUSSR. If Geert Wilders will try to implement even half of his plans concerning immigration and Islam, be prepared for the worst: a little Serbian-style economic boycott and, if he is not demoralized and discouraged enough, even a little Serbian-style bombing.
And take into account that Wilders is the most moderate and mild patriotic leader one can find around. He is not a nationalist, not a conservative, as anti-racist and liberal as one can get. What will happen when the s**t really hits the fan in Europe and people will fight for their survival?
Gray Falcon: I remember when Beck called Ron Paul's supporters "terrorists," back in 2007.
Since then Beck has given Ron Paul more air time than pretty much any other member of the MSM. He seemed to have a change of heart about Paul. With that in mind I suppose it is possible that if contacted by Wilders supporters, as suggested by the Baron, he may reconsider.
According to Diana West in a an email at Auster's site:
The same thing happened on the Fox News show with William Kristol, Charles Krauthammer, and someone else as panelists tonight.
Krauthammer said Geert didn't know the difference between Islam and Islamism (oh,please, do enlighten us, Chas.). The gal in the middle said if Holland elected a man such as Geert it would suffer the consequences. And Kristol called Geert a demagogue.
Think of what happened to Austria when it dared elect an anti-establishment figure, Jorg Haider, and, of course, the even more extreme response to Serbia for defending itself. On the latter Kristol said the US might have to "smash Serb skulls" or words to that effect.
Keep in mind that a Saudi Prince owns a major share of News Corp, which owns Fox News.
Beck may have been told that certain opinions are forbidden when they impinge upon certain vital Saudi interests.
Here is the contact page for Glen Beck.
I strongly suggest we contact him and give a short lesson in basic European politics.
It is part of the American narrative about Europe: according to it, the greatest danger to the world is the European ethnic state.
Oops, interesting point...
Now, the system of ethnic states was widely strengthened after WWI, where exactly the empires that were not nation-states had initiated and escalated the war.
After WWI, we had many new nation-states appear, but unfortunately also the Soviet Union. Germany was a nation-state - but didn't respect other nation-states, they sought to reestablish German hegemony over Europe - not a particular nation-state thing to do.
Nation-states with well define borders are the least troublesome states in the world. The European Union seeks to dissolve those. Now, what can we conclude from that?
"What will happen when the s**t really hits the fan in Europe and people will fight for their survival?"
NATO will side with the muz against the natives and bomb the hell out of them, just like in the former Yugoslavia. Perhaps they even send in some muz UN troops to rape, pillage and murder the ethnics if they don't comply after the NATO bombings.
New code emailed to you Baron.
I became very disappointed in Glenn.
His work was commendable up until last year, when he started to bow to TPTB.
It was a small shift in the beginning, but that became more and more noticeable.
His attacks on Ron Paul, the Obama birth certificate issue and his tendency to paint all republicans as RINOs, wo. mentioning the few ones that put a good fight for the American people, are very disturbing to me.
Baron is right, there is a chance Glenn will become the next Charles Johnson.
That's why we must not pin our hopes on individuals, but build an informed citizenry.
Wilders is not a fascist, but his discourse is dangerously close to that ideology. Stigmatizing an entire community focusing on a few deluded radicals sounds pretty familiar to me: it is the old strategy of anti-Semitic people pointing at a bunch of ultra-orthodox jews in order to justify their prejudices. Having said that, the UK ban was close to ridiculous (and opportunistic).
Then, that Americans understand little European politics does not surprise me. How many Europeans understand US politics?
Elsene,
as far as I am informed, Wilders first and foremost stigmatizes Islam. Not "a few deluded radicals", but the religion per se: Quran, hadiths, Shari'a and practice.
That is something different than stigmatizing a community. Calling an ideology to be undesirable medieval bullshit is perfectly OK with me.
And, of course, the logical consequence is to stop immigration of people who actually believe and promote that ideology.
But that is something different from what you described in your post.
In the Follow-the-Money Dept, isn't Fox owned by News.corp?
Celebrately political shock jock working for the blackbacks.
Hey! The juicy bit is how Glenn Beck calls Villepin a far-right fascist :-)
And listen to the vibrato of his voice when saying "[the Europeans] are headed down the wrong track". He's almost about to start crying. That's how full of himself he is. He's such a clown! And "nobody else is looking for it?" - eh? Charles Johnson anyone?
I guess Americans and Europeans just need to hate each other. We can hate Serbs together for a while, but then we need to get back to hating each other. Americans look at Europe, and when they see things that do not appear familiar to them at first glance, it scares them and they conclude that Europe is evil. And vice versa. So then they each fall back into something truly familiar and close to their hearts -- Stalinist trash-talk -- and start calling each other "fascists". This is where we are at right now in Western civilization.
So then they each fall back into something truly familiar and close to their hearts -- Stalinist trash-talk -- and start calling each other "fascists". This is where we are at right now in Western civilization.
The difference is that when Stalinists called the dissenters "fascists", they knew it was a fake, bogus accusation, while today's Westerners are serious to death about it.
while today's Westerners are serious to death about it.
Which is not so good. They could at least do their due dilligence on the issue and learn something about fascism.
Not that I think this would lessen their anger :)
Armance,
Yes indeed. Good point!
The Communist Empire always played the Westerners easy as a piano. Such as with the standard tu quoque "And you are lynching negroes!" (their very effective answer to any and every critique). This made the Americans utterly demoralized and the Communists could reprogram them inside-out (see e.g. Yuri Bezmenov).
So the Westerners of today continue as a self-playing piano. There's no more any KGB etc. to play them as a piano. But it is not needed anymore, since the West is an autopiano playing according to the punch cards the KGB and the politburo fed into their brains.
And it just keeps on playing in an endless loop. And quite as for an autopiano there is nothing else in their minds. So yes they are bound to take it deadly seriously, as the useful idiots they truly are (not useful to anyone anymore though, given that the USSR no longer exists, but that surely does not make them less idiots).
Glenn Beck is an excellent example of this deadly seriousness. He's on the verge of tears when speaking about how "[the Europeans] are headed down the wrong track", how Villepin is a far-right fascist, and all the senseless junk he's saying. So typical however...
Something as pathetic as the West of today has never existed before in history.
Yes, the Westerners of today have absorbed and internalized Stalinism. So much that what used to be a trick for grandpa Stalin brings tears of emotion&devotion in their eyes. Scary clowns, huh?
Scary clowns with a little Uncle Joe sitting on their shoulder.
Sounds like a freaky horror movie. I wouldn't want these types as my enemies. But now they are our friends (shrudder).
Sounds like a freaky horror movie.
Yes, The Body Snatchers. They used to be humans and have preserved a human appearance, but they're walking zombies who scream "fascist!" every time they see a real human around. Beware of stalinist zombies, humans: as Yuri Bezmenov pointed out, once their mind is snatched, they can't be deprogrammed to be like you again.
Yes, it's like in The Body Snatchers. We are surrounded by them everywhere, among our friends etc. But it is even worse than in the movie, since unlike in the movie there are false friends, who will even warn against the body snatchers, but still burst out with "antisemite!" or "Nazi!", in the same manner.
Stalin didn't invent this scheme. He just added to the terminology. There was already a piano for the Communists to play. Instead Stalin and the Communist empire were born out of this mentality, which has roots many centuries back.
Just to take my favorite example (and in order not to exemplify with anyone in this forum): According to Lawrence Auster Dennis Mangan and his forum is antisemitic, GoV is antisemitic, etc. And I am a Nazi.
According to the mindset at VFR, Europe before Christianity was evil and barbaric (amounting to Nazism). That puts them in the same position as the Swedish prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt when he said "Ur-Sweden was only barbary. Everything good came from the outside". This is how Auster and VFR easily throw away both European ethnicity and age-old culture. Only ideology is considered; ideology defined by Christianity. Christianity is what is important to them. Not the survival of Europe. They would rather join Middle-Eastern Christians against a Pagan Europe (since they see that as a form a Nazism).
So European ethnicity is not their prime focus. They are prepared to trow it away in the name of Christianity. Given Baron Bodissey's formula: "Part of the modern Liberal ideal is the foolish notion that we can simply abolish by fiat millions of years of evolution, thousands of years of culture, and centuries of tradition." the Austerites throw away our thousands of years of culture as a form of Nazism. So much for traditionalism...
I want to tie what I wrote here to two comments I just wrote over at Mangan's.
The conclusion is that Auster would not only rather join Middle-Eastern Christians against a non-Christian Europe, but would even consider siding with Middle-Eastern Muslims against a non-Christian Europe.
Elsene, I wonder why do you stagmitize all fascists as bad people though. But again, I don't expect liberal fundamentalists to apply their arguments in an universal way, they just use them when it suits them. First of all, Islam isn't European and it has no place in Europe. Second of all, Islam a theopolitical imperial project of a middle ages warlord and slave trader. The ideology of Islam needs to be discredited and destroyed.
Also, I would like to point out to you that your country is the facilitator of ethnic cleansing and genocide in Kosovo. Just because some Europeans prefer to keep their countries our own, we aren't fascists. But again, you might be in the propositional nation stupidity.
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