|
November 07, 2003
Southern Communism ain't libertarian!
While I haven't seen any polls or curves or graphs to prove it, I have noticed that as the country grows more libertarian (that's the great silent majority, small "l" common-sense variety), the two major political parties grow less libertarian. I think this means that the activists who dominate the two parties are seriously out of touch with the mainstream. The question becomes, which party will do a better job of moving away from activist ideology, and towards political reality. Howard Dean gets it, but I am not sure the activists within his party will allow him to get away with appealing to common sense libertarianism. Hence, his wacky "Southern Communism" approach: Confederate flags, the "God, guns, gays," remark, etc. Besides, I want the world to know that Southern Communism was invented by me and a good friend many years ago. We hold the patent on the idea. (So far, no royalties from Dean.)
Here's more, straight from the source: Southern Communism was a theory propounded by a little known ne'er-do-well cousin of Jefferson Davis, a Courtney Carrington Davis. As was the custom of the aristocracy, he spent much of his days drinking whiskey and reading European writers, and had happened upon Marx and Engels after the War. The idea of total egalitarianism repulsed him, but such was his rage against the domination of the North and the federal government that he imagined a class rebellion which would install a "dictatorship of the common man," which excluded "coloreds, white trash, papists, Jews, and others of heathen religions." Like many of his class, he was insulated from social realities, and saw the downfall of the South as the result of trying to imitate the democratic system of the North. But he also realized that there could be no rebellion if only the aristocracy were to benefit, hence the compromise with, and the transparent appeal to, the "common man." Deluded as he was, he believed that the aristocracy would control this new form of government (the specifics of which appear nowhere in his writings), and that it would "wither away, leaving every man in his proper station." It is evident that,I don't have a URL, as this was sent to me in an email from my friend who first used the term many years ago -- and startled me when he referred to me as a "Southern Communist." I will have my readers know that: The more I think about this, the more I wonder whether "Southern Communism" might have been borrowed by Huey P. Long. posted by Eric on 11.07.03 at 09:35 AM
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://classicalvalues.com/cgi-bin/pings.cgi/488 Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Southern Communism ain't libertarian!:
» Joke Only Southerners Would Get from Dean's World
This description of Southern Communism is hilarious, although I think you have to have roots in the American South to really get it.... [Read More] Tracked on November 13, 2003 12:32 PM
» Southern Communism from Ain't Done It!
via DEAN ESMAY, I bring you CLASSICAL VALUES: "Southern Communism was a theory propounded by a little known ne'er-do-well cousin of Jefferson Davis, a Courtney Carrington Davis. As was the custom of the aristocracy, he spent much of his days... [Read More] Tracked on November 13, 2003 07:48 PM
Comments
The party of Jefferson Davis and Karl Marx! Of Nathan Bedford Forrest and Vladimir Ilich Lenin! The cruel "civil war" was actually fought against the little guy -- the Southern working man -- long exploited and swindled by an evil capitalist cabal of Northern slave dealers, industrialists, and usurers. More later. (Although I am not sure Southern Communism is a good idea to encourage.) We even designed a flag during drunken discussions in the 1980s. Eric Scheie · November 7, 2003 10:06 AM Southern Marxism? May I introduce you to Eugene Genovese, who's the foremost Marxian scholar of the South. Even for anti-Marxists like me, Roll, Jordan, Roll is required reading if you want a full picture of slavery in the antebellum South. Dave · November 7, 2003 10:23 AM I can't wait. Shoot me a note whenever you post it! Dean Esmay · November 7, 2003 01:15 PM I'll start feeling some admiration for the Johnny Rebs on the day they start praising Nat Turner's revolt. Until then, I'm an unreconstructed Reconstructionist. Damn Yankee me. Steven Malcolm Anderson · November 7, 2003 04:46 PM |
|
December 2006
WORLD-WIDE CALENDAR
Search the Site
E-mail
Classics To Go
Archives
December 2006
November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 May 2002 See more archives here Old (Blogspot) archives
Recent Entries
Laughing at the failure of discourse?
Holiday Blogging The right to be irrational? I'm cool with the passion fashion Climate change meltdown at the polls? If you're wrong, then so is God? Have a nice day, asshole! Scarlet "R"? Consuming power while empowering consumption Shrinking is growth!
Links
Site Credits
|
|
What's Southern Communism?