|
|
|
April 07, 2009
Bringing back the 1930s?
God, I hate the news these days. (This post may touch on why....) While I haven't obsessed about it in this blog as much as I perhaps should, it has frequently occurred to me that the group of cultural attitudes popularly known (and yelled about) as "traditional values" are little more than 1930s values. Dominated by the Great Depression, the 1930s was a bleak, morally vengeful time, when things were seen as very black and white. Which they were. Times were tough, and enemies (Stalin, Hitler, etc.) were demonic. Little wonder that the period was known for censorship, drug war hysteria, and hard-core authoritarianism. "Progress" meant "change." A new, schmaltzy and moralistic authoritarianism replaced the freewheelingly chaotic, laissez faire 1920s, and this is reflected culturally in films and music of the period. I admit my bias. I am no fan of the 1930s, and I think the term "low dishonest decade" pretty well sums it up. Why anyone would want to return to the quasi-medieval 1930s mindset escapes me completely. However, Thomas Sowell thinks that Barack Obama wants to do just that: Barack Obama seems determined to repeat every disastrous mistake of the 1930s, at home and abroad. He has already repeated Herbert Hoover's policy of raising taxes on high income earners, FDR's policy of trying to micro-manage the economy and Neville Chamberlain's policy of seeking dialogues with hostile nations while downplaying the dangers they represent.Ugh. Unfortunately, many of these disastrous mistakes were popular at the time. (Of course, no one would intentionally vote for a low dishonest decade....) MORE: "Obama Approval Hits New High - 66%." (Via Joe Gandelman.) So far, triangulating the 1930s seems to be working. posted by Eric on 04.07.09 at 10:07 AM
Comments
Looking at the PDF of the poll, the weighting of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents was That does not seem representative to me. Rick Rick Caird · April 7, 2009 01:36 PM And what came after the 1930s? World War II I'll be the first to admit that this is very likely stretching the analogy way too far. Still, it's reason to worry. Russell Steere Newquist · April 7, 2009 02:11 PM Great statement - "many of these mistakes were popular at the time." That is what we are facing here. The teachers unions have produced an entire generation of voters who are both economically ignorant and believe that feelings matter more than reason. This is a recipe for disaster. And with an un-curious and lazy press corps, these voters will be slow to learn. Still, remebering that Jimmy Carter started the Regan Revolution brings some solace. MAS1916 · April 7, 2009 02:22 PM re: "Why anyone would want to return to the quasi-medieval 1930s mindset escapes me completely." Because you are thinking of the 1930s as bad for everyone. Actually then was a great time for bureaucrats, police, armies, and government workers in general. And today is another great time for them. The economic hardship is falling on the private sector. Public employment is rising and so is government power. Today is not then. But what the government is doing now is obviously benefiting government. And those who are receiving wish it to continue. K · April 7, 2009 05:06 PM Exactly who will suffer, people who are responsible and accountable, the government will grow, pay their employees, hugh · April 7, 2009 06:58 PM Are two-thirds of us really so blind? Brett · April 7, 2009 07:39 PM |
|
May 2009
WORLD-WIDE CALENDAR
Search the Site
E-mail
Classics To Go
Archives
May 2009
April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 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 AB 1634 MBAPBSAAGOP Skepticism See more archives here Old (Blogspot) archives
Recent Entries
• The Death Of Copyright
• A racist liberal agenda that's kept in the closet • Supplying humor for serious times? • How to make crime disappear • ITER Delayed, Scaled Back • The Hookers Are Well Educated • Climate Modelers At Work • No ordinary reporter • Are things getting to be unprecedented? • light night flight
Links
Site Credits
|
|
The only question is, will the damage Obama will do be irreparable, or will we be able to pick up the pieces and put it back together?