It’s funny how much people talk about the threat of authoritarianism when the actual danger is the exact opposite. It’s like they are trying to inhabit the imaginary world where there is still something stronger than global capital and can stand in its way.
4 responses to “A Sad Little Fantasy”
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What’s the exact opposite of the threat of authoritarianism? The safety of authoritarianism? The threat of democracy?
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An erosion of the nation-state to the point of irrelevance.
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I’m confused! If the opposite of authoritarianism is irrelevant nation-states, doesn’t that imply that strong nation-states serve an anti-authoritarian function? It seems to me that the threat of authoritarianism marches hand-in-glove with the enfeeblement of nation-states, no? Are you talking about corporatism, and saying that it’s the opposite of authoritarianism? Seems to me that they’re currently two sides of the same coin. I’m not an academic, and some of the discussions here go over my head. I know I’m missing something …
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When the political sphere becomes irrelevant and turns into a show (like it’s clearly doing now), there’s no threat of authoritarianism. Authoritarianism is iron-clad, extremely strong nation-state. It’s nation-state at its most powerful. You can’t be an authoritarian when you don’t have any real authority. Look at all the real authoritarian regimes of the XXth century. Stalinism, Nazism, Francoism – that’s the culmination of a strong state with out of control nationalism.
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A conservative literary critic and college professor
Clarissa's Blog 
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