In his late 60's novel 'I Want It Now', Kinglsy Amis's protagonist flies to America. All he has to read is a book someone has handed him entitled 'LBJ: Tool of Fascism'. I quote from memory: 'After reading it, Ronnie found he liked LBJ rather more than any of the people whom the book's author liked.'
Michael Moynihan always says that you can get away with any amount of violence as long as you provide breakfasts for local kids (like the Black Panthers did)
Great stuff. Anyone interested should read up Norman Mailer’s role in the Jack Abbott fiasco, not expressly political but motivated by the same radical social impulses as the stuff you mention here. These people never change
“there was awkwardness when some Czech dissidents asked her to speak up on behalf of political prisoners in that country. Her reply: ‘They deserve what they get. Let them remain in prison.’”
Good to be reminded occasionally that there were some genuinely brave radicals in the 1960s - those stuck behind the iron curtain.
This happens all the time when great civilizations reach their peak! But don’t worry, the West will rise again; a great man from the Middle East predicted this with rather astonishing accuracy and acute sociological observation!
The terrorists won then, just as the terrorists win now. 9/11 has achieved a Muslim conquest of the West, and the DEI brigade will take down what's left of the resistance.
Such unfairness makes me feel vaguely sick so goodness knows how people directly impacted by the lovely Angela Davis and co. must feel about the way they have been lionised.
There is a scene in Manon of the Spring where Manon hears two of her neighbours laughing about how they blocked her father's water source and ultimately caused his premature death. On overhearing this conversation, Manon gives out an unearthly scream, unable to bear the unfairness of what has been done to her father. The Weather Underground and Black Panthers victims' families must feel something like that.
Hard to know who to hate more, the Bernadette Dohrns of this world or the Leonard Bernsteins.
I don’t know what’s hit me more in the last few years.
The realisation that everything I’d grew up on; the idea of liberalism, of neutral institutions of ‘violence solves nothing’ was a lie; or the fact it took me to age 40 to realise it
Honestly, as Ed's article points out, things have kind of gotten better. I like to remind people that John Kennedy was killed by a hard core communist and his brother (running for president) was killed by a "Palestinian activist". So, we have a ways to go to catch up with that level of violence.
Reminds me of a reverse of the situation in Weimar Germany. Hitler and Nazis repeatedly getting off lightly because of lenient conservative/reactionary judiciary. We know how that ended.
I suppose Weimar was quite different in some ways because parts of the state were controlled by the left, and others by the right, so would be working against each other amid weak democratic oversight. Nowadays perhaps only special forces units are right-wing -- if things really go down the drain, they'll probably be the ones stepping in to a power vacuum, as Dominic Cummings hinted at recently.
Excellent article, thanks. I am a paid subscriber now!
I remember the Leonard Bernstein party. Back then- I was quite young- we all dismissed it as one of Maestro's eccentricities. At some point late in life, for example, he decided to take ballet lessons. But now as I read I see the dark aura of this entire history.
And what I wonder is if it belongs in the same maddening chapters on human nature or the fall of a civilisation as the current massive support of these type of people and so many others for Hamas, a designated terrorist group of savage actions , including against their own people, and world Islamic conquest ideology, and their excoriation of Israel and new Jew-hatred violence immediately after 10/7, before Israel had a chance to react. The jubilation in seeing Jews murdered by terrorists who desire our entire Western demise now somewhat links to the horrible history relayed here, and a new Western wave of terror idolisation, at our own suicidal expense, what Gad Saad terms " suicidal empathy". The terrorists are the victims to them.
This reminded me so much of Marge Piercy’s 1979 novel Vida - a hugely romanticised fictionalised version of the Weathermen. I shouldn’t be surprised if this novel marks the early phase of the transition from terrorist to romantic fugitive to respectable professor.
I am thinking of this line from "Mencius Moldbug's" old blog:
"’68 wasn’t a “trauma.” It was a coup. It was a classic chimp throwdown in which, using tactics that were as violent as necessary, the New Left displaced the Old Left from the positions of power. “Up against the wall, motherfucker, this is a stickup.” Truer words were never spoken. The victory of Obama, a Movement man to the core, represents the final defeat of the Stalinist wing of the American left by its Maoist wing. (By “Stalinist” and “Maoist,” all I mean is that the New Deal was allied with Stalin and the SDS was aligned with Mao. These are not controversial assertions.)
But I digress. My point is that what we can infer, by our inability to recognize any serious successor in 2008 of George Wallace, the anti-sex-education movement, or the folks who thought that the National Guard’s real mistake at Kent State was that they failed to follow up the victory by fixing bayonets and charging, is that these reactionaries lost, and their progressive enemies won. Generally in any conflict only one side can claim victory. And if after the battle we see that one side still flourishes and the other has been so thoroughly crushed that it is not only nonexistent, but actually forgotten, we sure know which is which.
The great myth of the ’60s is that the Movement, somehow, failed. Actually, its foes—not Nixon’s silent majority, who never had any real power in the first place, but the Establishment, the old Eleanor Roosevelt liberals, the Grayson Kirks and S. I. Hayakawas and McGeorge Bundys—lost almost every battle—including, of course, the Vietnam War itself. The SDSers and Alinskyites suffered hardly at all for their offenses, and moved smoothly and effectively into the positions of power they now hold, almost exactly as described in the Port Huron Statement. (Which is unbelievably windy, even by my standards—scroll to the end for Hayden’s actual tactical battle plan.)
The case of the “silent majority” illustrates the system of guided popular sovereignty. A majority of American voters opposed the student movement. Just as a majority of Germans supported Hitler. The majority does not always win. The children of the “silent majority” are far, far less likely to express the views of a George Wallace, a Spiro Agnew or an Anita Bryant than their parents. The same can be said for the grandchildren of the Nazis. The Cathedral defeated both."
The case against Angela Davis was pretty weak (weapon are registered to her but she was unaware of their use in said crime). I am actually pleasantly surprised that is the strongest charge the authorities can bring against her.
Other panthers not so much, but Ms Davis isn’t that bad.
Nice summary of 60-70's history of leftist violence in America. A friend of mine said after Charlie Kirk's assassination, "the left has crossed a line now". I responded that they had crossed the line in 1791 and have never looked back.
In his late 60's novel 'I Want It Now', Kinglsy Amis's protagonist flies to America. All he has to read is a book someone has handed him entitled 'LBJ: Tool of Fascism'. I quote from memory: 'After reading it, Ronnie found he liked LBJ rather more than any of the people whom the book's author liked.'
ha
Michael Moynihan always says that you can get away with any amount of violence as long as you provide breakfasts for local kids (like the Black Panthers did)
Great stuff. Anyone interested should read up Norman Mailer’s role in the Jack Abbott fiasco, not expressly political but motivated by the same radical social impulses as the stuff you mention here. These people never change
“there was awkwardness when some Czech dissidents asked her to speak up on behalf of political prisoners in that country. Her reply: ‘They deserve what they get. Let them remain in prison.’”
Good to be reminded occasionally that there were some genuinely brave radicals in the 1960s - those stuck behind the iron curtain.
A bizarre spectacle of a civilization that is destroying itself out of boredom and manufactured self-loathing!
Degenerate societal self cannibalism.
This happens all the time when great civilizations reach their peak! But don’t worry, the West will rise again; a great man from the Middle East predicted this with rather astonishing accuracy and acute sociological observation!
Disgusting violent amoral thug scum. I hate them all.
The terrorists won then, just as the terrorists win now. 9/11 has achieved a Muslim conquest of the West, and the DEI brigade will take down what's left of the resistance.
Did these things happen in another timeliness? Sounds like nothing that happened here.
Such unfairness makes me feel vaguely sick so goodness knows how people directly impacted by the lovely Angela Davis and co. must feel about the way they have been lionised.
There is a scene in Manon of the Spring where Manon hears two of her neighbours laughing about how they blocked her father's water source and ultimately caused his premature death. On overhearing this conversation, Manon gives out an unearthly scream, unable to bear the unfairness of what has been done to her father. The Weather Underground and Black Panthers victims' families must feel something like that.
Hard to know who to hate more, the Bernadette Dohrns of this world or the Leonard Bernsteins.
I don’t know what’s hit me more in the last few years.
The realisation that everything I’d grew up on; the idea of liberalism, of neutral institutions of ‘violence solves nothing’ was a lie; or the fact it took me to age 40 to realise it
Honestly, as Ed's article points out, things have kind of gotten better. I like to remind people that John Kennedy was killed by a hard core communist and his brother (running for president) was killed by a "Palestinian activist". So, we have a ways to go to catch up with that level of violence.
How many people on the street would be able to tell you Kennedy was killed by a hardcore communist I wonder
Reminds me of a reverse of the situation in Weimar Germany. Hitler and Nazis repeatedly getting off lightly because of lenient conservative/reactionary judiciary. We know how that ended.
I suppose Weimar was quite different in some ways because parts of the state were controlled by the left, and others by the right, so would be working against each other amid weak democratic oversight. Nowadays perhaps only special forces units are right-wing -- if things really go down the drain, they'll probably be the ones stepping in to a power vacuum, as Dominic Cummings hinted at recently.
Yes that is a parallel I've thought about. the judges didn't approve of their action necessarily, but they were basically on the same side.
Although wasn't Hitler banned for speaking - considering what happened- a great argument for free speech.
Didn’t work in Rhodesia
Because the natives massively outnumbered the colonists.
Yeah it’s not a perfect comparison lol
Excellent article, thanks. I am a paid subscriber now!
I remember the Leonard Bernstein party. Back then- I was quite young- we all dismissed it as one of Maestro's eccentricities. At some point late in life, for example, he decided to take ballet lessons. But now as I read I see the dark aura of this entire history.
And what I wonder is if it belongs in the same maddening chapters on human nature or the fall of a civilisation as the current massive support of these type of people and so many others for Hamas, a designated terrorist group of savage actions , including against their own people, and world Islamic conquest ideology, and their excoriation of Israel and new Jew-hatred violence immediately after 10/7, before Israel had a chance to react. The jubilation in seeing Jews murdered by terrorists who desire our entire Western demise now somewhat links to the horrible history relayed here, and a new Western wave of terror idolisation, at our own suicidal expense, what Gad Saad terms " suicidal empathy". The terrorists are the victims to them.
Excellent piece, thanks!
thanks!
This reminded me so much of Marge Piercy’s 1979 novel Vida - a hugely romanticised fictionalised version of the Weathermen. I shouldn’t be surprised if this novel marks the early phase of the transition from terrorist to romantic fugitive to respectable professor.
I suspect the character of Vida was modelled on Kathy Boudin and Bernadette Dohrn.
I am thinking of this line from "Mencius Moldbug's" old blog:
"’68 wasn’t a “trauma.” It was a coup. It was a classic chimp throwdown in which, using tactics that were as violent as necessary, the New Left displaced the Old Left from the positions of power. “Up against the wall, motherfucker, this is a stickup.” Truer words were never spoken. The victory of Obama, a Movement man to the core, represents the final defeat of the Stalinist wing of the American left by its Maoist wing. (By “Stalinist” and “Maoist,” all I mean is that the New Deal was allied with Stalin and the SDS was aligned with Mao. These are not controversial assertions.)
But I digress. My point is that what we can infer, by our inability to recognize any serious successor in 2008 of George Wallace, the anti-sex-education movement, or the folks who thought that the National Guard’s real mistake at Kent State was that they failed to follow up the victory by fixing bayonets and charging, is that these reactionaries lost, and their progressive enemies won. Generally in any conflict only one side can claim victory. And if after the battle we see that one side still flourishes and the other has been so thoroughly crushed that it is not only nonexistent, but actually forgotten, we sure know which is which.
The great myth of the ’60s is that the Movement, somehow, failed. Actually, its foes—not Nixon’s silent majority, who never had any real power in the first place, but the Establishment, the old Eleanor Roosevelt liberals, the Grayson Kirks and S. I. Hayakawas and McGeorge Bundys—lost almost every battle—including, of course, the Vietnam War itself. The SDSers and Alinskyites suffered hardly at all for their offenses, and moved smoothly and effectively into the positions of power they now hold, almost exactly as described in the Port Huron Statement. (Which is unbelievably windy, even by my standards—scroll to the end for Hayden’s actual tactical battle plan.)
The case of the “silent majority” illustrates the system of guided popular sovereignty. A majority of American voters opposed the student movement. Just as a majority of Germans supported Hitler. The majority does not always win. The children of the “silent majority” are far, far less likely to express the views of a George Wallace, a Spiro Agnew or an Anita Bryant than their parents. The same can be said for the grandchildren of the Nazis. The Cathedral defeated both."
https://www.unqualified-reservations.org/2008/06/ol8-reset-is-not-revolution/
The case against Angela Davis was pretty weak (weapon are registered to her but she was unaware of their use in said crime). I am actually pleasantly surprised that is the strongest charge the authorities can bring against her.
Other panthers not so much, but Ms Davis isn’t that bad.
Do you really believe Angela Davis was unaware of the courtroom plan?
Nice summary of 60-70's history of leftist violence in America. A friend of mine said after Charlie Kirk's assassination, "the left has crossed a line now". I responded that they had crossed the line in 1791 and have never looked back.