This so-called "Lennonist" /"Bannonist" construct is nothing more than calling an old problem by a new name.
And Germany, of all places should recognize what "Bannonism" is, and where it can lead to.
At the same time, there's no doubt Donald Trump's election has had a negative effect not only in this country, but on the the world, with right-populist-nationalism growing at an astounding rate.
In fact, German SPIEGELonline is now reporting that his right-wing Dutch counterpart, Geert Wilders, has taken to twitter in much the same fashion. How long before Marine LePen, and Frauke Petry of Alternative für Deutschland join in?
But all that pales next to the seemingly universal phenomenon that is now taking place, where hatred and intolerance have come to replace logic and rational thought.
Herr Bittner makes the incorrect assumption that the fault can be laid at the feet of Hillary Clinton, Angela Merkel, or any one particular person, or party, when the problems here are cumulative, and must therefore be confronted on a multi-faceted basis.
However in the end, it basically comes down to the unequal distribution of wealth.
Germany's next election will be a pivotal one. Not only because it comes down to a contest between the Conservative CDU/CSU backing Merkel, and the Socialist SPD backing Schulz -- but because the specter of Russian cyber activity as seen in recent U.S. elections, still looms large.
And this time, nothing less than the entire balance of Europe is at stake.
And Germany, of all places should recognize what "Bannonism" is, and where it can lead to.
At the same time, there's no doubt Donald Trump's election has had a negative effect not only in this country, but on the the world, with right-populist-nationalism growing at an astounding rate.
In fact, German SPIEGELonline is now reporting that his right-wing Dutch counterpart, Geert Wilders, has taken to twitter in much the same fashion. How long before Marine LePen, and Frauke Petry of Alternative für Deutschland join in?
But all that pales next to the seemingly universal phenomenon that is now taking place, where hatred and intolerance have come to replace logic and rational thought.
Herr Bittner makes the incorrect assumption that the fault can be laid at the feet of Hillary Clinton, Angela Merkel, or any one particular person, or party, when the problems here are cumulative, and must therefore be confronted on a multi-faceted basis.
However in the end, it basically comes down to the unequal distribution of wealth.
Germany's next election will be a pivotal one. Not only because it comes down to a contest between the Conservative CDU/CSU backing Merkel, and the Socialist SPD backing Schulz -- but because the specter of Russian cyber activity as seen in recent U.S. elections, still looms large.
And this time, nothing less than the entire balance of Europe is at stake.
9
Steve Bannon is a strange twist on the Frankfurt School...He's got a neo-nazi,eerie ideology of "deconstruction"--- maybe he'll toss in some semiotics, some Barthes and Heidegger.
3
My main objection to this piece is the promotion of Steve Bannon's personal fantasies as a 'movement' or ideology. Mr. Bannon has been lucky to attach himself to Trump and land in the White House. If he had not had been pushed by the monied Mercer billions he would still be a Breitbart twitter troll with dubious following.
Yes he is more educated and widely read than Trump thus he is able to manipulate him and the 'republican' policy. He is mean and a bully just like Trump thus they get along.
Bannon uses fancy doctrine and words to push his agenda of White Nationalism.
HE wants a war with Islam and eventually China. A few conspiracy theorists join him. It is not a 'movement' that will succeed because it is based on lies and hate.
Yes he is more educated and widely read than Trump thus he is able to manipulate him and the 'republican' policy. He is mean and a bully just like Trump thus they get along.
Bannon uses fancy doctrine and words to push his agenda of White Nationalism.
HE wants a war with Islam and eventually China. A few conspiracy theorists join him. It is not a 'movement' that will succeed because it is based on lies and hate.
12
"has cast himself as the typical little man (he proudly notes that he didn’t graduate from high school), "
That would be considered the highest qualification for a Trump supporter. One can now brag that the less education you have the more qualified you are. This is truly reverse evolution. We are fast becoming "The Planet of the Apes".
That would be considered the highest qualification for a Trump supporter. One can now brag that the less education you have the more qualified you are. This is truly reverse evolution. We are fast becoming "The Planet of the Apes".
15
• Like Lennonism, Bannonism is more or less secular, though it makes more room for Judeo-Christianity. Where it differs, though, is in its belief that Islam is not a religion, but rather an aggressively ..., intolerant and illiberal ideology bent on global conquest.
"The most detestable wickedness, the most horrid cruelties, and the greatest miseries that have afflicted the human race have had their origin in this thing called revelation, or revealed religion." ~ THOMAS PAINE
As all Abrahamic religions have historically been and continue to be.
"In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot, abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own" ~ THOMAS JEFFERSON
• ...for Bannonists, ...Brussels keeps its member states and citizens small and weak, instead of making them great and free.
Same as the United States has been doing through NATO, "keeping its member states and citizens small and weak" and dependent for over 70 years. Bannonists insist on holding on to ossified, obsolete, NATO based and enforced U.S. hegemony, whatever the cost in "blood and treasure", and see the European Union as a counter-measure and a threat to that maintenance of the status quo – especially when it has lost its proxy in the EU, Britain, with Brexit.
5
German triumphalism never dies; it is reincarnated. “Today, Germany. Tomorrow, the world” is now called “Lennonism.” I don’t think the world is as interested as you think in being colonized. (Many in history have mistaken their country’s values for “universal” values.) We can hope that few Germans share your aspirations.
As a native born American who has resided the past 47 years in Europe, 16 of those years in Germany, 14 in Belgium, 9 in the UK and the remainer retired in Italy, I have come to value Europe very highly. The taxes in these countries were high, but so were the benefits.
Having lived 7 years in West Berlin under the Wall, I also understand the differences between Russia and NATO. Too bad that president trump does not understand them.
What the European Union and NATO have brought to us is PEACE.
Times have changed, but our guiding principles have not in that UNITED we Stand and DIVIDED, we fall.
Our future belongs to all of us to continue advancing towards a fairer and more just society, and not to view our future through a rearview mirror. The Past is Prologue in the FUTURE lies our hope and our strength.
We must all, even 75-year-old me, take an active roll in our politics today to ensure that a mirror of trump does not take hold in leading Germany, The Netherlands or France in the elections of 2017. Doing nothing, not voting, voting for alt right candidates, or even worse, voting for a candidate who has no chance of winning an election, as happened in the US last November, is not acceptable.
This year is important for our children and grandchildren's future.
Having lived 7 years in West Berlin under the Wall, I also understand the differences between Russia and NATO. Too bad that president trump does not understand them.
What the European Union and NATO have brought to us is PEACE.
Times have changed, but our guiding principles have not in that UNITED we Stand and DIVIDED, we fall.
Our future belongs to all of us to continue advancing towards a fairer and more just society, and not to view our future through a rearview mirror. The Past is Prologue in the FUTURE lies our hope and our strength.
We must all, even 75-year-old me, take an active roll in our politics today to ensure that a mirror of trump does not take hold in leading Germany, The Netherlands or France in the elections of 2017. Doing nothing, not voting, voting for alt right candidates, or even worse, voting for a candidate who has no chance of winning an election, as happened in the US last November, is not acceptable.
This year is important for our children and grandchildren's future.
14
Did John Lennon release that song for free? He was a capitalist to the core. Do some research before opining please.
2
The title and idea of the song is "Imagine", not "Well Here It Is".
He asked us to try to imagine what it might be like to live with the ideal of shared humanity first and nation/tribe second.
Bannon, I have read, wants to decrease the influence of China, Europe, and Iran while getting America to bunker down and close the borders and "Make them pay".
Meanwhile, China is building high speed trains in Africa and investing bigly in South America. How is only showing our military to the rest of the world going to out play those investments in the hearts and minds of the developing world?
But saying that I really wish that John could have influenced some policy directly in the way that Bannon gets the chance to do now.
He asked us to try to imagine what it might be like to live with the ideal of shared humanity first and nation/tribe second.
Bannon, I have read, wants to decrease the influence of China, Europe, and Iran while getting America to bunker down and close the borders and "Make them pay".
Meanwhile, China is building high speed trains in Africa and investing bigly in South America. How is only showing our military to the rest of the world going to out play those investments in the hearts and minds of the developing world?
But saying that I really wish that John could have influenced some policy directly in the way that Bannon gets the chance to do now.
9
At first I thought this article was a joke. The old joke about Lenin vs. Marx (Vladimir & Karl, or John & Groucho?) Lennon vs. Bannon is about as shallow an essay on a very serious subject I've seen in a long time.
8
In the 20's & 30's Fascism was all the rage.
Being on the wrong side of history keeps conservative thought in the vernacular of those who feel as though the world is ignoring them all the while it is they who have dropped out of the world.
The cycles into terrible ideas is the human condition.
Being on the wrong side of history keeps conservative thought in the vernacular of those who feel as though the world is ignoring them all the while it is they who have dropped out of the world.
The cycles into terrible ideas is the human condition.
3
Democrats take notice: Lennon vs. Bannon could be a winning theme
in 2018. Make Lennon's "Imagine" your campaign theme and restore
humanity to politics. I urge you to read the lyrics. Who wouldn't rather
live in the world they describe than in Bannon's world?
in 2018. Make Lennon's "Imagine" your campaign theme and restore
humanity to politics. I urge you to read the lyrics. Who wouldn't rather
live in the world they describe than in Bannon's world?
4
Is it really so difficult to understand that fantasy One World "Lennonism" and that our leaders PC Pretend to Care about the immigrant or fake refugee "wretched and huddled masses" are among the largest and most effective propaganda lies perpetrated on Western civilization by our 1%? When the reality is that human elites have always attempted to import as many foreign mercenaries and pawn-slaves into nation states as possible in order to increase their wealth and power? This greed for slave labor, the use of more "compliant" foreign mercenaries to subdue uppity natives that know and insist their rights be respected, and a lazy business model desire for more bodies = more customers for the business owner few % nobility is definitely what the elite mania in the USA for mass immigration is motivated by. This is why our legal immigration quotas were increased by 500% and immigration law enforcement was sabotaged beginning in the 1970's (which predictably began the destruction of the middle class) and is why to the amazement of citizens repeated bipartisan immigration reform proposals always contained mechanisms for actually increasing legal immigration another 100% (to 2 million) and still not enforcing immigration laws. The question in the USA and in other liberal democracies has never been about immigration vs no immigration, but about reckless mass immigration that benefits the few percent and impoverishes common citizens versus numbers that truly benefit receiving nations.
8
I fear for the Merkels of the world. The greatest problem progressive liberals face is that labor has not kept pace with technology, which has created insecurity & the loss of jobs among the working class.These are the vulnerable that are looking for Strong men who promise to support this group who like in America represent a major voting block. Technology is like a runaway train picking up steam, every advancement is soon obsolete as we continue to advance., while the working class is left further behind. The only answer is to educate the working class to fit into the ever progressing technology.Merkel has complicated her life by bringing in over a million reforges ,her good intentions will cause her downfall.
4
Jochen Bittner is trying to be reassuring about the conservative right in Germany, saying that its strength will lead to a healthy debate between Merkel's Lennonist Cosmopolitanism and Schulz's Bannonist nationalism. The reassurance he offers is that both debaters will capture the real division between Lennon and Bannon views of the world, but retreat from or avoid the extremes, in the case of Merkel, deemphasizing identity politics and for Shulz, avoiding blatant racism and a "Germany First" agenda. One hopes that this is so, but if Germany is anything like America, a genuine debate on the nationalist vs cosmopolitanist division by political candidates is impossible to achieve. The problem in America is that people are so divided that they never hear the viewpoint opposite of theirs, except as caricatured by their side. The opinions of politicians are summarized in 140 character tweets, aimed at becoming viral memes, devoid of thought but filled with emotionally charged catch-words. Our mass communication world has become one ripe for the picking by jingoists, which probably favors the Bannonists, as it has favored Bannon himself and will favor politicians who pander to fears and anger more than constructive thinking. We will see if this doesn't force Shulz further to the right or bring out the domination of a more nationalistic/xenophobic candidate as the election progresses.
3
What most American friends I have seem to fail to realize is that the rift in Germany is not widening, it is closing.
The only party which could be affiliated with Trumpism/Bannonism would be the Alternative für Deutschland (Alternative for Germany, AfD), and it has recently been collapsing in the polls. During their peak time, while Germany took in 1.5 million refugees and struggled with this logistical task quite a bit, it had a share of 15% nationwide, and even broke 20% in former Eastern Germany. However, right now, AfD is polling at 8% nationwide. Seeing how Brexit and in particular Trump played out has essentially killed the AfD, only the most hardcore xenophobes want to identify with them any more.
No, there is no deepening rift. Compared to the US or UK, Germany always was much more socially coherent. Even a possible switch from Merkel to the even more pro-EU Schulz would not change that at all.
The only party which could be affiliated with Trumpism/Bannonism would be the Alternative für Deutschland (Alternative for Germany, AfD), and it has recently been collapsing in the polls. During their peak time, while Germany took in 1.5 million refugees and struggled with this logistical task quite a bit, it had a share of 15% nationwide, and even broke 20% in former Eastern Germany. However, right now, AfD is polling at 8% nationwide. Seeing how Brexit and in particular Trump played out has essentially killed the AfD, only the most hardcore xenophobes want to identify with them any more.
No, there is no deepening rift. Compared to the US or UK, Germany always was much more socially coherent. Even a possible switch from Merkel to the even more pro-EU Schulz would not change that at all.
10
I hate to see Bannon elevated in any way --" the 'Bannonist' right in Germany?" Wow! A lot of us are truly terrified at the power this man has and the ever increasing nature and scope of it but calling Germany's right "the Bannonist right" really gives him a lot more credit than is due. I'm sure he is *thrilled* to see this acknowledgement of his global reach in the NYT. And I am sure our local American Bannonists just got a huge psychological lift from this.
Anyway, John Lennon wrote a song and now all of us who are not Bannonists are supposed to fall into the category of people who use "Imagine" as a guide for living a decent life?
These analogies and labels are simplistic, overdrawn and insulting to everyone IMHO.
I sincerely hope we are not going to see a lot of copy-cat opinions and news articles inflating Bannon and his influence to global proportions and involving him in discussions about other countries elections. It's so terrifying as it is, let's just not hand him more power and authority on an international scale.
Anyway, John Lennon wrote a song and now all of us who are not Bannonists are supposed to fall into the category of people who use "Imagine" as a guide for living a decent life?
These analogies and labels are simplistic, overdrawn and insulting to everyone IMHO.
I sincerely hope we are not going to see a lot of copy-cat opinions and news articles inflating Bannon and his influence to global proportions and involving him in discussions about other countries elections. It's so terrifying as it is, let's just not hand him more power and authority on an international scale.
6
In reply to ck:
"I hate to see Bannon elevated in any way ", you write,and mention how "thrilled he must be to see an acknowledgement of his global reach."
I most heartily agree with what you express so eloquently : that this is most definitely NOT a man of any stature .
A man in his 60s should have outgrown the revolutionary fervor of his late teens.
As for his White Supremacy beliefs( White "Nationalist" he maintains) along with his strange Apocalyptic notions, they have no place whatsoever in the White House.
I hope the new security guy gets rid of him asap.
"I hate to see Bannon elevated in any way ", you write,and mention how "thrilled he must be to see an acknowledgement of his global reach."
I most heartily agree with what you express so eloquently : that this is most definitely NOT a man of any stature .
A man in his 60s should have outgrown the revolutionary fervor of his late teens.
As for his White Supremacy beliefs( White "Nationalist" he maintains) along with his strange Apocalyptic notions, they have no place whatsoever in the White House.
I hope the new security guy gets rid of him asap.
5
So, is Bernie Sanders a Lennonist or a Bannonist? On the one hand Sanders supports open borders when it comes to immigration, but is protectionist when it comes to goods and services...an immigration friendly pro protectionist. What do we call that?
6
A world without borders could not be a world of peace and prosperity for most people. The European Union is a textbook case on this issue. It’s about the question of whether a single currency with a single central bank can deliver a uniform level of income distribution or not. The answer is “Not”. The countries of the EU have different cultures and different products. This causes them to have different needs for trade and debt. This is the reason why Greece, Spain, Ireland, Portugal, and Cyprus have experienced debt crises, and power shifts have occurred in these countries and five other eurozone countries (France, Slovenia, Slovakia, Belgium and the Netherlands). These problems could have been less serious if each had its own central bank rather than just one. The debt crises brought the IMF into the picture, forcing austerity and debt slavery on some of them. Read Michael Hudson’s “J is for Junk Economics” to understand this.
6
Nice strawman in John Lennon. I don't know who the "Lennonists" are.
Mr. Bannon's ideas are nothing new. They are the same old GOP, if you think they are new, you haven't been listening to talk radio or watching Fox News, or reading the Weekly Standard.
Trump, the GOP, Bannon, Ryan, Mcconnell, et al are nothing new and their ideas are the same old. The goal is always the same: maintain their power.
Mr. Bannon's ideas are nothing new. They are the same old GOP, if you think they are new, you haven't been listening to talk radio or watching Fox News, or reading the Weekly Standard.
Trump, the GOP, Bannon, Ryan, Mcconnell, et al are nothing new and their ideas are the same old. The goal is always the same: maintain their power.
9
Please stop being disingenuous; you know perfectly well who the "Lennonists" are, and so do NYT readers/commenters. Those of you who don't believe countries should have the right to their own borders and don't believe a nation's citizens should have more rights within that nation than non citizens are John Lennon disciples, whether you are honest enough to admit it or not.
5
So you missed Bannon's self-identification as a revolutionary Leninist who wants to blow the whole thing up? Are you aware of his espousal of the "Fourth Turning"? Or...maybe you're kidding....
2
Odd, I don't recall John Lennon singing anything about the free travel of goods across international borders.
17
He certainly had no problem with his music going across international borders.
I say that when history books of the future are written, one of the great ironies will be, the Beatles did far more to spread the English language than Kitchener, Rhodes, Mountbatten et al.
I say that when history books of the future are written, one of the great ironies will be, the Beatles did far more to spread the English language than Kitchener, Rhodes, Mountbatten et al.
3
I recently returned to America after living in Germany for four years. Angela Merkel always acted as if she was the Chancellor of the EU, not just Germany.
She consistently jammed her singular vision down the collective throats of all of the European Union. Her stance on Middle East immigrants, although good in theory, was poorly planned and disorganized. Granted, people were dying or starving and fast action may have been more of a necessity, but to pragmatic Germans, the immigration plan was, to say the least, rather distasteful and created much animosity.
To the rest of Europe, she is resented for dictating directives that were not coming from their own country's leaders. The Greece financial debacle is a prime example.
So, while her intent was good, she created an alienation that opened the door to the likes of Trump, Wilders, and the pro Brexit hard core. The door has been opened a crack and now is being pushed off its hinges.
She consistently jammed her singular vision down the collective throats of all of the European Union. Her stance on Middle East immigrants, although good in theory, was poorly planned and disorganized. Granted, people were dying or starving and fast action may have been more of a necessity, but to pragmatic Germans, the immigration plan was, to say the least, rather distasteful and created much animosity.
To the rest of Europe, she is resented for dictating directives that were not coming from their own country's leaders. The Greece financial debacle is a prime example.
So, while her intent was good, she created an alienation that opened the door to the likes of Trump, Wilders, and the pro Brexit hard core. The door has been opened a crack and now is being pushed off its hinges.
4
Oh, how rich the irony that we Americans must now turn to a German leader to hold the line against the descent into bigotry driven nationalism.
I guess it does turn out that history has a sense of humor.
I guess it does turn out that history has a sense of humor.
5
At present, Angela Merkel can be seen as the only legitimate heir to "Leader of the Free World." Our pseudo-president Trump's obvious incompetence and willful destructiveness, not to mention his moral bankruptcy, make him and his cohorts in crime (Putin, Dutarte, etc.) totally ineligible for that epithet.
1
Interesting piece. I think the main problem with the Lennon faction is their failure to sufficiently value and defend the Western culture that supports their idealism. By tolerating multiculturalism they seem all too willing to have their own deeply cherished values degraded (feminism, secularism, science, etc.)
The problem with the Bannon faction is their willingness to pervert the very Western values they seem so eager to protect. In their intolerance they become their own enemy.
The problem with the Bannon faction is their willingness to pervert the very Western values they seem so eager to protect. In their intolerance they become their own enemy.
5
A battle for the soul of modern Germany, clash between right and left wing trends which is being approximated in country after country in the West and even in the modern world worldwide?
It is not so much the battle between right and left wing which interests me as the concept that violence can get out of control and the methods which are being used to prevent violence. The political/economic/bureaucratic machinery of modern times is such that oscillation between right and left wing forces seem more and more to swing in clocklike pendulum movement and whatever soul a people has is gradually controlled and diminished (violence decreases, but also music, art, inspiration) to point that the salient characteristic of society is a banal bureaucratic structure which favors quite bland people.
Violence control has not been distinguished from general emotion control in Western societies. The goal seems to be the clockwork of Switzerland. In other words, people focus on the problem of violence and of course right and left wings clash with each other, but the antidote to violence (to each other and ourselves) seems a sad stalemate in layer after layer of bureaucracy which favors bland, unassuming and controlled people, and this situation is no marked degree of fairness over past societies. Millions feel stifled and power and control goes to people who compel little admiration because they are technocratic/bureaucratic dull sorts...Violence decreases, yes, but so does soar of genius.
It is not so much the battle between right and left wing which interests me as the concept that violence can get out of control and the methods which are being used to prevent violence. The political/economic/bureaucratic machinery of modern times is such that oscillation between right and left wing forces seem more and more to swing in clocklike pendulum movement and whatever soul a people has is gradually controlled and diminished (violence decreases, but also music, art, inspiration) to point that the salient characteristic of society is a banal bureaucratic structure which favors quite bland people.
Violence control has not been distinguished from general emotion control in Western societies. The goal seems to be the clockwork of Switzerland. In other words, people focus on the problem of violence and of course right and left wings clash with each other, but the antidote to violence (to each other and ourselves) seems a sad stalemate in layer after layer of bureaucracy which favors bland, unassuming and controlled people, and this situation is no marked degree of fairness over past societies. Millions feel stifled and power and control goes to people who compel little admiration because they are technocratic/bureaucratic dull sorts...Violence decreases, yes, but so does soar of genius.
One big asset for Merkel: over the last twenty years manufacturing has consistently produced 23% of German's GDP. It never waned.
Recently I watched a documentary about Frankfurt airport support services, from replacing runway lights to electrical supply. Every employee stressed how important his or her job was - each really felt it - the pride was palpable. Even the men who sucked out sewage from incoming planes said while the job wasn't the most pleasant, it was important.
To have pride is to feel respect. Could it be labor in Germany is actually respected? It helps that Germany has good social services and progressive labor unions (more like guilds).
By the way, during those same twenty years, U.S. manufacturing GDP as a share of the economy dived from 17% to 12.5%.
Recently I watched a documentary about Frankfurt airport support services, from replacing runway lights to electrical supply. Every employee stressed how important his or her job was - each really felt it - the pride was palpable. Even the men who sucked out sewage from incoming planes said while the job wasn't the most pleasant, it was important.
To have pride is to feel respect. Could it be labor in Germany is actually respected? It helps that Germany has good social services and progressive labor unions (more like guilds).
By the way, during those same twenty years, U.S. manufacturing GDP as a share of the economy dived from 17% to 12.5%.
5
One needs understand, what actually is the Wesetrn Soul about? Whether it's about creativity, courage, wisdom, challenge, austerity, rule of law and accountability? E.g all these properties which makes West dominate the world since the beginning of Protestant Reformation. Or whether it's about tolerance, humanism, negligence and erasing of nations, e.g liberal narrative since some as mid of 80-es?
Love the song, love the concept. The rub is that John Lennon wanted for nothing material. It is easy to think the good thoughts when your bank account is full, and you are doing what you want. Hope we can get there, but I am afraid Lennon's utopia is not scalable.
4
There is indeed a battle for the Western soul. It began post WWI and accelerated post WWII. The socialist left has whittled away at the foundations of the West; hence, the middle ground involving shared values and room for accommodation has almost disappeared. The left has demonized anything foundational (traditional) and branded it as alt-right. Hence, the foundations have eroded and the soul is in danger.
5
One thing is missing from this otherwise balanced analysis.
The countries of the EU largely have a common heritage--we call it "Western civilization". Looking back at the centuries of European wars, it's almost mystifying that so much blood could have been spilled over the relatively modest differences between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.
The United States is a direct descendant of this same Western culture. While it's predominantly Anglo-Saxon roots have been broadened, essentially the later arrivers were assimilated into this Anglo variant of the Western lineage.
So the primary question of the day in Brannon's mind isn't really so much focused on whether France and Germany should open the common border or whether the U.S. should be less connected to Australia, Canada and Britain.
Instead it truly is an issue of Huntington's clash of civilizations as he laid out on the map.
The countries of the EU largely have a common heritage--we call it "Western civilization". Looking back at the centuries of European wars, it's almost mystifying that so much blood could have been spilled over the relatively modest differences between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.
The United States is a direct descendant of this same Western culture. While it's predominantly Anglo-Saxon roots have been broadened, essentially the later arrivers were assimilated into this Anglo variant of the Western lineage.
So the primary question of the day in Brannon's mind isn't really so much focused on whether France and Germany should open the common border or whether the U.S. should be less connected to Australia, Canada and Britain.
Instead it truly is an issue of Huntington's clash of civilizations as he laid out on the map.
3
Apart from problems with the EU that are rendered specifically to the EU in both cause and effect, there are certainly those that originate from individual nations. Yet- and this is not at all different from the United States or the rest of the international community- business and industry absolutely have to own a much greater of responsibility and be held accountable for advancing societies above and beyond the bottom line. Deregulation without enhanced accountability, for example, of business and industry to populations at large for better healthcare and improved living standards across the board is in no way different than closing borders with walls and border guards whose backgrounds and capacity to serve (much less protect) are vetted less stringently than in the past and far less than the people they are meant to keep out. Both bring an unprecedented domestic threat to citizens everywhere.
2
This is so refreshing. Thank you for looking at this from a non-partisan view. This is the first thing I've read in a long time that isn't taking one side or the other. The "tribalism" and vitriol I'm reading lately from the left is not helping matters. The name calling and labeling they are doing. They are getting just as dogmatic as the conservatives. Very disappointing. Who are you, Mr. Bittner? Can you come here and help us?
5
If we're trying to put the debate on an intellectual level, as opposed to finding apologetics for greedy billionaires, why not call it Biggism versus Littlism? Some people like a big world with big ideas, others prefer a little world with little ideas.
And to situate religious belief in all this, David Byrne and the Talking Heads nailed it years ago: heaven is a place where nothing ever happens. It's the littlest idea of all, and it's no surprise that the Steve Bannons of this world go for it whole hog.
And to situate religious belief in all this, David Byrne and the Talking Heads nailed it years ago: heaven is a place where nothing ever happens. It's the littlest idea of all, and it's no surprise that the Steve Bannons of this world go for it whole hog.
1
The Bannon credo does not make subtle distinctions between equal rights and equality for women. Look at the content of Breitbart. Bannon and his ilk want women out of the workforce, barefoot, pregnant and muzzled.
8
I'll take Lennonism any day in the life over Bannonism. I take Love over Hate.
All you need is Love, Love is all you need.
DD
Manhattan
All you need is Love, Love is all you need.
DD
Manhattan
I know that nowadays mr Merkel has an image a kind of World's #1 Liberal and Democrat.
In fact, she is tremendously authoritarian and non-democratic person. No one inflicted more damage to EU, then she did, allowing millions of alien migrants to invade mainland. It has shown to the people of EU who, actually, liberal elites are. These are bunch of idealist bureaucrats, completely disconnected from reality, care for abstract ideas and values in expense of well-being of their fellow citizens.
No one contributed more to populist rise, then Merkel
In fact, she is tremendously authoritarian and non-democratic person. No one inflicted more damage to EU, then she did, allowing millions of alien migrants to invade mainland. It has shown to the people of EU who, actually, liberal elites are. These are bunch of idealist bureaucrats, completely disconnected from reality, care for abstract ideas and values in expense of well-being of their fellow citizens.
No one contributed more to populist rise, then Merkel
7
This looked like an interesting article, but I couldn't get beyond the self-contradictory opening paragraphs. Does Bannon want a world of walls or a world where everything has crashed down?
5
Thought provoking and certainly deserving of long, in depth discussion. Bannon might read this opinion and have some thoughts to share but he doesn't sign orders nor hold the nuclear code. Trump signs orders and is in sole possession of the nuclear codes - he, likely, will not read this piece nor, if read, understand its references. Imagine that.
2
Mr. Bittner,
What you conveniently keep out of your article is that Europe and USA ("the west") do not exist in a bubble. The west is acutely dependent on oil it does not have to manufacture, and large markets it does not have to sell to. If Russia, Turkey, Saudis, Emirates and China place sanctions on "the west" do you truly believe EU has what it takes to weather such a stress test? Especially in absence of its sole backer, the USA?
European progress has been achieved at the expense of the rest of the world, and the bequest of USA. But thank goodness times are changing. The self-congratulatory crown the west has placed upon its own head is coming apart at every hinge.
I invite you to wake up, and smell the coffee Mr. Bittner.
What you conveniently keep out of your article is that Europe and USA ("the west") do not exist in a bubble. The west is acutely dependent on oil it does not have to manufacture, and large markets it does not have to sell to. If Russia, Turkey, Saudis, Emirates and China place sanctions on "the west" do you truly believe EU has what it takes to weather such a stress test? Especially in absence of its sole backer, the USA?
European progress has been achieved at the expense of the rest of the world, and the bequest of USA. But thank goodness times are changing. The self-congratulatory crown the west has placed upon its own head is coming apart at every hinge.
I invite you to wake up, and smell the coffee Mr. Bittner.
1
Modern democracies (however imperfect) are rooted the law in constitutions that define countries. Like John Lennon, I am a dreamer. But the current "free trade" regime is not going to create a global democracy. It seeks to dominate the countries and nullify their democracies. The global "trade deals" like NAFTA and TPP (which Trump could yet sign), are less about trade then about shifting part of our power as sovereign citizens to global tribunals run by corporations. They are writing deals that let them overturn the decisions of democratically elected governments. (Both Jeb and Clinton would have signed them.)
This builds on more then a century of the supreme court using the 14th amendment, which makes everyone born in the US a citizen, to make corporations into citizens with more rights, and no responsibilities. The two parties together have facilitated this.
Corporations are fictitious entities and should not have broad rights.
The entire point of incorporating is to put a wall between the human and the corporation, so that the human is not responsible for more than their investment. Shareholders are not arrested for the crimes of their corporations.
Since responsibility does not flow from the corporation to the share holder, rights do not flow from the shareholder to the corporation. Corporations have rights that the law gives them, not the constitution.
The constitution gives rights to humans. But under fear of terror, we take rights from humans and corporatize them.
This builds on more then a century of the supreme court using the 14th amendment, which makes everyone born in the US a citizen, to make corporations into citizens with more rights, and no responsibilities. The two parties together have facilitated this.
Corporations are fictitious entities and should not have broad rights.
The entire point of incorporating is to put a wall between the human and the corporation, so that the human is not responsible for more than their investment. Shareholders are not arrested for the crimes of their corporations.
Since responsibility does not flow from the corporation to the share holder, rights do not flow from the shareholder to the corporation. Corporations have rights that the law gives them, not the constitution.
The constitution gives rights to humans. But under fear of terror, we take rights from humans and corporatize them.
14
This description of Lennonism should be filed under the rubric: cosmopolitanism. For such idealists, religion always separates humanity. There is no 'good religion,' because all religion removes humanity as a causal agent. When people appeal to a God, or more specifically, their God, as a premise for action (or inaction), then they distance themselves from social responsibility. No religions are compatible, for all religion is absolutist and totalitarian.
Perhaps more importantly, this idea of a borderless world undermines any coherent political theory. Theory is the plan for action, but without a subject (such as a nation state), there is nothing to act upon. One cannot translate the desire for peace into an active project without the state, as that the state is the unifying principle we can appeal to.
Bannonism, too, is flawed as an analytic concept. While it certainly lends itself to a more coherent political theory than Lennonism (since it keeps the state actor), this too is useless if we tip-toe around the movement's impetus. Bannonism does not fear Islam because it's anti-Western, for so too is Bannonism. The problem with Islam, much like Feminism and all else the far right rails against, is that it challenges white male patriarchy. Bannonists care about control, for they are motivated by authoritarian tendencies. The more we hedge and fail to acknowledge this truth, the longer we will delude ourselves into thinking there is common ground between us.
Perhaps more importantly, this idea of a borderless world undermines any coherent political theory. Theory is the plan for action, but without a subject (such as a nation state), there is nothing to act upon. One cannot translate the desire for peace into an active project without the state, as that the state is the unifying principle we can appeal to.
Bannonism, too, is flawed as an analytic concept. While it certainly lends itself to a more coherent political theory than Lennonism (since it keeps the state actor), this too is useless if we tip-toe around the movement's impetus. Bannonism does not fear Islam because it's anti-Western, for so too is Bannonism. The problem with Islam, much like Feminism and all else the far right rails against, is that it challenges white male patriarchy. Bannonists care about control, for they are motivated by authoritarian tendencies. The more we hedge and fail to acknowledge this truth, the longer we will delude ourselves into thinking there is common ground between us.
3
Lennonism as a valid political option?
The guy was a pot-head, narcissist and a terrible father amongst other things, who would probably have voted against the establishment and for Trump at this stage of his life.
The guy was a pot-head, narcissist and a terrible father amongst other things, who would probably have voted against the establishment and for Trump at this stage of his life.
3
Drivel. Neither Lennon nor Bannon has ever had to govern before. Bannon will make as bad a hash of it as Lennon would have.
1
My perspective on Donald Trump and his loyal adviser Steve Bannon is that they are both anachronisms. Clearly, the social and political basis for the Trump administration is centered in the aging conservative non Hispanic white population of the aging blue collar counties and rural areas of the South, Midwest and the vast underpopulated Great Plains and Inter-mountain West.
They anchor a worldview stuck in the middle of the twentieth century when Steve and Donald were growing up. Donald was living in Queens in the 1950s, the son of a newly rich then "nouveau rich" family that aspired to elite status while eating meatloaf and working night and day in the outer boroughs booming real estate business. Donald grew up with John Wayne.
At the same time, Steve grew up in northern Virginia, a proud "son of the South" who had to endure the transformation of his part of the world by the civil rights movement, where Southern white manhood was challenged by both Martin Luther King and then the women's movement.
When we see Trump and Bannon today, you see those grievances, the transformations of the mid and late twentieth century continued and magnified by those of the early twenty-first century eroding the status
of the social groups that both men represent and identify with.
Their problem is that demographics are working irresistibly against their political coalition. They won in 2016 but it is not clear, given changes in the electorate, they will survive much longer.
They anchor a worldview stuck in the middle of the twentieth century when Steve and Donald were growing up. Donald was living in Queens in the 1950s, the son of a newly rich then "nouveau rich" family that aspired to elite status while eating meatloaf and working night and day in the outer boroughs booming real estate business. Donald grew up with John Wayne.
At the same time, Steve grew up in northern Virginia, a proud "son of the South" who had to endure the transformation of his part of the world by the civil rights movement, where Southern white manhood was challenged by both Martin Luther King and then the women's movement.
When we see Trump and Bannon today, you see those grievances, the transformations of the mid and late twentieth century continued and magnified by those of the early twenty-first century eroding the status
of the social groups that both men represent and identify with.
Their problem is that demographics are working irresistibly against their political coalition. They won in 2016 but it is not clear, given changes in the electorate, they will survive much longer.
2
Thing is: Even if an idiot states the truth, it remains still the truth -- Sokrates?
We liberal globalists have made mistakes. Of course it hurts to admit that. If Trumpism is the wake-up call, so be it. But let's use it as such, let's filter the incredible noise for some useful data, let's listen to the other side, as some things they say are certainly true. Can we do better than their dystopian vision? You bet.
Democracy is not dead, yet. The big nukes have not been deployed, yet. Let's use this time to learn quickly. The irony of history, enabled by America! has afforded Germany a unique position, in which it may be less susceptible to fascism than others right now.
I sure hope Merkel and/or Schulz don't squander this chance to create a third-way-model that works and creates momentum for others to follow.
We liberal globalists have made mistakes. Of course it hurts to admit that. If Trumpism is the wake-up call, so be it. But let's use it as such, let's filter the incredible noise for some useful data, let's listen to the other side, as some things they say are certainly true. Can we do better than their dystopian vision? You bet.
Democracy is not dead, yet. The big nukes have not been deployed, yet. Let's use this time to learn quickly. The irony of history, enabled by America! has afforded Germany a unique position, in which it may be less susceptible to fascism than others right now.
I sure hope Merkel and/or Schulz don't squander this chance to create a third-way-model that works and creates momentum for others to follow.
4
This division of the world into Bannonism and Lennonism is ridiculously simplistic. I have met plenty of "liberal" Europeans who look down on Muslims, just as I have met plenty of Americans who oppose globalization but are open to immigration.
3
As long as the world has no borders, I don't believe that private property rules should remain in effect. If citizens of a nation do not wish for any borders, they should not oppose the idea that since they have no country or national identity, they should not have any private belongings. "Share and Share alike" the article seems to recommend. If anyone can go anywhere, they should be allowed to use our spare bedrooms and backyards if they choose. This will truly be the triumph of the Lennon philosophy.
2
FOLLOWING STATEMENT OR THE OWNER OF THE WORLD IS NEITHER EVOLUTION NOR REVOLUTIONIST.
Stephen K. Bannon, explained, “I want to bring everything crashing down, and destroy all of today’s establishment.”
This was a motto of late 19th century anarchist, which they have no place in society. Bannon core philosophy is summed up in this statement. He is the public enemy #1.
Look , in 20th century we lived 2 WW and almost 70 million people massacred, we the followers of the Democracy will be waiting and punishing those who may even will bring us WWIII nuclear holocaust, end of the day is ours, Bannon type's will be sitting on Nuremberg type court room benches and facing their fate.
Centre will never perish , because we are representing democracy, freedom and human dignity. Rest of the ideologies are allowed to pester around for color. if they get ahead , we are ready and more efficient than ever to deliver their end.
Stephen K. Bannon, explained, “I want to bring everything crashing down, and destroy all of today’s establishment.”
This was a motto of late 19th century anarchist, which they have no place in society. Bannon core philosophy is summed up in this statement. He is the public enemy #1.
Look , in 20th century we lived 2 WW and almost 70 million people massacred, we the followers of the Democracy will be waiting and punishing those who may even will bring us WWIII nuclear holocaust, end of the day is ours, Bannon type's will be sitting on Nuremberg type court room benches and facing their fate.
Centre will never perish , because we are representing democracy, freedom and human dignity. Rest of the ideologies are allowed to pester around for color. if they get ahead , we are ready and more efficient than ever to deliver their end.
2
Oh Mr. Bittner, it's much simpler than your long (and a bit boring) analysis. Income inequality and injustice. That's it. When 8 men (they are all men) own more wealth than most of the rest of the world's population you know we have a problem. Solve that (and frankly it isn't that hard, tax that money) and the rest will sort itself out.
4
Often when I read an analysis like this contrasting an insular vs. global worldview, this question comes to mind: is there a broad, historical trend toward one or the other? Are we not becoming more connected, more urbanized, more secular? Aren’t the cities and more progressive states and nations outperforming the rural heartlands?
Then I remind myself that I’m describing a fraction of a subset of a portion of the population of even those enlightened enclaves. And also that the faster change accelerates, the tighter many people cling to the traditional and familiar. And that everywhere, and increasingly, we are distilling an ever-richer cream at the top and discarding the whey that settles to the bottom.
The 1%, or 10%, may be at the apex of a curve marking human “progress”, but there is a long and large tail, and cumulatively, it represents a much larger population. We should be paying closer attention to them, rather than being dazzled by what’s happening at Davos, or in London, New York, or San Francisco.
Then I remind myself that I’m describing a fraction of a subset of a portion of the population of even those enlightened enclaves. And also that the faster change accelerates, the tighter many people cling to the traditional and familiar. And that everywhere, and increasingly, we are distilling an ever-richer cream at the top and discarding the whey that settles to the bottom.
The 1%, or 10%, may be at the apex of a curve marking human “progress”, but there is a long and large tail, and cumulatively, it represents a much larger population. We should be paying closer attention to them, rather than being dazzled by what’s happening at Davos, or in London, New York, or San Francisco.
5
Please use someone else to spin your fantasies, leave John Lennon out of it. He was far above petty politics and doesn't belong in the mudhole occupied by Bannon.
1
Can Mr. Bittner explain, how the relatively good social safety-net of Germany can function with open borders? Doesn't a democratic state, especially the citizen, needs to check how many and what kind of people immigrate? I criticize that discussions about 'openness' and migration are too often abstract and almost (like a religion) ideological biased.
4
Lennon? Really? You want to put that out as a hope for the future that people don’t immediately mock and laugh at? Try again. Think it through. Or just listen to the song.
Imagine there's no countries . . . Nothing to kill or die for / No religion too / Imagine all the people / living life in peace. Hmmm. A single, borderless entity. By what laws, rules, cultures, customs, and mores would we all be living? America's? Saudi Arabia's? Iceland's? Cuba's? And if there's nothing to kill or die for, then there's really nothing to live for, either--not equality, not liberty, not justice.
Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can / No need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of man / Imagine all the people, sharing all the world. . . . Let's begin implementing the third stanza's message by splitting up the royalties to this copyrighted song. Mrs. Lennon, I imagine, will be only too happy to share with the rest of us the proceeds from the semiannual checks she receives for its licensing. In fact, why don't we all participate in every revenue stream created by John's invaluable catalogue? No, even that's not good enough. John wants us all to own everything, so we're each entitled to an equal share of not only his catalogue but also every album, tape, and CD ever made--by every artist.
Of course, housing and food are going to be problems, too, unless someone volunteers to mine the quarries, hammer nails, plant corn, and catch salmon for the rest of us.
Imagine there's no countries . . . Nothing to kill or die for / No religion too / Imagine all the people / living life in peace. Hmmm. A single, borderless entity. By what laws, rules, cultures, customs, and mores would we all be living? America's? Saudi Arabia's? Iceland's? Cuba's? And if there's nothing to kill or die for, then there's really nothing to live for, either--not equality, not liberty, not justice.
Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can / No need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of man / Imagine all the people, sharing all the world. . . . Let's begin implementing the third stanza's message by splitting up the royalties to this copyrighted song. Mrs. Lennon, I imagine, will be only too happy to share with the rest of us the proceeds from the semiannual checks she receives for its licensing. In fact, why don't we all participate in every revenue stream created by John's invaluable catalogue? No, even that's not good enough. John wants us all to own everything, so we're each entitled to an equal share of not only his catalogue but also every album, tape, and CD ever made--by every artist.
Of course, housing and food are going to be problems, too, unless someone volunteers to mine the quarries, hammer nails, plant corn, and catch salmon for the rest of us.
3
Merkel has the great almost incalcuable benefit of not running against Trump. Trump is a unique politician who could command the airwaves with lies and nonsense and promises he knew he would break as soon as he could. He had an almost mesmerizing effect on his supporters and on much of the media. The German campaign lacking Trump sounds as if it should be fought on ideas and not on a reality stage show.
1
This fascist white supremacist Bannon, a Hitler reborn who has never held public office in the USA, has no business being in Trump's inner circle. Neither does Miller. America, land of freedom of the press is the wrong place for these twin Herman Goerings. They belong in Russia with its state controlled press and suppression of the masses. If the President wants any public support whatever he should rid his circle of these evil --and very soon. As it is we have already lost faith in Trump.
4
Interesting article, Jochen Bittner - thank you for it. But let us not forget that real life is more complex and potentially rewarding than the contributions of a gifted musician and the ruminations of an overzealous politician. Ordinary citizens continue to go about their daily work. Their strength and ingenuity outpaces the analyses of elite journalists, as much as the latter's writings may be appreciated by some, yet judged amusing by many in the light of real-life necessities. Likely, it would be helpful for the political climate in the western countries to demobilize and tune down the "importance" of the Merkels, the Junkers/Schulzes, and even the Trumps (listed alphabetically). They may seem politically powerful, but helpless without the daily work of the "rest of us". A particularly pungent case in point is the impressive participation of many in the German public to help accommodate the refugees whom Dr. Merkel lured into the country, yet in the face of approaching elections has become eager to get rid of as fast as possible. What a telling spectacle. The reckoning might unfold in Germany come September. In the US, there seems to exist a decade-old tradition in the public to distance oneself from the goings-on-within the Capital Beltway and look at DC politics with reservations. The presidential election results of November 8, 2016 a pertinent reckoning? Have a nice day.
Post world war II Germans were a major beneficiary of the Marshall plan. Germany of this century is a major economic power and German engineering reigns supreme. Chancellor Angela Merkel has been the least disliked world leader of this century and Germans by and large have stood by her through thick and thin. But she went too far in dominating the heavily bureaucratic EU leading to Brexit and the rise of nationalism in EU countries. Last year I met some German tourists in Helsinki and they were very supportive of Merkel but since then there were some terrorist incidences arising from new residents forcing her to take a firmer stand and deporting those residents from Germany either back to their country of origin or to other countries like USA, Sweden and Canada. Merkel has been too soft and too willing to go along with decisions made by President Obama. Unlike her predecessor German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder along with the then French and Canadian leaders who bravely stood up against the blunder of G. W. Bush in waging war in Iraq, Merkel did NOT oppose the wars in Libya or Syria or Yemen, which ultimately led to the epic migration and devastation of the homeland of millions. So in this regard she failed to avoid the dire consequences of those wars and the next election will judge her for being the poodle of president Obama, the same way Tony Blair was to Bush in supporting the Iraq war. I would be very surprised if Merkel is reelected by the antiwar segment of Germans.
1
It's the old story of egoism vs altruism--survival of the fittest, let the unfit drop away; or sacrifice for the benefit of the other.
And since global corporations own the goods of the world and corporate philosophy is beat your competitor, we in 2017 are still playing the old game of monopoly. U.S. corporations have individual states vying against each other. And global corporations keep countries from cooperating in the interest of peace.
It's greed, from the poorest to the wealthiest. The poor scrabble for sustenance, while the rich plot to keep the upper hand lest true democracy break out. Compassion, sharing, is a dangerous thing. Social safety nets risk the rise of the poor to the detriment of the always precarious elites. So third way or centrist parties walk a fine line between giving too much away and keeping power out of the hands of the masses.
Of course, Bannonists don't see a problem.
And since global corporations own the goods of the world and corporate philosophy is beat your competitor, we in 2017 are still playing the old game of monopoly. U.S. corporations have individual states vying against each other. And global corporations keep countries from cooperating in the interest of peace.
It's greed, from the poorest to the wealthiest. The poor scrabble for sustenance, while the rich plot to keep the upper hand lest true democracy break out. Compassion, sharing, is a dangerous thing. Social safety nets risk the rise of the poor to the detriment of the always precarious elites. So third way or centrist parties walk a fine line between giving too much away and keeping power out of the hands of the masses.
Of course, Bannonists don't see a problem.
1
Temper both Lennonism and Bannonism by applying (and pre-thinking) the Law of Unintended Consequences.
High time for Merkel and her grand coalition to go. Merkel, Schäuble and Seehofer are a disaster. They have done enough damage to Germany and Europe with their one sided corporatist policies and hypocritical approach to the refugee crisis. We need red/red/green in Germany!
"When it comes to matters of faith, Lennonists believe that religion must not separate humanity," What about "imagine no religion, it's easy if you try"? Lennon was an athiest and did not believe in organized religion. What we need is more belief in science and less religion.
What's interesting to see in Germany is that since Schulz got in the race the ratings of the far right AFD has actually gone down and some of its follower have shown interest in voting socialdemocrat. Something we could have had here if Democrats had nominated Sanders instead of the same old corporatist Clinton! But disappointed working working people really were not given such a choice here, so all they could is turn to populist Trump.
1
It's more than disturbing that someone would equate the policies of any mainstream politician as being in line with the John Lennon's political views. John implored us to imagine a world with no countries, no possessions, no religion, and no war. How does that square with vulture capitalists who send jobs to low-wage countries, or with proponents of our never-ending war on terror, or with the contemporary "politically correct" crowd who refuse to acknowledge the dangers of religious extremism? The answer is simple: it does not. A world without war, materialism, religious extremism, and fanatical ethnic nationalism is a lovely place indeed. Let's no delude ourselves into thinking that any politician's "centrist" policies are going to take us there.
3
Echoes of Sanders/Clinton in the Merkel/Schulz face-off? Maybe without the institutional impediments Schulz can play out his appeal more freely than Sanders. Or more likely, given Germany's proportional system, the two sides will end up in a coalition government, extending that dialogue through the next term. In any case, Germans are perhaps unlikely to give a plurality or working minority of votes to a bombastic authoritarian as we did. Now maybe they can show us how to get out of this giant mess called Trump.
2
Why are current times different ? Why are we in a "Lennon vs Bannon mode"Easy. We are in a new time/era of Islamic encroachment . It's not prejudice. It's fact.. Islamic encroachment on world order was driven back in 1683 at the Gates of Vienna. Further beaten back at the conclusion of WW 1..
With the increasing population Islam is on the move....
With the increasing population Islam is on the move....
Is this article taking a line from a song written over 40 years ago by someone whose not alive to say what he thinks; and trying to create or label some non existent movement? Is that right? .... I think that is beyond presumptuous and frankly pretty dumb ... Anyway, I wish Angela Merkel was my President, and hope to the stars she wins her election.
Orange, NJ
Orange, NJ
1
Herr Bittner, I'm sorry to say that this is one of your weaker op-eds, for several reasons. First of all, "Bannonism" is not exactly what you describe but rather something more sinister. Second, the German election has very little to do with „Lennon“ vs. „Bannon“ because, as far as we can tell, Merkel and Schulz have very similar positions. Schulz is center-left, although he hasn’t voiced many of his ideas, and Merkel could be positioned there as well, at least from an American point of view. Although her colors change faster than those of a chameleon and people are getting tired of that. As long as there is full employment, overall prosperity, and no major terrorist attacks the German voters won’t be susceptible to pied pipers, so the most likely outcome will be another grand coalition under a chancellor who will muddle through pretty much as before.
1
"But Bannonism is also a critique of Lennonism. It holds that, after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the liberal elites forgot about the legitimate interests of the nation-state. "
Bannonism might hold that there are legitimate interests of the nation-state, but that's because of a weak understanding of the nation-state and its legitimacy in general as well as how it is defined. The US is not a nation-state. It is a mutlinational state constituted as a republic. You have to search long and far to find actual nation-states any longer. Even Melania Trump's Slovenia barely holds 80% of its population as identifying as "Slovene" and that national identity is constructed around being able to speak "Slovene" and not much else (interesting farm architecture, sour rosé wine, and a skosh of Roman Catholicism). In fact, it is probably better to identify as Slovene as being a multilingual person who lives in the region known, of and on, as "Slovenia."
The point is: most nation-state have as much legitimacy as we and others give them. That's it. If you want to legitimize nation-states, then you are going to have to deal with the worst ideology in the history of ideologies: nationalism. More piles of corpses have been stacked by the desire to identify with the matter of happenstance of ones birth than any other. If preferring to identify with ones common species or "fellow humans," is illegitimate, then the finer distinctions "nation" is an even finer illegitimacy.
Bannonism might hold that there are legitimate interests of the nation-state, but that's because of a weak understanding of the nation-state and its legitimacy in general as well as how it is defined. The US is not a nation-state. It is a mutlinational state constituted as a republic. You have to search long and far to find actual nation-states any longer. Even Melania Trump's Slovenia barely holds 80% of its population as identifying as "Slovene" and that national identity is constructed around being able to speak "Slovene" and not much else (interesting farm architecture, sour rosé wine, and a skosh of Roman Catholicism). In fact, it is probably better to identify as Slovene as being a multilingual person who lives in the region known, of and on, as "Slovenia."
The point is: most nation-state have as much legitimacy as we and others give them. That's it. If you want to legitimize nation-states, then you are going to have to deal with the worst ideology in the history of ideologies: nationalism. More piles of corpses have been stacked by the desire to identify with the matter of happenstance of ones birth than any other. If preferring to identify with ones common species or "fellow humans," is illegitimate, then the finer distinctions "nation" is an even finer illegitimacy.
2
Merkel's staunch support for austerity helped to energize the political forces which passed Brexit and brought Donald Trump to power. You cannot cut your way to growth (see the NY Times' Paul Krugman for many articles on this topic). Notwithstanding economic sensibilities, Merkel doggedly hangs on to this failed policy, which crimps economic growth in the EuroZone, BUT does benefit the Bundesbank and other German creditors.
Merkel also drove the open-arms refugee policy which, while laudable in intent, was poorly implemented and absurd in its scope. This policy has also bolstered politicians on the right.
If Merkel loses power, she should look in the mirror to find the cause for her defeat.
Merkel also drove the open-arms refugee policy which, while laudable in intent, was poorly implemented and absurd in its scope. This policy has also bolstered politicians on the right.
If Merkel loses power, she should look in the mirror to find the cause for her defeat.
Most of us would feed our families before we'd feed anonymous strangers, but for the wealthy cosmopolitans of the financial and business elites, the notion of family, of their extended "kin," is more likely to include the friends of their overseas business contacts than their neighbors on the next street over.
So OF COURSE they think globally.
But to say the rest of us are somehow joined with Steve Bannon is not just inaccurate; it's insulting, and even disgusting.
Unlike the "Lennonist" elites, most of us are still worried about our futures.
We shouldn't have to be.
Our "forefathers" strove for generations to lift the societies we inherited out of poverty, ignorance, and exploitative government, to enable them to offer a greater plenty to their citizens than was, and still largely is, the lot of those who don't live in those kinds of societies.
But according to the rules of globalization those societies don't really exist as entities independent of the global market, and we have no right to the security our predecessors thought they were bequeathing us. We are just "labor inputs" with exactly the same value (though a much higher price) as a labor input in Mexico or China.
That is WRONG. And the fact that Steve Bannon thinks so, too, doesn't make it right.
So OF COURSE they think globally.
But to say the rest of us are somehow joined with Steve Bannon is not just inaccurate; it's insulting, and even disgusting.
Unlike the "Lennonist" elites, most of us are still worried about our futures.
We shouldn't have to be.
Our "forefathers" strove for generations to lift the societies we inherited out of poverty, ignorance, and exploitative government, to enable them to offer a greater plenty to their citizens than was, and still largely is, the lot of those who don't live in those kinds of societies.
But according to the rules of globalization those societies don't really exist as entities independent of the global market, and we have no right to the security our predecessors thought they were bequeathing us. We are just "labor inputs" with exactly the same value (though a much higher price) as a labor input in Mexico or China.
That is WRONG. And the fact that Steve Bannon thinks so, too, doesn't make it right.
3
What an oddly tone deaf opinion. Needless to say, Europe's "cosmopolitan" utopia is being systematically rejected because in the face of persistent poor economic performance its only response is to line the pockets of London and German banks.
The EU is a reverse Leninist, not Lennonist, utopia. It is the vanguard of the capitalist class attempting to rule the world from their urban penthouses.
Imagine all the robots, taking every job!
Imagine all those people, living in poverty!
I wonder if this author can?
The EU is a reverse Leninist, not Lennonist, utopia. It is the vanguard of the capitalist class attempting to rule the world from their urban penthouses.
Imagine all the robots, taking every job!
Imagine all those people, living in poverty!
I wonder if this author can?
This article has finally provided a framework for my own political beliefs...one that I have been struggling to find, and after reading it I can firmly state that "I am a die hard Lennonist" to the very core of my being. Thank you Jochen Bittner for finding me a political party to belong to!
Imagine, by John Lennon
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today... Aha-ah...
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace... You...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world... You...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
Social Democrats are not John Lennon. It is bad enough that this author is trying to turn everything on its head to promote the fake establishment "center," but don't use the words of a guy who was probably murdered for singing such a song, to so many people.
This song is about humans being nice to each other on every level, without some outside authority telling them to. No posessions, no free trade. No countries, because he imagines that Bannon has given up his insanity to love the human race. Lennon imagines that the "liberals" have given up their duplicity and no longer use Republicans as an excuse to steal from other countries and subject different people to a different rule of law.
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
Be a Dreamer.
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today... Aha-ah...
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace... You...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world... You...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
Social Democrats are not John Lennon. It is bad enough that this author is trying to turn everything on its head to promote the fake establishment "center," but don't use the words of a guy who was probably murdered for singing such a song, to so many people.
This song is about humans being nice to each other on every level, without some outside authority telling them to. No posessions, no free trade. No countries, because he imagines that Bannon has given up his insanity to love the human race. Lennon imagines that the "liberals" have given up their duplicity and no longer use Republicans as an excuse to steal from other countries and subject different people to a different rule of law.
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
Be a Dreamer.
1
I always felt that here was a hint of narcissism in the line
"I hope some day you'll join us
And the world can live as one"
It spoiled an otherwise beautiful lyric for me. Now I wonder if it was perhaps intentional irony.
"I hope some day you'll join us
And the world can live as one"
It spoiled an otherwise beautiful lyric for me. Now I wonder if it was perhaps intentional irony.
2
Cont.
Being honest with electorates about the benefits AND the pitfalls of globalization is likewise indispensable. Politicians everywhere have failed miserably in this regard and have allowed non-factual or one-sided, negative narratives to become dominant.
The press/media have an important role and responsibility in this truth-telling and constant (re-)educational process, which they have often failed at. Thus, today, large segments of the population in Europe have a largely negative view of the EU, and in the US large swaths of the population are ignorant of New-Deal government programs like Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid ("keep your filthy government hand off my Medicare", as one Trump supporter shouted).
Ignorance is the greatest enemy of liberal democracy.
Being honest with electorates about the benefits AND the pitfalls of globalization is likewise indispensable. Politicians everywhere have failed miserably in this regard and have allowed non-factual or one-sided, negative narratives to become dominant.
The press/media have an important role and responsibility in this truth-telling and constant (re-)educational process, which they have often failed at. Thus, today, large segments of the population in Europe have a largely negative view of the EU, and in the US large swaths of the population are ignorant of New-Deal government programs like Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid ("keep your filthy government hand off my Medicare", as one Trump supporter shouted).
Ignorance is the greatest enemy of liberal democracy.
4
There are some inherent protections in the modern parliamentary systems, which will make it more difficult for a Trump-like neo-Fascist to take over. The two-party system in the US is susceptible to having one or the other party taken over by some extreme out-side movement, as was the case with the GOP, taken over, or at least held hostage, by the Tea-Party. Trump just rode the wave of the nihilistic, government-is-the-problem, counter-factual attitudes set in motion by the Tea Party.
In modern parliamentary system, such movements tend to form their own political movements/parties, which either grow, mature and become relevant (like the Green Party) or are a flash in the pan, like the "Pirates" or the German "Republicans" of a few decades ago. Explicit coalition forming, with agreed-upon common goals, like the current Grand Coalition in Germany, tend to avoid the complete log-jam, "we just want to make the other party fail" disaster the US experienced in the past eight years.
The other problem, common among Europe and the US, is that politicians avoid telling electorates hard truths, and assume that everyone inherently just understands the often hard-won benefits of the past. Educating the electorate about the huge benefits of the EU must be an on-going, continuous effort and cannot be allowed to be take for granted.
(Continued...)
In modern parliamentary system, such movements tend to form their own political movements/parties, which either grow, mature and become relevant (like the Green Party) or are a flash in the pan, like the "Pirates" or the German "Republicans" of a few decades ago. Explicit coalition forming, with agreed-upon common goals, like the current Grand Coalition in Germany, tend to avoid the complete log-jam, "we just want to make the other party fail" disaster the US experienced in the past eight years.
The other problem, common among Europe and the US, is that politicians avoid telling electorates hard truths, and assume that everyone inherently just understands the often hard-won benefits of the past. Educating the electorate about the huge benefits of the EU must be an on-going, continuous effort and cannot be allowed to be take for granted.
(Continued...)
3
Jochen Bittner says Germany is the battle ground for the "Western soul" in this year's election, pitting "Lennonists" against "Bannonists." But John Lennon and Steve Bannon have very little in common. The popstar was a liberal, progressive anti-war activist, who believed in humanity; Trump's chief strategist is a sinister opportunist - a hawkish, racist bigot - who embraces Judeo-Christian traditionalism, nativism and economic nationalism.
What is fortunate for Germany is the absence of a Trump-like candidate, who could unseat Angela Merkel. While Lennon's liberal views - a free and borderless world as depicted in his ballad "Imagine" - are deeply entrenched in Europe, the German establishment needs to keep an eye on populist, bellicose, conspiracy-tinged outlets that emulate Bannon's Breitbart News. It also needs to learn Bannon's strategy - one of the reasons he succeeded is because he has been able to unite the two unconnected halves of American populist outrage - culture wars and the financial crisis. Many conservative Americans don't approve of LGBT movements, dilution of American values etc. Those in Rustbelt areas are outraged that Wall Street financiers were not held responsible for the many mistakes, while they bear the brunt of economic woes.
What is fortunate for Germany is the absence of a Trump-like candidate, who could unseat Angela Merkel. While Lennon's liberal views - a free and borderless world as depicted in his ballad "Imagine" - are deeply entrenched in Europe, the German establishment needs to keep an eye on populist, bellicose, conspiracy-tinged outlets that emulate Bannon's Breitbart News. It also needs to learn Bannon's strategy - one of the reasons he succeeded is because he has been able to unite the two unconnected halves of American populist outrage - culture wars and the financial crisis. Many conservative Americans don't approve of LGBT movements, dilution of American values etc. Those in Rustbelt areas are outraged that Wall Street financiers were not held responsible for the many mistakes, while they bear the brunt of economic woes.
16
There is not deepening rift between "America and Europe: we in New England feel much closer to Germany than to folks in Indiana or Kentucky. Ditto for California and the West Coast. California has its Calexit, New England wants to become Canada's 11th province. These more prosperous and successful "blue" regions of the US want nothing to do with the American "Heartland", with ugly pseudo-religion, racism, xenophobia, and new-fascism that fill the state houses of Indiana, South Carolina, and Utah. Massachusetts society is much more in tune with the values of more civilized countries like Germany than with the ugliness that gave these people their Donald Trump.
29
To Renaldo: "Liberal" connotes being open minded and free from prejudice. To put all residents of non-coastal states in one bucket and condemn them--well over 100,000,000 people--is to be guilty of extreme prejudice.
By the way, I moved to Massachusetts in 1999 after spending a dozen years in Germany. I know that metro Boston is actually less "European" than my home town of Chicago--epicenter of the non-coastal USA.
By the way, I moved to Massachusetts in 1999 after spending a dozen years in Germany. I know that metro Boston is actually less "European" than my home town of Chicago--epicenter of the non-coastal USA.
Bowing down to the archaic fundamentalist beliefs and practices of Islam is not liberal or progressive or 'peaceful'.
For all her other faults, Marine Le Pen's "You can pass on my respects to the Grand Mufti, but I will not cover myself up." strikes exactly the right balance. We respect your right to freedom of religion but you will not change us or oppress us and we will not acquiesce to your beliefs. And you are not entitled to come here and live off the fruits of our freedom and tolerance.
That's what I want to hear.
For all her other faults, Marine Le Pen's "You can pass on my respects to the Grand Mufti, but I will not cover myself up." strikes exactly the right balance. We respect your right to freedom of religion but you will not change us or oppress us and we will not acquiesce to your beliefs. And you are not entitled to come here and live off the fruits of our freedom and tolerance.
That's what I want to hear.
63
I don't see their extreme fundamentalists as any more scary than Christian extreme fundamentalists. Your sister religions have more in common than not.
Stop trying to divide the world, as a divide and conquer distraction, so that the mega-rich can manipulate every market and take a little off of the top of everything that you do.
Stop trying to divide the world, as a divide and conquer distraction, so that the mega-rich can manipulate every market and take a little off of the top of everything that you do.
To elevate these two men to some sort of equivalent social status does a great disservice to the legacy of John Lennon, regardless of his (or your) politics.
19
I still don't remember Bannon being elected to any office. Perhaps McMasters will finally shut him down.
Just how much liquor does Bannon guzzle each day? That's neither makeup nor sunburn on his face. Those are the broken capillaries of a long-drunk. Can't White House staff smell yesterday's liquor on his skin?
One of the effects of long-time heavy drinking (and there are many) is paranoia. Delusions are frequent. The ability to think rationally, no matter how smart you were when you started drinking, is destroyed.
Who gave this man a security clearance? I hope the IC is watching Bannon and his puppets closely.
Just how much liquor does Bannon guzzle each day? That's neither makeup nor sunburn on his face. Those are the broken capillaries of a long-drunk. Can't White House staff smell yesterday's liquor on his skin?
One of the effects of long-time heavy drinking (and there are many) is paranoia. Delusions are frequent. The ability to think rationally, no matter how smart you were when you started drinking, is destroyed.
Who gave this man a security clearance? I hope the IC is watching Bannon and his puppets closely.
60
Thanks for pointing this out. I have a long history of understanding alcoholism and spotted the same thing as you did.
1
This is an optimistic piece. I hope Mr. Bittner is right and that President Trump's election was the crest of the authoritarian, nationalist wave that will now start to ebb.
12
The thing to remember here is that the Lennonists and the Bannonists occupy the same world. So while I agree with the Lennonist view, and believe that it is what is best for economic growth and human rights, it should absolutely be tempered with a dose of caution. Historically, wars have been fought over borders and the desire to gain sovereignty if there is a feeling that it has been lost. So while 'borders are an artificial concept,' if there exists a sizeable portion of people who are willing to go to war over them, they exists, whether the Lennonists like it or not.
4
Sometimes, "good fences make good neighbors" but only until they get to know each other. Die Mauer only lasted 1961 - 1989.
Then, they can borrow & lend each other tools or have an old fashioned neighborhood barn raising.
Today they can even "barter" legal services for medical services or lend cars or babysit for each other's children.
We can even strive for "Love thy neighbor".
What trauma happened in Steve Bannon's childhood to induce the "want to bring everything crashing down & destroy all of today's establishment." ?
Or, I'm asking sincerely, do we accept the swing of the socio-political/global/cosmic pendulum and, in the meantime, contemplate our navels ?
Then, they can borrow & lend each other tools or have an old fashioned neighborhood barn raising.
Today they can even "barter" legal services for medical services or lend cars or babysit for each other's children.
We can even strive for "Love thy neighbor".
What trauma happened in Steve Bannon's childhood to induce the "want to bring everything crashing down & destroy all of today's establishment." ?
Or, I'm asking sincerely, do we accept the swing of the socio-political/global/cosmic pendulum and, in the meantime, contemplate our navels ?
5
In succeeding paragraphs the author talks about the virtues of Islam and the need to advance women's rights. How disingenuous.
Every time I see a Muslim women in the local mall in a thick black garment with only a tiny opening for her eyes to view the world around her (while her husband sports an Izod golf shirt) I wonder: where are the feminists to defend their sister from such a sad existence?
Sorry, but something needs to said about this subject, religious "freedom" notwithstanding. Why not include this lack of assimilation in the debate?
Every time I see a Muslim women in the local mall in a thick black garment with only a tiny opening for her eyes to view the world around her (while her husband sports an Izod golf shirt) I wonder: where are the feminists to defend their sister from such a sad existence?
Sorry, but something needs to said about this subject, religious "freedom" notwithstanding. Why not include this lack of assimilation in the debate?
67
Oh, lack of assimilation, if one brought this up, well, it's just not cool to do that, is it?
1
Didn't you read Animal Farm? Some are just more equal than others.
This is how divide and conquer politics is used to distract the People from the mega-thieves stealing from them every day. The cost of refugees is infinitesimal, compared to the cost of the fat, no bid, cost plus contracts that are used to vacuum your tax dollars into the offshore accounts of the mega-rich, while they scare you with reports of terror, which has actually killed less than 6,000 people in over two decades.
When the electorate stops believing that the poor stole all of the money, we will have achieved a new evolutionary plateau. The problem is not government programs for humans, its government programs for global corporations and the global elite that is loyal to nothing but money, and the power to bend your country to its will.
When the electorate stops believing that the poor stole all of the money, we will have achieved a new evolutionary plateau. The problem is not government programs for humans, its government programs for global corporations and the global elite that is loyal to nothing but money, and the power to bend your country to its will.
1
Jochen Bittner has presented a very insightful and balanced view of the political world today.
I would suggest, however, that the battle between globalism and nationalism is playing out even more to the east of Germany. Hungary, Poland, and other Eastern European states have now experienced two visions of the world - an illiberal authoritarian system and the liberal Western democratic system.
After a two-decade embrace of the West, the bloom is off. They are drifting slowly, but steadily out of the Western orbit. This is worrisome and should be understood/addressed by European leaders.
In my very limited, anecdotal experience, I fear that the EU is pushing Eastern European countries far too hard toward "Lennonism", but may end up pushing them into "Leninism".
I would suggest, however, that the battle between globalism and nationalism is playing out even more to the east of Germany. Hungary, Poland, and other Eastern European states have now experienced two visions of the world - an illiberal authoritarian system and the liberal Western democratic system.
After a two-decade embrace of the West, the bloom is off. They are drifting slowly, but steadily out of the Western orbit. This is worrisome and should be understood/addressed by European leaders.
In my very limited, anecdotal experience, I fear that the EU is pushing Eastern European countries far too hard toward "Lennonism", but may end up pushing them into "Leninism".
18
I agree. West is too impatient for the Eastern Europeans to get at the rendez point. There are simply not there yet...which does not mean they will not get there eventually...but it has to be a process. Also West should not forget that European identity is forged not only on geographic proximity but on the common core of Judeo-Christian values.
1
The most we can hope is that he will do no harm.
1
"Mr. Schulz, the former president of the European Parliament, has cast himself as the typical little man (he proudly notes that he didn’t graduate from high school).."
Of course he DID graduate from the German "high school" , that is the school you can attend up to the age of approx. 16. It's called "Realschule". He just says that he quit his later "Gymnasium" career in 11th grade. So he definitely HAS (if this can be compared at all) a "high school diploma" .
Of course he DID graduate from the German "high school" , that is the school you can attend up to the age of approx. 16. It's called "Realschule". He just says that he quit his later "Gymnasium" career in 11th grade. So he definitely HAS (if this can be compared at all) a "high school diploma" .
1
Mr Bittner gives far too much credit to Steve Bannon, Donald Trump and their supporters for having a reasoned ideology. I assume this is because it's more comforting to think these people are thinking before they act rather than realizing the truth; they don't. As the speaker of British Parliament described Trump yesterday, they are all "petulant children" simply acting out at the slightest displeasure. And when does a child act out? Not usually when times are tough but rather when they are spoiled. Certainly Trump's supporters have some legitimate grievances, but none of these compare to the difficulties faced by Americans during the Great Depression or the World Wars. And yet, Trump and Bannon would have us believe that whatever problems we face are worth trashing the most successful democratic government in all of human history. No, Bannonism isn't an ideology but rather opportunism staged by two show men who want to con the American people into giving them power simply to feed their own pathologic egos. History has seen this before and it never works out well.
26
Casting America's tilt to the far right in large abstractions such as a clash of religious ideologies or an embrace of authoritarianism misses the mark. Two concrete state-level policies heavily contributed to the political situation we now find ourselves in. One is the redrawn voting maps resulting from years of relentless Republican gerrymandering. The other is the refusal of primarily red states to adopt the full benefits of ACA. The former has generated distorted proportions of voters, which has increased the success of Republican candidates. The latter has crippled the ability of the neediest people to partake of reasonable, affordable healthcare, which has soured already right-leaning voters to the very concept of ACA and thus progressivism. Together, these conditions helped provide Trump the handful of votes in the handful of states necessary to produce the electoral majority he needed to assume the presidency.
Were it not for these two factors, I doubt we would be having a conversation about the ascent of the right in America. Politics, to paraphrase Tip O'Neill, truly is local.
Were it not for these two factors, I doubt we would be having a conversation about the ascent of the right in America. Politics, to paraphrase Tip O'Neill, truly is local.
7
To quote another songster, ‘The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind.’ The trouble is that the wind is fickle. The wind in Europe and the United States is multi-directional and very much political. It is religious in the Middle East.
Much can be accomplished in Europe by easing labor laws. Let people get jobs. Give the eastern and southern countries some economic and financial support so their governments can act at least semi-responsibly. Keep England in the European Union. And finally, get Chancellor Angela Merkel to smother her Prussian predilections. Move on into the future. Refugees are assets in countries where the native population is declining.
The election fiasco the US just experienced proves only one thing: more than 40% of the people are racist. Bannon, not Trump, is their president—and do not forget it. Both Demos and Repubs must learn that lesson and adapt to it.
The Middle East is being consumed by a war between Sunni and Shia Moslem. There the task is nation-building. Recognize that reconciliation of religions, Sunni and Shia, is not possible given the amount of neighbor on neighbor slaughter that is already ancient history. Pencil in some new borders. Separate the people into their own corners. Spend some money on nation building. Save some military money.
Diplomats of the world unite and give the world some distemper shots. All that we can lose are our own countries.
Much can be accomplished in Europe by easing labor laws. Let people get jobs. Give the eastern and southern countries some economic and financial support so their governments can act at least semi-responsibly. Keep England in the European Union. And finally, get Chancellor Angela Merkel to smother her Prussian predilections. Move on into the future. Refugees are assets in countries where the native population is declining.
The election fiasco the US just experienced proves only one thing: more than 40% of the people are racist. Bannon, not Trump, is their president—and do not forget it. Both Demos and Repubs must learn that lesson and adapt to it.
The Middle East is being consumed by a war between Sunni and Shia Moslem. There the task is nation-building. Recognize that reconciliation of religions, Sunni and Shia, is not possible given the amount of neighbor on neighbor slaughter that is already ancient history. Pencil in some new borders. Separate the people into their own corners. Spend some money on nation building. Save some military money.
Diplomats of the world unite and give the world some distemper shots. All that we can lose are our own countries.
8
@MK, about a decade after "Blowin' In The Wind," Dylan gave us an "Idiot Wind," on his "Blood on the Tracks" masterpiece. I think the latter is more to the point than the former these days.
1
One question. If Sunni and Shia can't get along in the Middle East , can they get along as refugees when they resettle in a Western nation or should they be separated there too?
Points to ponder, by and for 'adults' that can reason, and recognize reality for what it is, messy and beautiful, cruel at times, comforting some others, and trying to make sense of the world (of which we are part of), and hopefully recognize what needs to be done for progress, peace and justice to have a chance, depending on our 'politics' (the art of the possible). This, in contrast to a sick child-man, a narcissist who usurped power by lying to his adherents, a dangerous demagogue thriving on a climate of fear and hate, and division, so that chaos may prevail, however stupid it sounds...and disastrous its consequences. Insofar theistic religion is concerned, which is based of faith, not knowledge, it must not be allowed to enter our secular state, as intolerance and dogma have proven to be, over and over, deleterious to our health. Let's hope we choose John Lennon's kind philosophy rather than Bannon's destructive stance. We have enough 'pain and suffering' already as it stands, let's not make our lives worse by seeking transient security by way of losing our freedom. Let us not be too impertinent in wanting liberty via impossible dreams, by thrashing truth and facts for make-believe alternatives, noxious to our souls, the reality we are living now in the U.S.; and Bannon's boss, the 'ugly american-in-chief', the near future to be abhorred. Fortunately, whenever there is an institutionalized violence in the offing, a reactive force opposing it may surge, and triumph.
8
Institutional violence is in high gear in this country, and Trump promises to accelerate it. After centuries of governments denying claims by minorities, especially blacks, that police forces regularly engage in extra legal violence, they now have video proof of sadistic violence and murder. Does the state say, "Wow, your right, let's fix this?" No they blame the victims, then complain about victim whining, then whine about how they are being victimized by groups like Black Lives Matter. Sorry if some people who have seen loved ones brutalized get a little rude sometimes. It doesn't compare.
So Trump rides this law enforcement backlash against obvious evidence of crimes (which still go mostly unpunished). Obama has expanded the power of the presidency and handed it over to Trump, who is on the same wave length with the worst elements of Merican Institutional racism. And if you think all would have been well if Clinton had been elected, you are not paying attention. Her friend and adviser Henry Kissinger is on their side. He is one of the chief architects of global inequality. Her and her husband, allied with establishment Republicans and Democrats accelerated the mass incarceration of blacks.
So Trump rides this law enforcement backlash against obvious evidence of crimes (which still go mostly unpunished). Obama has expanded the power of the presidency and handed it over to Trump, who is on the same wave length with the worst elements of Merican Institutional racism. And if you think all would have been well if Clinton had been elected, you are not paying attention. Her friend and adviser Henry Kissinger is on their side. He is one of the chief architects of global inequality. Her and her husband, allied with establishment Republicans and Democrats accelerated the mass incarceration of blacks.
1
It's hard to see a trend when we're in it. We all spin with the world but don't feel it, and we all flow with whatever forces are pushing us to an ever-increasing world population and an ever-warming world. That we see the re-emergence of tribalism shows that we are at least aware of it, and acknowledge that it may have been dormant but not extinct. And waking up, we see that demagogues through all the ages have exploited tribalism for their own ends. No one has convinced me that Bannon, Trump, Le Pen, Farage, Wilders, or any of the deplorable pied pipers of the right wing have laudable intentions for the political spaces they seek to dominate. They express their own pathologies and the dystopia that lives in their heads. Trump does not lead. He drives with anger, insult, and fear. Calling that an ideology is nonsense.
Change is coming? Of course it is. To have assumed that positive change was always inevitable is part of the failure of the writers of The Enlightenment and those who accepted their diagnosis. If we really want a better world, we must realize that it takes constant hard work and not just imagination.
Change is coming? Of course it is. To have assumed that positive change was always inevitable is part of the failure of the writers of The Enlightenment and those who accepted their diagnosis. If we really want a better world, we must realize that it takes constant hard work and not just imagination.
23
I feel a shift in history. There are too many tipping points all at once. We have changed the chemistry of the air and oceans. We are driving species to extinction every day. (We are delaying a move to clean, cheap energy, to save profits for the fossil fuel industry.) The internet puts all of world knowledge in your pocket (so we can watch kittens), but also puts your entire life in the pockets of global corporations and government agencies (who share back and forth). That is more power than most seem to realize. They can analyze how you think and send you customized political advertisements. And Obama made it legal for the government to do this. The economy is also shifting. The big "trade deals" are not so much about trade, as about the balance of power between countries and global corporations. These investor rights bills give corporations, not humans, the right to bring law suits against countries in tribunals run by the corporations. The economy is being centralized in a tighter and tighter ring of "super villains" [Trumpian Hyperbole] who own half of the world's wealth (like the Russian Oligarchs!) and use a tiny fraction to corrupt most political systems, while their media keeps them panicked about terrorism, which kills almost no one compared to any minor cause of death.
The "center" cannot hold. It is not what the people want, but an illusion created to lull them while their pockets are picked. Bannon sold them a fake rebellion against that. Bernie would have won.
The "center" cannot hold. It is not what the people want, but an illusion created to lull them while their pockets are picked. Bannon sold them a fake rebellion against that. Bernie would have won.
1
Dear Mr. Bittner,
you should have read Mr. Castle´s report about Stoke-on-Trent before. The majority of voters lives in old age industrial areas like Stoke-in-Trent, Ruhrgebiet, Pas de Calais and new habitats of the well educated, middle aged experienced middle-class. Their personal horizon does not embrace "isms". They do not live in newsrooms of ZEIT, NYT or on university campusses. In real life their way of thinking and judging things is totally different in comparison to newspapers editors.
Their crucial criterium are "Can it work that way?" If it can´t do: "To hell with this stuff before we go to hell. We have to try something better."
So the phenomenon "Schulz" is not one of "isms". His role model is the 50/90 style "Old school socialdemocratic working class guy". Tackling problems ("Anpacken") matters, not brillant talking. People like that hate all kinds of "isms". They will turn to these only if something is going wrong.
This role model was tremendous successful in decades of post war history as you know. The majority of Western population is clicking this way. Now socialist parties are in decline, the ideological superstructure of the West is in severe crisis and intellectuals are stuck in philosophical debates openly not able to solve relevant practical problems.
This opens a lot of room for Mr. Schulz´ message: "Back to natural basics of life, no frills, no useless phoney debates anymore. We have to fix problems. We can do. Remember the way we used to do!"
you should have read Mr. Castle´s report about Stoke-on-Trent before. The majority of voters lives in old age industrial areas like Stoke-in-Trent, Ruhrgebiet, Pas de Calais and new habitats of the well educated, middle aged experienced middle-class. Their personal horizon does not embrace "isms". They do not live in newsrooms of ZEIT, NYT or on university campusses. In real life their way of thinking and judging things is totally different in comparison to newspapers editors.
Their crucial criterium are "Can it work that way?" If it can´t do: "To hell with this stuff before we go to hell. We have to try something better."
So the phenomenon "Schulz" is not one of "isms". His role model is the 50/90 style "Old school socialdemocratic working class guy". Tackling problems ("Anpacken") matters, not brillant talking. People like that hate all kinds of "isms". They will turn to these only if something is going wrong.
This role model was tremendous successful in decades of post war history as you know. The majority of Western population is clicking this way. Now socialist parties are in decline, the ideological superstructure of the West is in severe crisis and intellectuals are stuck in philosophical debates openly not able to solve relevant practical problems.
This opens a lot of room for Mr. Schulz´ message: "Back to natural basics of life, no frills, no useless phoney debates anymore. We have to fix problems. We can do. Remember the way we used to do!"
15
You are right that many people do not believe in isms, And you are also right that this often leads to a phony elite led populism, that the most heavily armed and violent kinds of people really like, based on primitive justice.
What you de-emphasize is the extent that Bannon and his befactors are willing to go to, to make it happen, because it is easy to extract wealth from this kind of world, as long as you own the US military.
What the author tries to hide behind John Lennon is that he essentially works for the same people and is pushing the same thing. He just dresses it up as reasonable compromise that will be good for everyone. But the plan comes from the "center" which is defined, not by public opinion polls, but by pundits that work directly for global corporate mass media (appr. 95% of all media owned by 6 corporations), with the 1% owning 75% of the votes and making up the boards.
The establishment center that they sell you is lie. Every election for as long as I can remember, the big talk was about the swing voters in the center. But during the primaries in 2016, the pundits hardly mentioned the swing voters. Why?
Because the swing voters were voting for Sanders and going to his rallies. The establishment basically switched out Sanders for Trump. Trump was smart enough to steal Bernie's whole speech, at the same time the Democrats were attacking him from the establishment center, which the swing voters were rebelling against.
Imagine is not about Liberal Democrats
What you de-emphasize is the extent that Bannon and his befactors are willing to go to, to make it happen, because it is easy to extract wealth from this kind of world, as long as you own the US military.
What the author tries to hide behind John Lennon is that he essentially works for the same people and is pushing the same thing. He just dresses it up as reasonable compromise that will be good for everyone. But the plan comes from the "center" which is defined, not by public opinion polls, but by pundits that work directly for global corporate mass media (appr. 95% of all media owned by 6 corporations), with the 1% owning 75% of the votes and making up the boards.
The establishment center that they sell you is lie. Every election for as long as I can remember, the big talk was about the swing voters in the center. But during the primaries in 2016, the pundits hardly mentioned the swing voters. Why?
Because the swing voters were voting for Sanders and going to his rallies. The establishment basically switched out Sanders for Trump. Trump was smart enough to steal Bernie's whole speech, at the same time the Democrats were attacking him from the establishment center, which the swing voters were rebelling against.
Imagine is not about Liberal Democrats
Bittner has given us an interesting way to view the divide, apt not only conceptually, but also for the similarity in sound between "Lennon" and "Bannon." I think we should judge the validity of these worldviews in terms of the artistry of their proponents. It could be argued that Lennon as one of The Beatles and for his solo work was one of the greatest musicians of the Twentieth Century. It wouldn't be preposterous to call him one of the greatest Artists as his music had (and still has) a profound effect on every arena of human activity. Bannon's work as a movie producer and journalist suffers in comparison. I am constantly surprised that my own brothers have given up the light-bearing attitude of their youth inspired by The Beatles and now subscribe to Bannon's dark vision. I imagine they care little for Art, but I would think they care about their souls.
7
I agree we have a problem of us vs us. I do not think the division is between Lennon World and Bannon World.
The internal division is economic. It is the destruction of the middle class, as an economic slot, and the end of the working class rising economically into what the middle class recently was as all boats rise on a rising tide.
A small powerful group has taken all the growth, for decades now.
That sabotages our economy itself, as well as the other groups among us. It cripples demand, and so limits room for supply to grow. It stunts the economy. What the few take is all there is, less than there would have been.
From this crippled economy comes the stresses that are being blamed by nationalists on outsiders. It isn't outsiders doing it to us. It is our own leaders. They are looting our economies for their own benefit, and distraction attention from their looting with, "look over there at them."
No, it is not "them." It is us, specifically our own leaders taking it all for themselves, even though they kill the golden goose in the process.
We do not face Limits to Growth. We are told that, as explanation for what is happening, but it is not inevitable. Automation can produce more with the same labor, not merely the same with less labor. Resources can be used more efficiently, in fact are being used much more efficiently.
No, the problem is the greed and lies of our leaders, the real powers, not just their front persons running for office.
The internal division is economic. It is the destruction of the middle class, as an economic slot, and the end of the working class rising economically into what the middle class recently was as all boats rise on a rising tide.
A small powerful group has taken all the growth, for decades now.
That sabotages our economy itself, as well as the other groups among us. It cripples demand, and so limits room for supply to grow. It stunts the economy. What the few take is all there is, less than there would have been.
From this crippled economy comes the stresses that are being blamed by nationalists on outsiders. It isn't outsiders doing it to us. It is our own leaders. They are looting our economies for their own benefit, and distraction attention from their looting with, "look over there at them."
No, it is not "them." It is us, specifically our own leaders taking it all for themselves, even though they kill the golden goose in the process.
We do not face Limits to Growth. We are told that, as explanation for what is happening, but it is not inevitable. Automation can produce more with the same labor, not merely the same with less labor. Resources can be used more efficiently, in fact are being used much more efficiently.
No, the problem is the greed and lies of our leaders, the real powers, not just their front persons running for office.
104
Right. But instead of "leaders" I would say "upper-classes" , many of whom have no interest in leading anything. Their interest is in enjoying their lives. They just have a lot more money to do it with.
The bosses, who engineer and enable the rules that so favor the wealthy, are just a sub-group of the upper-classes.
The bosses, who engineer and enable the rules that so favor the wealthy, are just a sub-group of the upper-classes.
3
Yes exactly. And Bernie was the first major party candidate since in at least fifty years to explain that in plain language. So mass news told us he was unelectable, and his ideas were "pie in the sky," Clinton said no you can't, the DNC took sides, and Associated Press called the election a night early. The establishment took Bernie out, with no need for a conspiracy, because they all know the drill.
So Trump stole his message, won the election, and is now kicking greed and violence into overdrive.
Heads they win, Tails you lose. They manipulate markets and governments, and even, what's cool.
So Trump stole his message, won the election, and is now kicking greed and violence into overdrive.
Heads they win, Tails you lose. They manipulate markets and governments, and even, what's cool.
4
So you say you want a revolution, well you know, we all want to change the world ... but if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao, you ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow.
Sorry, the choice of Lennon was just too obvious given the context of this articulate and cogent analysis of the western democracies.
We are dealing with cultural revolution in the western democracies and as the richest, best educated, most politically open, and most successful peoples in world history we are the only ones who can deal with this reality.
Nowhere else in the world does this angst command the press and inflame the people over basic ideas of humanity, governance, and culture. Yes, the schisms in Islam between Shia and Sunni may be deeper, but by their theocratic nature, they do not allow for discussion for resolution of their differences. But if you look at the oligarchies in places like Russia, or the communists in China, you will find zero national discussions.
The populist movement in the west is a raised middle finger to the political elitists who "know better" than everyone else, but whose governing performance ignores the common man ... until the elitists' political power is threatened.
Human culture is not rooted in "a global people" willing to sacrifice for the betterment of all, even those whose live in theocracies whose tenants still call for either the submission or the destruction of other human cultures.
Human culture is rooted in regional tribes.
Sorry, the choice of Lennon was just too obvious given the context of this articulate and cogent analysis of the western democracies.
We are dealing with cultural revolution in the western democracies and as the richest, best educated, most politically open, and most successful peoples in world history we are the only ones who can deal with this reality.
Nowhere else in the world does this angst command the press and inflame the people over basic ideas of humanity, governance, and culture. Yes, the schisms in Islam between Shia and Sunni may be deeper, but by their theocratic nature, they do not allow for discussion for resolution of their differences. But if you look at the oligarchies in places like Russia, or the communists in China, you will find zero national discussions.
The populist movement in the west is a raised middle finger to the political elitists who "know better" than everyone else, but whose governing performance ignores the common man ... until the elitists' political power is threatened.
Human culture is not rooted in "a global people" willing to sacrifice for the betterment of all, even those whose live in theocracies whose tenants still call for either the submission or the destruction of other human cultures.
Human culture is rooted in regional tribes.
31
"... but if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao, you ain't going to make it with anyone anyhow."
Except that, you know, Mao really did a revolution. (Unless you think Deng Xioping came out of nowhere).
"We are dealing with cultural revolution in the western democracies and as the richest, best educated, most politically open, and most successful peoples in world history we are the only ones who can deal with this reality. "
More or less. It was a double movement: the West grew by raiding the rest of the world; it grew because the rest of the world fell, not because it won some kind of moral-scientific race.
"Nowhere else in the world does this angst command the press and inflame the people over basic ideas of humanity, governance, and culture. Yes, the schisms in Islam between Shia and Sunni may be deeper, but by their theocratic nature, they do not allow for discussion for resolution of their differences. But if you look at the oligarchies in places like Russia, or the communists in China, you will find zero national discussions."
Then explain to me how Boris Yeltsin fell (note: he was only reelected because of direct intervention from the USA)? How the CCP had to change its succession system to a ten-year rotation after Deng Xiaoping? Both Russia's and China's histories are very rich, you appear to not know them very well.
Except that, you know, Mao really did a revolution. (Unless you think Deng Xioping came out of nowhere).
"We are dealing with cultural revolution in the western democracies and as the richest, best educated, most politically open, and most successful peoples in world history we are the only ones who can deal with this reality. "
More or less. It was a double movement: the West grew by raiding the rest of the world; it grew because the rest of the world fell, not because it won some kind of moral-scientific race.
"Nowhere else in the world does this angst command the press and inflame the people over basic ideas of humanity, governance, and culture. Yes, the schisms in Islam between Shia and Sunni may be deeper, but by their theocratic nature, they do not allow for discussion for resolution of their differences. But if you look at the oligarchies in places like Russia, or the communists in China, you will find zero national discussions."
Then explain to me how Boris Yeltsin fell (note: he was only reelected because of direct intervention from the USA)? How the CCP had to change its succession system to a ten-year rotation after Deng Xiaoping? Both Russia's and China's histories are very rich, you appear to not know them very well.
2
"Bannonism positions itself as a response to these principles, but it’s more than that. It sees borders as a prerequisite for nations to exercise their paramount right to define who defines them and how they express their cultural identity. The free movement of people is not anathema, but it has to be weighed against this interest."
You know, it almost seems as if Bannonism represents moderate common sense ...
You know, it almost seems as if Bannonism represents moderate common sense ...
23
Except when it muddies the waters with deliberate falsehoods aka "alternative facts". It is possible to have a conversation and debate if, and only if, we can agree on an existential reality based on facts. All other discussion is lunacy.
5
Bannonism represents regression to the 1940s. And Common Sense is....common
1
While your analysis is interesting we have very specific issues that are our own. We have a serious problem of finding governing consensus. How can a country go from George W. Bush to Barack Obama to Trump. Well, we have a Congress that has been acting irresponsibly for decades with a winner take all attitude. An impartial person can see it is mostly one party but both have fallen into playing the same game. If we had a functioning Congress that was working for the good of the country they would have hammered out a comprehensive immigration policy long ago, instead of the knee jerk deportation policy proposed today. They would have fixed the tax code in a compromising rational way so the middle class was sustainable and the tax burden was more fairly spread across incomes. They would have put in place policies that slowed the destruction of jobs due to global trade agreement and they would have invested in us by investing in 21st century infrastructure. We can blame the Trump crew, but they are a reflection of where this Congress has been taking us for a while. To a cranky. greedy, I want my share and you don't get yours. I won you lost mentality. So we can bemoan this administration and it's outlook but let's focus on where the knot is. It is with Congress and we need to vote in people who are actually interested in governing and not destroying our common values and thus are common good.
76
First of all Ms Merkel is a Conservative- far from the world of John Lennon.
Next, do not allow Islamists to hide under the general banner of Muslims, the problem within Islam is rigid and intolerant zealotry to the exclusion of all else. A peaceful citizen who happens to be a Muslim is not the same as a zealot that will murder innocent people over a cartoon, film or other political speech. Europe- like the world- does not have a problem with Muslims but has a real problem with Islamists. "Imagine there's no heaven. It's easy if you try" will get you in deep trouble in most of the Muslim world. Stop pretending otherwise.
Open borders are a joke. As an University Educated American who has lived in Germany and can speak German, can I just hop a plane to Frankfurt and expect to be granted refugee status because of Donald Trump? I didn't think so.
Globalism is not about free markets- it is mostly about capital seeking the lowest possible wages combined with no environmental, occupational safety or unionization rights. Globalism also contributes mightily to global warming and the depletion of scarce resources. Apple flies iPhones to the US and other markets on Jets. Other products are shipped on vessels burning bunker fuel or diesel. Localism when possible- globalism when necessary should be the order of the day.
The Third Way is the problem as it has no real answers- just the same old in a new wrapper. Throw Merkel out and let the Greens have a chance.
Next, do not allow Islamists to hide under the general banner of Muslims, the problem within Islam is rigid and intolerant zealotry to the exclusion of all else. A peaceful citizen who happens to be a Muslim is not the same as a zealot that will murder innocent people over a cartoon, film or other political speech. Europe- like the world- does not have a problem with Muslims but has a real problem with Islamists. "Imagine there's no heaven. It's easy if you try" will get you in deep trouble in most of the Muslim world. Stop pretending otherwise.
Open borders are a joke. As an University Educated American who has lived in Germany and can speak German, can I just hop a plane to Frankfurt and expect to be granted refugee status because of Donald Trump? I didn't think so.
Globalism is not about free markets- it is mostly about capital seeking the lowest possible wages combined with no environmental, occupational safety or unionization rights. Globalism also contributes mightily to global warming and the depletion of scarce resources. Apple flies iPhones to the US and other markets on Jets. Other products are shipped on vessels burning bunker fuel or diesel. Localism when possible- globalism when necessary should be the order of the day.
The Third Way is the problem as it has no real answers- just the same old in a new wrapper. Throw Merkel out and let the Greens have a chance.
48
You are right. But what of the "peaceful citizen who happens to be a Muslim [that is] not the same as a zealot that will murder innocent people over a cartoon, film or other political speech" What of that Muslim who would not do that violence, but yet approves of it, or doesn't disapprove of it? Strikes me somewhat like Tariq Ramadan, the genteel, french accented, modern face of Islam in Europe, an intellectual, yet he famously refused to condemn stoning of women in a debate with Nicolas Sarkozy. That same Muslim may not murder innocent people over a cartoon or political speech, but are they happy to have others do that for them? Does that same Muslim who uses the Constitution of the United States, or the Universal Declaration of Human rights to establish their status to live in the West believe in the tenants of those great, enlightened documents? Would they defend those principles?
1
Compared to conservatives in the US of America, Angela Merkel is very progressive. Make no confusion here.
3
Good article, but I think its much simpler, it an issue of money.
Americans who are wealthy and set in life can afford to care about things like government sponsored abortions, transgender issues and other blather. Most of this country however has experienced an economic decline not discussed by the latte sipping media. The last elections broke the dam and in forcing the rich Liberals to reconsider themselves to be the oppressors, the 1%.
In most of the USA, folks can't afford a Starbucks coffee daily for breakfast. Within the walls, the rich feel believed themselves to be sophisticated and urbane, instead of isolated and frivolous. The press will be slow to change, by the days of the hate column editorial board here are numbered.
Americans who are wealthy and set in life can afford to care about things like government sponsored abortions, transgender issues and other blather. Most of this country however has experienced an economic decline not discussed by the latte sipping media. The last elections broke the dam and in forcing the rich Liberals to reconsider themselves to be the oppressors, the 1%.
In most of the USA, folks can't afford a Starbucks coffee daily for breakfast. Within the walls, the rich feel believed themselves to be sophisticated and urbane, instead of isolated and frivolous. The press will be slow to change, by the days of the hate column editorial board here are numbered.
19
Au contraire, so-called "Middle of the Road" - LINY, zygote development terminations are NOT government sponsored.
2
Bannon identifies as a "Leninist", therefore we are back to Firesign Theater, Lenin v Lennon. And with the last election, we have Marx (Groucho) in Freedonia's White House. Madness.
9
In the great film "Night at the Opera", there's one of my favorite scenes with Chico Marx hilariously becoming the agent of the unheralded opera singer:
Ripping clause after clause from the contract, Chico comes to the "Sanity Clause" where he proceeds to rip that out too, saying, "We don't need no sanity clause -- everyone knows Santa Claus doesn't exist"
It seems w e collectively and suddenly have ripped out any sanity clause form our societies.
If only there were a Santa Claus, because it certainly seems we'll need a whole sled full of sanity clauses come the Holidays, if not sooner.
Ripping clause after clause from the contract, Chico comes to the "Sanity Clause" where he proceeds to rip that out too, saying, "We don't need no sanity clause -- everyone knows Santa Claus doesn't exist"
It seems w e collectively and suddenly have ripped out any sanity clause form our societies.
If only there were a Santa Claus, because it certainly seems we'll need a whole sled full of sanity clauses come the Holidays, if not sooner.
Steve Bannon isn't worthy of an "ism". His brand of Nativist, Christian, extremism, has a long sordid tradition in America. What's different was his ability to attach himself and play Iago, to an ignorant,narcissistic, Billionaire, who caught a zeitgeist of alienation and anger directed toward American political elites, and road it to the presidency. His downfall will occur when the inevitable happens, and he bumps heads with the duo of R.C. McMaster and James Mattis. There will be a seminal confrontation on some policy issue and Trump will realize that if Mattis and McMaster quit, which they would do if their advice on an existential issue was ignored, he will lose the Republican Party and the nation. At that moment Steve Bannon is done. It will happen. It's only a question of time.
23
Don, I hope you are right.
But let us not forget that Mr. Trump told us he was "smarter than the generals."
But let us not forget that Mr. Trump told us he was "smarter than the generals."
1
Interesting choice coining, "Bannoninsim," and "Lennonism," to describe these two schools of thinking in Western countries right now. I do not approve. Otherwise, excellent article.
I don't think Bannon is the progenitor of the line of thinking you're talking about, although certainly he's responsible for helping bring it to the fore in America. What he has done is recognized a long existing and expanding set of resentments and disgust with, essentially, modernity itself- and the consequential rapid pace of social economic and technologic change- in many segments of western society. He has not created, "Bannonism," he has just recognized this trend and manipulated it to his advantage. He is not deserving of the importance or significance this article implies.
Imagine is a poem of huge personal significance to me and a framed print of it in John's handwriting hangs over the fireplace in my living room. I do not think he would approve of his name being converted to an, "ism" on the basis of this beautiful poem, although I'm sure he would support relentless opposition to the likes of Steve Banon. To be sure, all this is anathema to the spirt of that poem. I think including a pertinent quote from imagine would have been more appropriate then titling the article, "John Lennon vs. Steve Bannon"
I would've preferred progressivism vs. regressivism, or something more catchy and click generating along those lines.
I don't think Bannon is the progenitor of the line of thinking you're talking about, although certainly he's responsible for helping bring it to the fore in America. What he has done is recognized a long existing and expanding set of resentments and disgust with, essentially, modernity itself- and the consequential rapid pace of social economic and technologic change- in many segments of western society. He has not created, "Bannonism," he has just recognized this trend and manipulated it to his advantage. He is not deserving of the importance or significance this article implies.
Imagine is a poem of huge personal significance to me and a framed print of it in John's handwriting hangs over the fireplace in my living room. I do not think he would approve of his name being converted to an, "ism" on the basis of this beautiful poem, although I'm sure he would support relentless opposition to the likes of Steve Banon. To be sure, all this is anathema to the spirt of that poem. I think including a pertinent quote from imagine would have been more appropriate then titling the article, "John Lennon vs. Steve Bannon"
I would've preferred progressivism vs. regressivism, or something more catchy and click generating along those lines.
2
The political middle described here is not very convincing, because the two sides contain very uneasy coalitions of ideas. Bill Maher has been hammering the line for years that there are two reasons liberals keep losing elections: Islam and political correctness.
So what's wrong with a center-left based on real, muscular liberalism?
Internationalist, yes, but forget all this rubbish about citizens of the world: recent elections have demonstrated all too clearly that we're trapped in our own countries no matter how global our restaurants. Secular, yes, but why pretend that religion is not a deep human need? Feminist, yes, but why pretend that nothing's changed?
And please - Islam as a religion of peace? That just makes liberals look like they can't see the evidence in front of their own noses, and makes them hypocrites twice-over: once, because they're OK with fascism as long as its perpetrators aren't white, and twice, because their constant (legitimate) charge is that the right can't see the evidence in front of their own noses about e.g. gun violence, falling crime rates, the environment, you name it.
Muscular liberalism is what's needed to counter Bannonism. Justify our internationalism with a universalist politics that doesn't carve societies up into exclusionary categories of race, class, and gender. And celebrate our achievements. The moral arc of the universe does not bend towards justice, and the alternative to a good candidate is not a perfect one: it's chaos.
So what's wrong with a center-left based on real, muscular liberalism?
Internationalist, yes, but forget all this rubbish about citizens of the world: recent elections have demonstrated all too clearly that we're trapped in our own countries no matter how global our restaurants. Secular, yes, but why pretend that religion is not a deep human need? Feminist, yes, but why pretend that nothing's changed?
And please - Islam as a religion of peace? That just makes liberals look like they can't see the evidence in front of their own noses, and makes them hypocrites twice-over: once, because they're OK with fascism as long as its perpetrators aren't white, and twice, because their constant (legitimate) charge is that the right can't see the evidence in front of their own noses about e.g. gun violence, falling crime rates, the environment, you name it.
Muscular liberalism is what's needed to counter Bannonism. Justify our internationalism with a universalist politics that doesn't carve societies up into exclusionary categories of race, class, and gender. And celebrate our achievements. The moral arc of the universe does not bend towards justice, and the alternative to a good candidate is not a perfect one: it's chaos.
35
At this point, Germany is the natural leader of Europe. It comes with more responsibilities than it has taken on thus far. American military and economic leadership on the Old Continent was bound to wane, Trump or no Trump. Contracts expire.
Is Germany prepared to lead the West? Does it have the moral high ground? Can it be trusted with expanded military power? Can it arbitrate fairly and represent non-Germans?
Is Germany prepared to lead the West? Does it have the moral high ground? Can it be trusted with expanded military power? Can it arbitrate fairly and represent non-Germans?
6
Actually Germany does arbitrate fairly and represent non-Germans much to the detriment of the German population. Germany has lost her ways. The country cannot/is unwilling to defend its own people!
"Hillary Clinton may have failed at exactly this point, allowing the Bannonists to take hold in Washington."
I'm still waiting for the investigation into Russian interference that influenced the results of our election. If I were a gambling person I'd bet my house that's what really allowed the Bannonists to take hold in Washington.
I'm still waiting for the investigation into Russian interference that influenced the results of our election. If I were a gambling person I'd bet my house that's what really allowed the Bannonists to take hold in Washington.
18
“Free trade benefits all nations who take part. It furthers wealth and transnational network building and, therefore, peace.”
This is precisely the nub of the problem. Free trade benefits some people within Nations; the distribution of the benefits is seriously skewed and because of that Free trade does not further Peace. On the contrary, it makes those who bear the costs of free trade angry.
“The elites just need to try harder to convince the fickle ones, because they don’t know enough about the mechanisms governing today’s interconnected world.”
The fickle ones know all they need to know about being ripped off by the elites. It is not a matter of trying harder – it is a matter of changing the distribution of benefits and costs.
This is precisely the nub of the problem. Free trade benefits some people within Nations; the distribution of the benefits is seriously skewed and because of that Free trade does not further Peace. On the contrary, it makes those who bear the costs of free trade angry.
“The elites just need to try harder to convince the fickle ones, because they don’t know enough about the mechanisms governing today’s interconnected world.”
The fickle ones know all they need to know about being ripped off by the elites. It is not a matter of trying harder – it is a matter of changing the distribution of benefits and costs.
27
Loved Lennon's music. Not sure why the left adores him so much, however. He was a man prone to violence and a wife beater. Personally he had as much, maybe more, baggage than the evil Bannon.
9
Everyone loves the Beatles. Nobody disputes John Lennon's talent as a songwriter. But he died 37 years ago, at the age of 40 -- immensely rich and famous, and living the life of a SAHD in a fancy apartment in NYC. Today, he'd be 77! an old man.
Lennon's roots were in working class Liverpool -- he was not an university student. And he'd be OLD today. My bet is that he'd be pro-Brexit by now.
On top of all that....to use an SONG that is from the 70s, to try and prove anything, is beyond ridiculous.
There are 7 BILLION people on this planet...around 5 billion are poor and live in squalor. They'd ALL like to come to the US, Canada, Europe, Australia -- all of them. This is obviously impossible, and no hippy dippy song will ever make it possible.
Lennon's roots were in working class Liverpool -- he was not an university student. And he'd be OLD today. My bet is that he'd be pro-Brexit by now.
On top of all that....to use an SONG that is from the 70s, to try and prove anything, is beyond ridiculous.
There are 7 BILLION people on this planet...around 5 billion are poor and live in squalor. They'd ALL like to come to the US, Canada, Europe, Australia -- all of them. This is obviously impossible, and no hippy dippy song will ever make it possible.
You've badly overstated the case for an existing "Lennon" world in cosmopolitan American and European cities. Unfortunately, self-praise is more common than self-awareness in our modern Western society and while Germany in particular has been very generous recently, the borders are not open and access is not unlimited - all of our countries have strict immigration control. Thus, you draw two extremes (Lennon and Bannon) that don't really exist. The two poles are much closer than you're willing to admit (which would limit your ability to self-praise, the key objective of the left unfortunately). As an example, I don't see much mention of the 3 million illegal immigrants Obama deported (more than any of his predecessors) amidst all the hysteria of Trump's deportation plans. To conclude, the centre position between these two not very divergent poles (Lennon and Bannon) doesn't require a very big movement, since the Lennon position is actually a fantasy. Also, no sane person, anywhere is advocating for truly open borders and free movement of all peoples, not if they wish to maintain their societies and any standard of living. A rational discussion means clearly understanding where we are and where need to go - your Lennon fantasy is sheer nonsense.
8
"The next chapter will play out in Germany." Bittner says.
Actually the next chapter will play out in France this spring. Although the possibility of a Le Pen victory remains slim, with each week that passes, that slim possibility gains a little heft. And if on May 8 there is a President Le Pen, the consequences will be far more shocking than the results of Brexit or possibly even Trump, and the results of Germany's election later in the year will do little to change Europe's or the West's trajectory one way or another.
Actually the next chapter will play out in France this spring. Although the possibility of a Le Pen victory remains slim, with each week that passes, that slim possibility gains a little heft. And if on May 8 there is a President Le Pen, the consequences will be far more shocking than the results of Brexit or possibly even Trump, and the results of Germany's election later in the year will do little to change Europe's or the West's trajectory one way or another.
15
The Western Soul has been jeopardized by Merkel's reckless policy of flooding Germany with people whose core beliefs are contrary, and indeed anathema, to western values. Internationalism will slowly give way to Islamization.
Frauke Petry for Chancellor.
Frauke Petry for Chancellor.
12
Fortunately, Petry and her AfD bunch don't stand a chance of getting even near the chancellory. Especially now that their own version of Yiannopoulos has been exposed.
And Frau Merkel - like the majority of German voters - thinks and acts more in the vein of Lessing's "Nathan der Weise". Fortunately.
And Frau Merkel - like the majority of German voters - thinks and acts more in the vein of Lessing's "Nathan der Weise". Fortunately.
7
The radical right world is not sustainable and the leftist world is inevitable.
We as a people ( global ) are to going to have to come together, lest our world collapses in on itself.
Crass consumerism is not sustainable. It is destroying our world quicker than we think, and we have to resolve those issues together and put our collective minds to the test to overcome.
Over population is also destroying our world, so we will have to grapple with the basic equation of what it is to be human and what rights go along with that.
Race, time and a whole host of things are basically, a human construct. We committed ourselves to a set of basic standards and ideals that are quickly becoming obsolete.
Time to construct a whole new world ( or at least modernize the one we go )
We as a people ( global ) are to going to have to come together, lest our world collapses in on itself.
Crass consumerism is not sustainable. It is destroying our world quicker than we think, and we have to resolve those issues together and put our collective minds to the test to overcome.
Over population is also destroying our world, so we will have to grapple with the basic equation of what it is to be human and what rights go along with that.
Race, time and a whole host of things are basically, a human construct. We committed ourselves to a set of basic standards and ideals that are quickly becoming obsolete.
Time to construct a whole new world ( or at least modernize the one we go )
50
In my view, this conflict between "Lennon and Bannon" is simply the age old conflict between power diffusion vs power centralization.
For a long time now, the diffusion of power has been the norm in the West.
This trend starts at least as far as Magna Carta, through the English Civil War and Glorious Revolution, to progressive extension of voting rights to some men, to most men and then to all adults, the sexual revolution, gay marriage etc.
The initial developments in this trend were beneficial in that they led to mass education and empowerment, which is essential for industrial and scientific progress.
Thus it is no surprise that England, the nation where the power diffusion first begins (Magna Carta in 1215), is also the nation to first undergo the industrial revolution, heralding centuries of western ascendancy.
Yet any dogma, taken to excess will cause diminishing returns. In my view, this happened around the 50s in the West.
The salient developments since then such as feminism, gay marriage, mass immigration etc do not strengthen society in the same way that earlier power diffusions did.
In fact, the dropping birth rates caused by feminism combined with mass migration has led to a situation of economic and demographic stagnation which is responsible for today's malaise in the West.
See tarkmarg.blogspot.com for more detail, especially December 2015 post titled Rise and Fall of the West.
For a long time now, the diffusion of power has been the norm in the West.
This trend starts at least as far as Magna Carta, through the English Civil War and Glorious Revolution, to progressive extension of voting rights to some men, to most men and then to all adults, the sexual revolution, gay marriage etc.
The initial developments in this trend were beneficial in that they led to mass education and empowerment, which is essential for industrial and scientific progress.
Thus it is no surprise that England, the nation where the power diffusion first begins (Magna Carta in 1215), is also the nation to first undergo the industrial revolution, heralding centuries of western ascendancy.
Yet any dogma, taken to excess will cause diminishing returns. In my view, this happened around the 50s in the West.
The salient developments since then such as feminism, gay marriage, mass immigration etc do not strengthen society in the same way that earlier power diffusions did.
In fact, the dropping birth rates caused by feminism combined with mass migration has led to a situation of economic and demographic stagnation which is responsible for today's malaise in the West.
See tarkmarg.blogspot.com for more detail, especially December 2015 post titled Rise and Fall of the West.
7
I took a look at your Dec 2015 blog post and would like to make a few comments. First off, dropping birth rates are a good thing because long term that is more sustainable for the planet. The whole concept of a rise and fall of the west is faulty. The premise with that is that the west should dominate the rest of the world. Historically, China, for example, has been a great civilization and couldn't continue to be kept down. Existential problems such as climate change are never going to be properly dealt with without worldwide cooperation, rather than a west vs east or us vs them mentality.
6
feminism is not the cause of slow population (of my race, my religion). We must stop all education to get white trash to be fruitful and multiply. Lennon sung "women are the N-ggers of the world. Bannon wants women and N-ggers on their hands and knees. Nobody likes taxes, but unless the wealth is confiscated between generations, we all end up slaving in Downton Abbey's kitchen. or Maggie's Farm!
5
Because women aren't popping out babies because they can control the number of children they have and believe they are equal to men, the West is going to hell? What a load of rubbish.
11
At the heart of the matter is religion - religion that is political in its nature, its outlook and its intentions. This is what Roman Catholicism once was, and what Islam has always been. While Catholicism has shed its armies and seen its royal patrons detroned, debunked and discarded, it maintains its socio-political wardrobe but is largely a public relations firm peddling false doctrines and salvations while its hierarchy live as potentates. Not much different that the typical multi-national corporation selling useless stuff. Islam on the other hand is a different animal. It's purpose is not the saving of souls, or anything else for that matter. It is about power - its accumulation and its use - for the purpose of conquest. Plain and simple and in its own words. Hence, the West's challenge. Oppose this political movement and survive with your institutions in tact and your societies in balance. Allow it to fester, like the bacillus it is, and watch as your body politic grows sclerotic, intolerant, and eventually, an unrecognizable and unappealing theocracy. A world of Irans. See the future. Fight the future.
42
I'm still scratching my head at the high school dropout bragging about his lack of education. Why has being educated (Ms. Merkel has a PhD) become a political liability?
7
The world of Lennon's "Imagine" is a socialist utopia, not that of today's corporate "liberal cosmopolitans."
No reasonable person could possibly construe Lennon's song as has been done here. I do not understand why this article was not simply rejected. It is an outrageous falsification of what Lennon wrote.