The Libertarianism-to-Fascism Pipeline [NR acid reflux alert]

National Review ^ | 24 August 2017 | Michael Brendan Dougherty

[Steve_Seattle]

I read the whole article, and still don’t know what the author’s point was.

[Steve_Seattle]

I wonder why the author didn’t consider this: if a man can say he is a woman, isn’t that a “pipeline” to all other sorts of irrationalism and paranoia? If “whiteness” is intrinsically bad and unredeemable, isn’t THAT belief a pipeline to irrationalism, paranoia, and - perhaps - murder?

[Steve_Seattle]

The author never really followed through on his idea that an attraction to the Latin Mass is somehow a "pipeline" towards neo-Nazism, but my experience of traditionalist Catholics is that they are:

1. Basically non-political, leaning towards the idea that the world is irredeemable until the Second Coming of Christ.

2. Among the minority of Catholics who still take traditional Christian sexual morality seriously.

3. Somewhat anti-Semitic, but extremely unlikely to commit anti-Semitic violence or partner with Protestant or secular neo-Nazi groups.

4. Believers in the idea that their best contribution to the world is through prayer and fasting and personal sacrifice.

[x]

The only commonality I see is that Fascism and libertarianism both reject egalitarianism.

I don't think he's saying that the ideologies are similar, but that there's a kind of person who says "I am right and the rest of the world is wrong."

When they come across other ideas that the rest of the world disagrees with, they are attracted to those ideas and in time they can end up in some very strange places intellectually.

There's an attraction to extreme or marginal ideas, also a hostility towards the average sheeple who don't question or dissent or question established orthodoxies.

There are plenty of examples of people like that out there, but one problem is that there are also people out there who'd take Dougherty himself or me or even maybe you as examples of the same phenomenon. For some people, not so long ago, National Review was seen as lunatic fringe.

I still haven't figured out what any of this has to do with the Latin Mass, though.

[NobleFree]

equate libertarianism to fascism.

Not remotely what the article does. Look into remedial reading.

[Responsibility2nd]

It DOES equate the two. Reread the headline. Then ignore the Latin Mass mumbo jumbo. The rest is obvious. Libertarianism is fascism.

[Durus]

Libertarianism is the opposite of fascism.

[NobleFree]

equate libertarianism to fascism.

Not remotely what the article does. Look into remedial reading.

It DOES equate the two. Reread the headline.

Even the headline proves you're wrong: if libertarianism and fascism are equated, then "The Libertarianism-to-Fascism Pipeline" is "The Libertarianism-to-Libertarianism Pipeline" (or "The Fascism-to-Fascism Pipeline") ... which makes no sense.

Look into remedial reading.