I wrote: >> Whatever the facts, it's a mistake to put too much weight on what the creep [the newly minted Pope Benny] did while young. People make all sorts of "youthful indiscretions." More important was the lessons he learned. Supposedly, he decided that the only way to respond to Nazi authoritarianism was via religious authoritarianism. That kind of extreme either/or logic suggests a deranged mind.<<
David Shemano writes: > Wow. You are an economist AND a psychologist, with the uncanny lefty ability to diagnose others at a distance.. < It should have been clear I was guessing. The stuff about Ratzo learning from Nazi authoritarianism came out of the newspaper. The last sentence is my guess. The words "Wow" and "uncanny" suggest that my guess is spot-on. Is it? >Where do you find the time?< Doing pen-l stuff allows me to vent frustration so that I'm able to do my regular, paid, work more effectively. And pen-l is my only list. > Tell me, what explains left authoritarianism? Getting spanked by mommy for > wetting the bed?< good question. It could be a personal thing, so that leftwing authoritarianism comes from the same (psychoanalytic, psychodynamic) source as rightwing and middle-of-the-bird authoritarianism (the spanking explanation). Perhaps the left-wing version stems from excessive impatience with oppression, injustice, and alienation under capitalism and other class societies; rather than going through the long process of helping people throw off their own metaphorical chains, the authoritarian wants to do it for them NOW. But I don't know, especially since that leaves the impatience unexplained. What's your explanation? -- Jim Devine [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://myweb.lmu.edu/jdevine
