Ask a Reactionary

[Tahuti]

what do you think of Nietzsche?

I think he is pretty good. His views represent a reaction against the effacement of uniqueness in the face of democratic-nationalism, the Enlightenment and modernism.

 

[calad]

I guess this has been asked before but what you think of ISIS. Are they reactionary enough?

 

[Takhisis]

They're weaklings who do not speak Dutch and refuse to get drunk. Doesn't fit with the idealised vision of the House of Orange, or any other vision of the House of Orange, really.

 

[Tahuti]

They're weaklings who do not speak Dutch and refuse to get drunk. Doesn't fit with the idealised vision of the House of Orange, or any other vision of the House of Orange, really.

Normally I wouldn't allow people to post on my behalf, but this pretty much sums it up.

 

[Traitorfish]

Serious question to Kaiserguard: what distinguishes your particular brand of reaction from a right-wing postmodernism? Jehoshua I get, he's got that whole bundle of Catholic philosophy, but most of your criticisms of liberalism and modernity seem to be basically postmodern- the criticisms of bourgeois individualism, the emphasis on organic communities, the enthusiasm for transcendent symbolism- you're just turning this critique towards a more authoritarian, traditional program than most pomos would.

 

[Tahuti]

Serious question to Kaiserguard: what distinguishes your particular brand of reaction from a right-wing postmodernism? Jehoshua I get, he's got that whole bundle of Catholic philosophy, but most of your criticisms of liberalism and modernity seem to be basically postmodern- the criticisms of bourgeois individualism, the emphasis on organic communities, the enthusiasm for transcendent symbolism- you're just turning this critique towards a more authoritarian, traditional program than most pomos would.

Maybe latent influence? I remember having flirted with pomo-ism during my left-wing period. However, I would also say I harbour a certain hostility to the vagueness inherent to postmodernist thought, and that modern reactionaries are metamodernist - i.e. transcend the differences between modernism and postmodernism. Futhermore, I do tend to admire thinkers Jehoshua likes as well, such as Burke and de Maistre.

I think my attitude to postmodernism can be best summed up as viewing it as a lesser evil than the Enlightenment, while retaining an overall criticism of it.

 

[Tee Kay]

What's your view on deliberative and consensus democracy

 

[ParkCungHee]

So you're saying that most men are unfit for political office?

...But I suppose you do say that, actually, don't you? So I guess that's a harder line of reasoning to quarrel with.

I hope you don't mind me interrupting your thread Kaiserguard, but I have to ask: I'm surprised the co-author of "Ask an Anarchist" finds this surprising. I think the only thing I'd argue with is the notion that some men are fit for political office.

 

[ParkCungHee]

Though military service is the most obvious means, rendering service to a monarch involving physical risk may be another route. Cathelineau's family was ennobled after he martyred in guerilla operations against the French revolutonary government.

What's your thoughts on Combat Sports filling this role?

 

[Traitorfish]

I hope you don't mind me interrupting your thread Kaiserguard, but I have to ask: I'm surprised the co-author of "Ask an Anarchist" finds this surprising. I think the only thing I'd argue with is the notion that some men are fit for political office.

Fair point, although I'd suggest that there's a certain difference between "if men aren't fit to govern themselves, they're certainly not fit to govern others" and "ALL HAIL THE WARRIOR-KING, MAY HIS SACRED LOINS RULE US FOR A THOUSAND YEARS".

 

[Mouthwash]

Do you think Israel is of a higher moral character than Western countries? It is after all based on a 'shared love' derived from religious canon.

 

[Tahuti]

What's your view on deliberative and consensus democracy

They are lesser evils than totalitarian democracy (i.e. Venezuela, Bolivia). However, whenever democracies aren't totalitarian, they are usually plagued by indecisiveness that however proves their weakness and force them to collapse by their own weight.

Western liberal democracy is still the least worst form of democracy, considering the importance it puts into civil society, which is essentially a bourgeois surrogate aristocracy. Thus, simply minded majority rule or totalitarian tendencies are at least kept in check by some form of elite that also maintains the cultural integrity to a small degree. Ultimately, this is inferior to Feudal monarchies where an ideal balance between deceisiveness and fundamental freedoms is struck, meaning is given to its subjects, the elite embodies the highest possible values and people are ruled by fellow people instead by a system. Systematism - as opposed to personality - are ultimately the key aspect to post-feudal regimen including democracy, and perhaps the most important reason why reactionaries are opposed to it.

Do you think Israel is of a higher moral character than Western countries?

I take it you mean (other) Western countries, since Israel is a Western country too, and in fact on par with Greece and Rome as the heart and soul of the West.

As to answer the question: Yes. I strongly admire its cultural celebration of military achievement (AFAIK, Russia is probably the only other Western country that still celebrates such sincerely). While the populace is not particularly religiously dogmatic, religion in Israeli society - be it Islam, Christianity or Judaism - is well respected by the government, instead of supplanted by it, which is the case in France.

To add, the key to solving Israeli-Palestinian conflict is ultimately, however, for Israel to shed the last vestages of liberal democracy from its constitution, thus allowing Israel to accept the Palestinian refugees and -territories, without fundamentally altering the cultural or religious character of the state. Eventually, Hebrew culture can be restored among the Palestinians, who are in my view ethnic Jews who have converted to Islam.

What's your thoughts on Combat Sports filling this role?

Haven't thought about it myself that much, but the question you pose is certainly interesting. Historically, Western societies do not attach the cultural significance that say Japan has to Judo, Karate and other national martial arts, although we do have sports like Fencing, which were definitely popular among the aristocratic classes of Spain.

 

[Mouthwash]

I take it you mean (other) Western countries, since Israel is a Western country too, and in fact on par with Greece and Rome as the heart and soul of the West.

As to answer the question: Yes. I strongly admire its cultural celebration of military achievement (AFAIK, Russia is probably the only other Western country that still celebrates such sincerely).

jesus christ

While the populace is not particularly religiously dogmatic, religion in Israeli society - be it Islam, Christianity or Judaism - is well respected by the government, instead of supplanted by it, which is the case in France.

I don't care about the government. The religious Zionist movement is not usually based on dogma (despite what the occasional psychopath rabbi says) but a common love, in the Augustinian sense. Every Jew is part of this mission; to transform the land of Israel and bring about the Messianic era. Even secular Zionists admit to a sense of 'familyness' with their religious countrymen. It seems to be a lot healthier than nationalism based on a particular form of government.

To add, the key to solving Israeli-Palestinian conflict is ultimately, however, for Israel to shed the last vestages of liberal democracy from its constitution, thus allowing Israel to accept the Palestinian refugees

There isn't enough physical space for them without turning Israel into a massive refugee camp itself. Four million Palestinians, most without education or work experience who have lived the past sixty years in Bantustans being told that their destiny was a glorious return to Palestine?

and -territories, without fundamentally altering the cultural or religious character of the state. Eventually, Hebrew culture can be restored among the Palestinians, who are in my view ethnic Jews who have converted to Islam.

What are your disagreements with fascism, since you do not self-identify as one?

 

[Flying Pig]

There isn't enough physical space for them without turning Israel into a massive refugee camp itself. Four million Palestinians, most without education or work experience who have lived the past sixty years in Bantustans being told that their destiny was a glorious return to Palestine?

Was the irony of that intentional? I honestly can't tell.

 

[Borachio]

There isn't enough physical space for them without turning Israel into a massive refugee camp itself. Four million Palestinians, most without education or work experience who have lived the past sixty years in Bantustans being told that their destiny was a glorious return to Palestine?

Eh? Why couldn't they, and the Israeli population, continue living in the areas they're occupying now? I mean, why wouldn't the single state be a larger geographical area than present day Israel?

As for work experience, most West Bank Palestinians have some experience of working in Israel.

 

[Tahuti]

It seems to be a lot healthier than nationalism based on a particular form of government.

I am not a nationalist. While I do support identification with some ethnic identity, it is more one of kinship and cultural affinity than a be-all-end-all blueprint for all politics. The state must be independent of the people and vice versa. This precludes any notion of state identity based on national identities. While some idealised states are approximating their people's ethnic boundaries which was not the result of a national unification project, states were either multicultural, or one of many of the same culture.

There isn't enough physical space for them without turning Israel into a massive refugee camp itself. Four million Palestinians, most without education or work experience who have lived the past sixty years in Bantustans being told that their destiny was a glorious return to Palestine?

I think it would be doable. Is Israel even that dense in terms of population?

I don't want this taken the wrong way. When I use the term 'fascism' I don't mean it pejoratively, but literally. Honestly, where are your disagreements with it?

Fascism wants to assimilate the people into the state. A democratic borg, or so to speak. Feudal monarchies have the state as just another element in society.

 

[Mouthwash]

Was the irony of that intentional? I honestly can't tell.

Yes, I know about those Palestinians living under 'Nazi-apartheid-Judeo-supremacist occupation.' But I can't see any reason for Palestinians in Syria or Kuwait to be denied citizenship. The reasons given are so as to prevent the "dissolution of national identity," which basically makes it a social engineering project with the aim of pressuring Israel and keeping a lid on Palestinian diaspora groups.

Eh? Why couldn't they, and the Israeli population, continue living in the areas they're occupying now? I mean, why wouldn't the single state be a larger geographical area than present day Israel?

Are you saying that refugee camps in Syria or Lebanon could be annexed to Israel?

I think it would be doable. Is Israel even that dense in terms of population?

Yes, in the north and on the Sharon Plain (population density estimates are useless when it comes to countries with deserts). This is where the bulk of Palestinian refugees lived in 1948. People who visit often underestimate how small Israel is: they're used to being in large urban areas around a country's core, but don't understand that those scenic mountains you can see in Tel Aviv are actually the West Bank.

 

[Flying Pig]

Yes, I know about those Palestinians living under Nazi-apartheid-Judeo-supremacist occupation. But I can't see any reason for Palestinians in Syria or Kuwait to be denied citizenship. The reasons given are so as to prevent the "dissolution of national identity," which basically makes it a social engineering project with the aim of pressuring Israel and keeping a lid on any Palestinian political movement.

I was more getting at Israel's status as a country founded for millions of refugees who had spent centuries living in ghettoes being told that their destiny was to return to the Promised Land...

 

[Tahuti]

Yes, in the north and on the Sharon Plain (population density estimates are useless when it comes to countries with deserts). This is where the bulk of Palestinian refugees lived in 1948. People who visit often underestimate how small Israel is: they're used to being in large urban areas around a country's core, but don't understand that those scenic mountains you can see in Tel Aviv are actually the West Bank.

The County of Holland (i.e. North- and South-Holland) house like half of the Netherlands 17m populace and is not even 1/4 of the Netherlands. While Israel may have deserts, and the Netherlands has fairly lush land, modern irrigation comes a long way.

 

[Mouthwash]

I was more getting at Israel's status as a country founded for millions of refugees who had spent centuries living in ghettoes being told that their destiny was to return to the Promised Land...

Really? The Talmud injuncts Jews not to reconquer the land of Israel.

Besides, if Europe was Jewish instead of Christian, I honestly wouldn't see anything moral about Zionism.

The County of Holland (i.e. North- and South-Holland) house like half of the Netherlands 17m populace and is not even 1/4 of the Netherlands. While Israel may have deserts, and the Netherlands has fairly lush land, modern irrigation comes a long way.

The Negev is a rocky desert. You can't simply raise the population of a country by 30% and expect the surplus to live there. You do realize that Israel has a severe housing crisis?