July 29, 2006
Is conservatism being transformed into authoritarianism based on the anxieties of reactionary populism? Do we have right wing right-wing authoritarians whose character is one of being part of the "paranoid style" of the conservative revolt against liberalism.This authoritarian character or personality is one of being:
...submissive toward authority, fundamentalist in orientation, dogmatic, socially isolated and insular, fearful of people different from themselves, hostile to minorities, uncritical toward dominating authority figures, prone to a constant sense of besiegement and panic, and punitive and self-righteous.
In Australia we have one-party rule in Canberra. In their campaign to retain power the Coalition, like the Republicans in the US, are staking their chips on the fear generated by the war on terror and the culture war, doubling and tripling their bets on the paranoid style. To that end, the memebrs of the Coalition talk in terms of what they increasingly call the "Australia Values Agenda".
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Gary, Have you seen the essay The Authoritarian Streak in the Conservative Movement by John Dean?