Chris Hedges on The Colbert Report

Chris Hedges is making the rounds for American Fascists. You can see previous posts on Hedges here and here. In all fairness, this guy doesn't come across as powerfully as does Sam Harris, but it seems that Hedges might actually believe in the Christian system and is trying to reveal its shadow side. But that take is based on a few pieces in the blogs and online magazines.

Here is a review of the book from Publisher's Weekly, the Bible of book reviews for the trade book industry.

Starred Review. The f-word crops up in the most respectable quarters these days. Yet if the provocative title of this exposé by Hedges (War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning)—sounds an alarm, the former New York Times foreign correspondent takes care to employ his terms precisely and decisively. As a Harvard Divinity School graduate, his investigation of the Christian Right agenda is even more alarming given its lucidity. Citing the psychology and sociology of fascism and cults, including the work of German historian Fritz Stern, Hedges draws striking parallels between 20th-century totalitarian movements and the highly organized, well-funded "dominionist movement," an influential theocratic sect within the country's huge evangelical population. Rooted in a radical Calvinism, and wrapping its apocalyptic, vehemently militant, sexist and homophobic vision in patriotic and religious rhetoric, dominionism seeks absolute power in a Christian state. Hedges's reportage profiles both former members and true believers, evoking the particular characteristics of this American variant of fascism. His argument against what he sees as a democratic society's suicidal tolerance for intolerant movements has its own paradoxes. But this urgent book forcefully illuminates what many across the political spectrum will recognize as a serious and growing threat to the very concept and practice of an open society.

Via: VideoSift

Tags: Chris Hedges, American Fascists, Christian Fundamentalism, shadow, The Colbert Report