The New Hate: A History of Fear and Loathing on the Populist Right
Turns out, the new hate is pretty much the same as the old hate, according to Goldwag. No doubt drawing from research compiled for his ’Isms & ’Ologies (2007) and Cults, Conspiracies, and Secret Societies (2009), the author identifies the historical American precedents of primarily right-wing demagoguery—among them, anti-Masonry, anti-Catholicism, the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, Henry Ford, and McCarthyism—whose echoes can be heard today over the airwaves and in print. It’s hardly enjoyable reading, churning up as it does the long-standing animosities that run deep in American politics and continue to distract the country from addressing real issues; in addition, the text, as well researched as it is, could have used a lot more coherence. Still, identifying demagoguery, on the Right or the Left, might help readers work through it in the coming years. Would November 2012 be too soon? --Alan Moores