Criticizing the Modern Left: Three Pain Points of the Modern Left

Excerpts from Bernard-Henri Levy discussion of his book "Left in Dark Times: A Stand Against the New Barbarism."
Part 2
Three pain points of the modern left:
1. Conspiracy Theories replacing Marxism in the Modern Left
2. Modern Left Favoring Autocracies over Democracies
3. Do We Need Left and Right?

In this unprecedented critique, Bernard-Henri Lévy, one of the world's leading progressive leftists intellectuals revisits his political roots, scrutinizes the totalitarianisms of the past as well as those on the horizon, and argues powerfully for a new political and moral vision for our times especially for the "lost" left - liberal wing of politics.

Are rights Western or universal and how is it that progressives themselves - those who in the past defended individual rights and fought fascism and oppression - have now become the breeding ground for new kinds of dangerous attitudes. Especially in the name of tolerance, multiculturalism, political correctness and more. Generally exploring the moral decline of the modern left in the United States as well as Europe and it's double standard towards Arab countries and Muslim regimes while disregarding genocides and oppression such as in Chechnya and Darfur, as part of an ongoing crippling anti-American and anti-imperialist notions, leading to a blind support of dark, fascist and autocratic regimes such as the Islamist Iran, Hugo Chavez and terror organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah (favorites of the likes of Noam Chomsky) as long as they're seen as opposing the imperialist United States, Britain and Israel.

Bernard-Henri Lévy is a philosopher, journalist, activist, and filmmaker. He was hailed by Vanity Fair magazine as Superman and prophet: we have no equivalent in the United States. Among his dozens of books are American Vertigo, Barbarism with a Human Face, and Who Killed Daniel Pearl? His writing has appeared in a wide range of publications throughout Europe and the United States. His films include the documentaries Bosna! and A Day in the Death of Sarajevo. Lévy is co-founder of the antiracist group SOS Racism and has served on diplomatic missions for the French government.
See part 1 here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06Tnm20ZRq8

See the full lecture here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGO1kMj1u1U

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• Joniversity

[LondonCaracasLondon]

Bernard Henri Levy, you are welcome to visit Venezuela and clear your head of many fly.

[Joniversity]

@LondonCaracasLondon I don't think Bernard will read your comment but other people will and if you have anything that might show things from a different perspective it can only add to the talk.

[LondonCaracasLondon]

@Joniversity I think he will read my comment, or he should read it. Mr. Bernard has the impression that Hugo Chavez is a dictator, of course standing from abroad and reading very complacent newspaper with that point of view. That's why I'm asking him to visit Venezuela, the true is there and not in his self-indulgent opinion

[Joniversity]

@LondonCaracasLondon Well you must admit that some of his political moves do pose a threat to a viable democracy (freedom of press, election limitations, etc.). And one cannot stop and ask himself if the man is completely sound and sane when watching stuff from his daily TV show (and the fact that he has one). Add to that his affiliation with a dark theocratic regime like the one in Iran and you have some serious doubts as to his intentions and motives.

[Changeling9au]

While I tend to find "left" and "right" to be largely meaningless terms in politics, they do kinda mean something.

Search "With the world upside down, is it still possible to stick your head in the sand?" and "On the Orwellian use of the terms ‘left’ and ‘right,’ and on the dangers therein to Israeli politics." and go to the articles on hirhome c0m

[Changeling9au]

Levy is certainly correct about the racism of the "left".

By refusing to criticise - and even apologising for - the most oppressive forces in the "third world" and in certain immigrant communities in the West out of "cultural sensitivity", many leftists are practicising elitist racism. What they are essentially saying is "you're too backwards to enjoy our progressive culture". How Elitist!

This serves the agendas of the Elites who wish to keep their countries - and drive the West - backwards.

[Changeling9au]

Levy's dismissal of conspiracism is foolish. Conspiracism certainly has its limitations, but it can certainly help explain the overall functioning of the political/economic machine. Conspiracies happen. The Manhattan project involved >100,000 people, but few of them knew they were building an atomic bomb.

Where many conspiracy theorists go wrong is confusing a conspiracy with an *agenda*, assuming they know exactly what the agenda is, and taking "the conspiracy" personally.



[Marly61]

Is this gentleman saying that The Trilateral Commision is a conspirarcy as a result of conspirarcy philosophy?

[Nasiruddin84]

I really very agree with his statements. Especiall that the labes LEFT and RIGHT are outdated political terminology that can only be of historic interest. Left vs. Right does not reflect reality any more.

[MsMrNoface]

I can see why the NWO-advocates would hate this guy.