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Lies and the ecology of political truth
It is hardly news to point out the profound disconnect between the world as imagined by a substantial portion of the U.S. population and the world as it actually is. This disconnect has been especially prevalent among the more reactionary segments of the populace thus far this election season, though they certainly don’t hold a monopoly. When faced with the egregious falsehoods repeatedly espoused by Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina and the rest of the gang, many people are baffled. Why are these liars getting airtime? Why do they keep repeating lies, even after being corrected? Why do people keep believing and supporting them? Don’t any of them have any shame?
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In memoriam: Michael A. Weinstein
My mentor, close friend, and former PhD and dissertation advisor, Michael A. Weinstein, passed away yesterday. I know that myself and the many other people whose lives he changed will be tottering somewhere between a numb shock and open grief. How could he die? He was one of the most alive people I’ve ever met, exuding enthusiasm for everything and devouring what the world had to offer, even if that world was both “a pleasure palace and a torture chamber”. He was a powerful teacher, prolific scholar, photography critic, and frontman for a punk band into his 60s. He overflowed with compassion and love for his students and friends. He possessed an intellectual nimbleness, acuity, and profoundly deep storehouse of both knowledge and wisdom (his “underground workshop”) that I sincerely doubt I will ever see again. Accompanying these virtues, he possessed a magnetism and pedagogical skill in the classroom that could draw students in, undo their worlds, and then give them another that was clearly alien, and yet somehow familiar and truer. While death was always near to the surface of his philosophical projects, it never really seemed like it could touch him.
(more…)9 responses to “In memoriam: Michael A. Weinstein”
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Mike’s presence will most definitely be missed. I still have my very worn-out copy of The Revolt of the Masses from a class I took with him in undergrad that inspired me to go to graduate school in the department at Purdue with political theory as a minor. His spirit was infectious, and I know that his love of deep thought will remain with all of those whose lives he touched. This was a very touching tribute to such a great man, a man that often words are too simple to describe.
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Thank you for this. Míke Weinstein taught me both as an undergraduate and a graduate student during my stay at Purdue 1985-1991. He was also on my Ph.D. committee. I consider him one of the best teachers I ever had. He was also one of the most memorable persons I have met. Stefania Oskarsdottir, University of Iceland
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[…] In Memoriam: Michael A. Weinstein, an appreciation written by a former student of his, Justin C. Mueller […]
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Didnt he head Power and Interest News report as well?
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He was absolutely the best Professor I ever had. He made me rethink everything I knew and I took every class of his that I could. Basically he made me a new person, I’m how I think and evaluate in just one class. That’s major. He was a genius and I’m just sad his teachings made me quit poly sci so we didn’t have more classes, but it’s for the best. I remember his one rule was don’t try to come into class late, you disrupt everyone. And if a student was late they’d crack the door and sit outside listening and taking notes because they didn’t want to miss one of his classes. I still reread the texts he suggested to this day. He was the best.
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Trumph of the Will – Taking Trump’s Fascism Seriously
The GOP presidential candidacy of Donald Trump has been seen by many as a hilarious farce. How could this former reality TV star, a multiply-bankrupt billionaire, an all of a sudden family-values champion with four failed marriages, whose official politics have shifted loudly with the political winds NOT be seen as a ridiculous indictment of the spectacle of American electoral politics? As some have noted, his very appeal to some people is in his willingness to say things that normal politicians just don’t usually say… at least, out loud. As several commentators have observed, however, Trump is simply not funny any more. What has changed?
(more…)4 responses to “Trumph of the Will – Taking Trump’s Fascism Seriously”
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Brilliant. Instant follower. Bookmarked. So glad to see you blogging again. Sad to see the circumstances which ignited your resurgence. Lookin’ forward to more.
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Greatly appreciated your essay. Sent it to several friends and let my husband read it. All had favorable opinions of the ideas and analysis. Thanks.
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[…] as the core element of his would-be tyranny. In a more rigorous piece, political theorist Justin Mueller draws on Robert Paxton’s The Anatomy of Fascism to analyze Trump’s success in “mobilizing […]
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[…] from both angles (that of American exceptionalism and that fascism is exceptional). Also Justin Mueller‘s “Trumph of the Will: Taking Donald Trump’s Fascism Seriously,” with which […]
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Justin C. Mueller 
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