Why do people who identify themselves as liberal or egalitarian
sometimes embrace intolerance or even preach violence? Illiberalism
has come to be expected of the right in this country; its
occurrence on the left is more paradoxical but no less real.
Although equality lies at the heart of the liberal tradition, the
earnest pursuit of egalitarian goals has often come at the expense
of other liberal ideals.
In this provocative book, Richard J. Ellis examines the
illiberal tendencies that have characterized egalitarian movements
throughout American history, from the radical abolitionists of the
1830s to the New Left activists of the 1960s. He also takes on
contemporary radical feminists like Catherine MacKinnon and radical
environmental groups like Earth First to show that, even today,
many of the American left's sacred cows have cloven hooves.
Ellis identifies the organizational and ideological dilemmas
that caused Students for a Democratic Society to transform itself
from a democratic to an elitist organization, or that allow
radicals to justify illegal acts as long as they are free of
self-interest. He explains how orthodoxy arises within a group from
the need to maintain distance from a society it views as hopelessly
corrupt, and how individuals committed to egalitarian causes are
particularly susceptible to illiberalism--even poets like Walt
Whitman, who celebrated the common people but often expressed
contempt for their mundane lives. Political correctness, idealizing
the oppressed, and an affinity for authoritarian and charismatic
leaders are all parts of what Ellis calls "the dark side of the
left."
Building on the groundwork laid by Richard Hofstadter in his
pioneering book, "The Age of Reform," Ellis exposes the
shortcomings of today's left and provides a badly needed historical
perspective on the contemporary debate over "political
correctness." The Dark Side of the Left is a gutsy book that is
essential reading for anyone who occasionally feels dark
forebodings about seemingly noble causes.
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