Confuzzled? You will be!
I feel puzzlement at the response to my letter
Letters from Vienna #35
Confuzzled? You will be!
I feel a mixture of puzzlement and confusion (I am in short: “confuzzled”) at the response to my letter #32, which I wrote on the 23rd of February and published on the 24th. Kevin Brink wrote: “just stop with the BS that the Nazis are “right wing extremists”. They are EFFING LEFT WING. Always were and still are. The LEFT are the Nazis, the commies, the fascists. Same thing.” Perhaps I am hoisted with my own petard. I shall try to refrain from applying the categories of “right” and “left” wing, which I myself deplore, in the future.
Marv Spenc made the useful contribution: “Well it’s February 25th Putin invaded Ukraine so your story lacks credibility full of misinformation. You do a great disservice to the people of Ukraine and all sovereign democratic countries with your false narrative lies. Disgraceful Story! You need to write an apology and update and to the Ukrainian people!”
It is, as yet, uncertain as to what exactly is happening in the Ukraine. I tried to find out last night (the 26th of February) but the picture was, at best, blurry. From what I gather Putin has recognised the republics of Donetz & Luhansk and has launched an operation to “cleanse [Ukraine] of Nazis”. What exactly this means on the ground is, at the moment of writing, unclear. I’m not sure whether any country in the West can be counted as a democracy and am equally skeptical about whether the Ukraine can be regarded as such.
I’m also not certain whether there is in fact a “Ukrainian people”, the country being divided into such a bright mosaic. Thus, the question arises: who does one apologise to? As for the “false narrative lies”: the less said about that particular allegation, the better. I will leave it to the judicious reader to decide.
I shall try however to write an update on the situation, which is, as I wrote before: confused and extremely “fluid” indeed.
Xtron wrote: “communist.... you will have nothing other than what the state gives you, and you will be happy...if you do not agree, we will kill you nazi/fascist .... the government owns everything, and everyone works for the government. if the government doesn't like you or your views, it lets you starve to death/kills you which of the above do you approve of/support?? the main stream media/ PTB present this conflict in an either/or manner. I chose to support neither side. I say let them sort out which evil is superior, then fight that, already weakened from battle, evil.” There is little I can say to this radical standpoint.
At least I could find someone I could actually agree with, which was something of a relief, when I read a post by James Whitfield Smith who stated that: “Both are fruit from of the same Poisonous tree” and added an interesting comment in the form of a link: https://espicka2.wixsite.com/ukraine/single-post/2016/03/13/Human-Trafficking-in-Ukraine.
The article begins: “Human trafficking in Ukraine is not a new trend. This issue has continued to skyrocket since the end of the Soviet Union. Human trafficking was not researched until the early 90s when Ukraine and other surrounding countries realised the growth and need for a strategy to combat this phenomenon. Since 1991, over 160,000 Ukrainians have been victims. Knowing this number is extremely high the government has since discovered this country as one of the main suppliers of all types of trafficking, especially labor and sex, for all of Europe. Trafficking is a supply demand business model. Ukraine being a poorer country in Europe is a supplier for this business. Citizens of Ukraine being members of the European Union, can easily move within the European countries without any immigration issues, making the supply of humans easily delivered to meet the demand.”
The response which intrigued me most and cried out for greatest expansion was by AfroLatina: “Right wing extremist? Look up who in the US alone have played big roles with Ukraine dictatorship. Biden, Pelosi… all those “fighting” for democracy. I’m black and my husband escaped that dictatorship and can tell you that they’re NOT considered right-wing or conservative.” I sensed that a whole novel lay behind that particular story!
In short: ideology remains a vexed and controversial issue and I am contemplating writing more about this particular topic in the near future. It is, above all else: an issue that seems to affect an awful lot of people! Of all the responses, only James Whitfield Smith seems to dwell on the human dimension of the tragedy, the only dimension which ultimately counts.
Nazis in Germany were always referred to as right wing. Never, ever considered left, even with the name “National Socialists.” These ideological designations started to switch places in 2000 and now, by 2022, no one who ascribes to an ideological position has any idea what the classic definitions were. Democrats today still think of themselves as classic democrats, and have no idea they have become more to the right than Attila the Hun. My theory is that it is part of the psyop — you said it Michael with your title: Confuzzled. One of the secret societies had a joke in the early 20th century loosely playing off Confucius as an authority. They called their mythical wise person who dictated their antics “Confusola.” I can’t find a reference just now.
Perhaps you respondents will consider this even just from wiki
“The Nazis were strongly influenced by the post-World War I far-right in Germany, which held common beliefs such as anti-Marxism, anti-liberalism and antisemitism, along with nationalism, contempt for the Treaty of Versailles and condemnation of the Weimar Republic for signing the armistice in November 1918….”
https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Nazism
Hang in there. I found your letter of great insight considering the situation. I must admit I cringed at the Right-Wing designation for Nazi as well but it’s a common misconception and it will take time for popular culture to understand such nuances. I have a feeling that will change soon.
Keep up the interesting work. I look forward to reading more of your thoughts and considering the responses you shared; I’m grateful you take the time to share them.