One part in particular, about the Leo Strauss philosophy drove home the very message that today's neocons and wingnuts are trying to send to America rather agressively: Be afraid.
"It was for politicians to assert powerful and inspiring myths that everyone could believe in. They might not be true, but they were necessary illusions. One of these was religion; the other was the myth of the nation. And in America, that was the idea that the country had a unique destiny to battle the forces of evil throughout the world. This myth was epitomized, Strauss told his students, in his favorite television program: Gunsmoke.Humming the theme to the Twilight Zone yet? This stuff works. Look how Americans are digging Ahnold of all people. He's a cartoon character. An action figure. How about bushie himself. He can't even ride a horse and probably can't shoot a gun and probably never even flew a fighter plane. It's all myth, yet Americans view him as a gottdamm good guy in the wild west. American's want their action figures.
Strauss was a great fan of American television. Gunsmoke was his great favorite, and he would hurry home from the seminar, which would end at, you know, 5:30 or so, and have a quick dinner so he could be at his seat before the television set when Gunsmoke came on. And he felt that this was good, this show. This had a salutary effect on the American public, because it showed the conflict between good and evil in a way that would be immediately intelligible to everyone."
Watch this series or read it. There is so much more.
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