[Buddha-l] Political views of Buddhists

[Richard Hayes]

On Thursday 14 December 2006 14:10, curt wrote:

> By placing Chavez in the same category as Stalin, the Pope and Kim
> Jongil, are you trying to suggest that this new system is just as
> meaningless as the old "left-right" dichotomy?

Not at all. Chavez is economically to the left, and he is quite authoritarian 
in that he is pretty intolerant of those who do not share his views. (Or do 
you think that calling Bush "el diablo" and imprisoning political dissidents 
betokens tolerance?) In those two dimensions--economic communitarianism and 
authoritarianism--- Señor Chávez has much in common with Castro, Stalin and 
Mao. And, yes, the Pope. Quite a few of the people in that NW quadrant would 
surely hate each other. Being in the same quadrant does not guarantee mutual 
love and affection; being an authoritarian pretty much guarantees hate and 
suspicion. And being an authoritarian is not at all antithetical to being 
democratically elected. People do elect strong authoritarian leaders, even 
tyrants.

Speaking of democracy, I once heard a talk by the Cuban ambassador. Some 
well-scrubbed well-heeled boorish right-wing student twit asked him when Cuba 
would ever hold free elections. The ambassador took a long draw on his cigar 
and said "Every Cuban household has a gun. Every day we do not kill Castro, 
he is elected."

-- 
Richard Hayes
Department of Philosophy
University of New Mexico
http://www.unm.edu/~rhayes