It Can't Happen Here -- Sinclair Lewis (Full Book Review) (CC)
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.ค. 2024
- I delve deep into Sinclair Lewis's 1935 dystopian novel, in which he describes the rise of a fascist and authoritarian state in the United States, under conditions eerily similar to those that still exist today.
As a quick disclaimer, I'm no expert on these topics and am just trying to learn more about it... I'm doing my best, but I almost certainly have a made a few mistakes here and there :)
0:00 Intro
2:28 Fascism in response to Communism
4:42 Gaining popular support
7:36 A rosy portrayal of intellectualism? (Doremus vs. Shad)
14:28 Women of the novel
15:25 Reading this book in the (post-)Trump era
18:15 The many fa(s)ces of fascism
19:33 Learning more on the topic
20:46 Wrapping things up
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IT CAN'T HAPPEN HERE by Sinclair Lewis
GoodReads: / 11371.it_can_t_happen_...
StoryGraph: beta.thestorygraph.com/books/...
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FASCISM: A WARNING by Madeleine Albright
In my recording, I misstated the title of former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright's book. Her book is called "Fascism: A Warning", not "On Fascism" as I said in the video.
That book: / fascism
My written review: / 3621245587
Twitter: @mikegreads / mikegreads
Goodreads: / mike
Facebook: / mike-g-reads-104046585...
Well done, my friend! I’ve read most all of Lewis’s work, many of them more than once,
When i first enlisted in the military we were all asked after boot camp in SOI if we would open fire on American civilians if ordered too, and this was just a group discussion type of thing we were engaged in and of course everyone said they would refuse those orders because it’s wrong and we are patriots and we were all taught about the Geneva convention and international laws and we where all told that following unlawful orders can get you in trouble as well, and we all understood this and were all on the same page, ………… this was back in 2017 when trump was first taking office
Fast forward to now and I’m about to end my contract after serving the military for 5 years now and my unit was in a group discussion about the same topic of “would you open fire on American civilians if ordered” ………. I honestly wasn’t ready for what I heard that day, my stomach was turning and I was biting my tongue, I was disgusted by what I was hearing but at the same time I kept quiet because I knew exactly what was fueling a lot of people that day and clearly I was the only person in that room that day who was on the opposite spectrum politically but I didn’t want anyone knowing because I knew it would turn everyone in my unit against me and I knew no matter what I said I wouldn’t be able to change anyone’s mind, politics where not discussed at all that day but it was very clear that politics was the driving force behind what some of them were saying that day
When the question was first purposed their was some amount of discussion on it, not much really, but when they chose a city or state that most of them didn’t agree with politically that’s when things took a turn for the worst
I now realize that what happened in nazi Germany wasn’t so unique to just that time period or that nation, I now know that it could happen in any “civilized” nation including our very own, and all it takes is a political motive and a group of people that you despise or disagree with
Wow, that's really scary. But like you said it makes sense too. I agree, it's easy to just condemn the people of Nazi Germany for the horrible crimes committed, but it's a lot harder (emotionally) to think about how similar things could happen in our own nation. Thanks for sharing your story!
@@mikegseclecticreads
No problem 👌
Thank you for your service and your comment.
I just came across this TH-cam video today, (14 April 2024), because I was looking for a commentary on Sinclair Lewis’, “It Can’t Happen Here”. I realize that your channel is not political, however, I think that you should revisit this commentary soon as the 2024 election is looming and we are on the brink of the very story line that Lewis wrote about long ago. Thank you for your observations.
I just finished this book and just searched out videos on others who have read it since it is a bit obscure. It is very interesting to have another perspective on its ideas. First I would make comment on your thought that it was atypical for the dictatorial regime to be from the Democratic party. The thing that struck me as I read ,fully understanding that 1935 politics are different than current day politics, is that I recognized character traits in both parties of modern-day politics that seemed representative of potential dictatorship ideals. That was a part of the book I enjoyed, it seemed to enlighten my perspective on modern day politics through a historical lens. As to the character of Shad, I personally thought that Lewis was making a a social comment on the class struggle between what would seemingly be the lower class that Shad was a part of and the middle class that Doremus was a part of. Shad's counterpart would be Miss Candy who a part of the working class / lower class was a hard worker and loved the family she worked for. I felt that later on the concentration camp Doremus even had a tenderness still towards Shad that was surprising considering Shad's callus treatment of him. I must admit I did laugh out loud when you made the comment about the book not being a total sausage fest! The female characters are surprisingly strong yet balanced just like in real life. With Emma being juxtaposed against the Lorinda character. I would even argue that Emma has a male counterpart in her son Philip who essentially plays the same role in using the political circumstances to further his position in life. And of course the merry character is just BA! Since I just finished it literally in the past hour I'm still contemplating what I think of the ending. I know that this video was put out a while back but hopefully you see this because it is fun to talk to someone who has read this book.
Oh yeah, this is definitely a book that takes a while to mull over, particularly with all the different characters that appear. Glad you found the review helpful in thinking through your own reactions.
And yeah I totally agree with you that there are certainly troubling elements to be seen all over modern politics, within various different party affiliations. I guess to say "It won't happen with [insert favorite political party]" is about is misguided a notion as "it can't happen here!" Thanks for your comment.
This is an outstanding review of 'It Can't Happen Here'! I just finished reading the novel yesterday and noticed that you pointed out many of the same issues with the heavy political content and the character of Doremus Jessup. I agree with you about the character flaws of Doremus. In fact, Doremus is self-analytical enough to question how effective he's been with his newspaper and editorials, wondering if he has been so quick to criticize because he has been secure in his 'ivory tower' existence and can easily pass judgment on a cretin like Shad Ledue. I think Lewis must have felt an urgency to pack as much in to his 'of the moment' dystopia that he got sloppier with his craftsmanship and characterization than he was with his much more polished and nuanced earlier novels such as 'Main Street' and 'Babbit' (the only others of his that I have read so far). Great job, Mike!
Thanks Brian! I'll have to return and read some of Lewis's other earlier novels sometime, since this is the only one I've read.
Excellent review and commentary. You gained a fan because of your comment at the 18 min mark; labeling.
Great video. Touches on many of the same points I was making in discussing the book.
I say Hello from Russia 2023. This book is our reality today in many points in my country. I just finished reading and I feel sad😢
Я посмотрела немало литературных обзоров. Многие американские граждане спорят об этой книге сегодня, я часто встречаю их мнения и недоумение - почему люди не протестовали, почему тоталитарный режим наступил так быстро, почему никто не боролся за демократию… Но в России в прошлом году каждый месяц выходили новые законы, за которые никто не голосовал. Правительство просто решило единолично, что теперь страна будет жить по новым правилам. Эти правила направлены на то, чтобы лишить граждан свободы. И вот год спустя мы получили уже другую страну. Мы даже не успели понять, что происходит. Но уже нельзя выйти и протестовать… Все это ближе чем кажется. Все это возможно.
Sending best wishes! I don't speak any Russian but I tried to read your comment with the help of Google Translate :) This is a really interesting point ... although it's difficult for me to imagine myself what this would look like, I thought this book was powerful because to me the transition to a dictatorship felt quite believable and not over-dramatic. I think if the reader just looks at where things started and where they ended up, then it seems unbelievable, but if they view the whole gradual process it seems totally believable.
very good review!
I think it could happen to either party if the right things are said to the population- However we have leaders who have recently said that if they are elected they will get rid of political enemies-- thus it is a template that should function to help readers recognize fascism from the get go.
Very good analysis
I've discovered your chanel recently and I already love it ! Ty sm for the cc and love the hard work !!!!! Always good reviews and good books :D
Thanks a bunch! Glad you're enjoying it, and glad to hear the CC are helpful too :)
I’m currently listening to It Can’t Happen Here and it is a tough read. It’s pretty heavy.
Another point or several points of view is always absolutely necessary. Never see anything through the limited scope of one's own narrow-minded education discover it for yourself that's one point of freedom you don't always have to agree with everyone or anyone in particular but one thing that most if not all should learn or educate themselves on is what we have available and how we utilize it for a continued shared existence of individuality on this rock, enticing knowledge out with benefits for that person's ideas while also benefiting society through those ideas.
Agreed -- the greatest form of knowledge is knowing how much we don't know, or something like that🙂
Very nice and fair review 👍
How do you think this administration applies to your thoughts in this video ?
Do you see a dictatorship in all those EO's ?
How about basic constitutional rights ?
Great questions, and thanks for watching! I have no idea what the answers are but I'll take a stab :)
I think it's all shades of gray. On the surface right now it seems to me that the mainstream "right" in the U.S. is still more alarming than the mainstream "left", if only because the mainstream "left" including the Biden administration seem to have mostly avoided opposing traditional liberal values like freedom of press, speech, and others. While some on the left might exhibit illiberal tendencies such as advocating for some suppression of free speech (the dark side of "cancel culture"), these values don't seem to me to have fully penetrated the mainstream Democratic Party, although there seems to be pressure in that direction so it's worth keeping a close eye on.
Similarly, in the U.S., leaders on the right have been more vocal in criticizing the very legitimacy of the democratic process, which ... even if the system is seriously flawed (though I don't personally think it is all that flawed) it feels pretty scary to me to challenge the very legitimacy of something as fundamental to a democracy as voting. If we can't on some level trust the electoral process, flawed or not, then we're no longer living in a democracy. (I realize too that right-wing voices are not the only contributors; in 2016 there were people on the left calling for the Electoral College to basically undermine the results and just vote in Clinton instead of Trump. The difference to me though is that Democratic party leaders and Clinton's campaign didn't take such demands seriously in 2016 -- she conceded within a day of the election. Whereas Trump conceded in 2020 only on Jan 7 after the Capitol riots, and a year later most but not all GOP party leaders still seem to condone the narrative that the election was stolen.)
In general though, I don't think this is an inherent left/right thing as there are plenty of historical examples of people on the left supporting authoritarianism too when it suits their goals. And Democratic-led conversations about things like packing the Supreme Court, removing the filibuster to push through legislation, etc... well, I think there's a place for conversations about how strong/weak the standing government should be, but they at least seem to me like steps towards greater central power.
As for basic constitutional rights, that one's tricky because if I'm not one of the people whose rights are being violated, I might not be as acutely aware of it. My general impression is that there are some threats to certain constitutional rights that have been "re-interpreted" in court (e.g. rights involving the criminal justice process, no search without a warrant, etc. have been a bit iffy in some cases, though it'll depend on one's point of view). These things though aren't really things I'd chalk up to the Biden administration nor the Trump administration; a lot of them seem to have been in place far before then.
Underated channel
Boiling frogs! Is slow and unforgiving.
Very well said. Just finishing this book up now. I think you are very on point with your remarks on today’s politics and presidents.
Very well said. Just finishing this book up now. I think you are very on point with your remarks on today’s politics and presidents. We cannot fall into the trap of calling someone a name and discounting them or following them on either side.
nice
duh-reem-us of "dormeus" pronunciation totally threw me off... I read it in my head as door-me-us
who could imagine......people would freak out......in washington DC
Of course they're not platforms of what is today he was trying to convey what they could become and if you paid attention from that point in 1935 up until now communist had a huge influence on the Democratic party and then later on melded into the Democratic party without all the imagery of communism I think you should read a lot more in a wider scope of books ideologies and individuals that influence society through our colleges, politics and institutions.
Doddsworth. Mid American middle-class morality takes the cafes of Paris. It’s a hoot!
Nice, I'll have to give that one a shot! And I see it's been made into a movie too
goddamnn, your language is colourful!
Found out about this book through Frank Zappa's song ''It Can't Happen Here''.
Haha I'd never heard of it but just checked it out right now! The vibe of this book is a little different than that song but both are good.
I saw this book as more of a flawed liberal's perceptive on a populist takeover than a book about what society is like under a fascist state; Not that it wasn't politically plausible but I think that in general, the protagonist of Sinclair lewis novel's is the view from that particular individual in society, and not from the view of an individual about society.
Today it's officially in the Public domain
Nice! I think maybe not quite yet in the US though?
@@mikegseclecticreads It's seventy years after the creators death, Lewis died on January 10 1951
I thought your analysis of the book was quite cogent however I have to make some small quibbles with certain definitions of the word Fascism itself. The dictionary definition of it refer to it as right wing. I think is wholly incorrect, it left wing in its ideology. Hitler and Mousillni are Fascist political speaking but its core ideology closely resembles of that of Socialism and Communism which are ideologies on the Left. Infact i would characterize them as close cousins. I would further elaborate that today's Modern day racist groups like the KKK are not right wing but left wing. I think Dinesh D'Souza analysis is the correct interpretation. I encourage you to look his work up. As for Trump can you name a thing he did that is considered Fascistic? I think he have incredible restraint of any of those tendencies. For example if he was Fascist he could brought in the National Guard unilaterally to quell the looting and the riots instead he only did so on the behest and acquiescence of the respective governor's of the state. Some would argue becuase Trump is seen as a Nationalist that would equate it with Fascism and Totalitarianism. I think that's a mistake. Just because you are Patriotic and at the same time Nationalistic doesn't necessarily equate with Fascism. You simply don't understand Americana version of it. To make this short, in a bit of twisted Irony as I see it from Sinclair Lewis point of view and that of myself as well that if a Fascistic or Socialistic State did occur here in America it would have been initiated and introduced by the Left wing namely the Leftist Progressives and not on the right side of the ledger. Just my take on it.
Hitler defines his Nazi position as right wing, and is ideologically incompatible with the left wing.
"There are only two possibilities in Germany; do not imagine that the people will forever go with the middle party, the party of compromises; one day it will turn to those who have most consistently foretold the coming ruin and have sought to dissociate themselves from it. And that party is either the Left: and then God help us! for it will lead us to complete destruction - to Bolshevism, or else it is a party of the Right which at the last, when the people is in utter despair, when it has lost all its spirit and has no longer any faith in anything, is determined for its part ruthlessly to seize the reins of power - that is the beginning of resistance of which I spoke a few minutes ago. Here, too, there can be no compromise - there are only two possibilities: either victory of the Aryan, or annihilation of the Aryan and the victory of the Jew."
* Munich - Speech of April 12, 1922o
@@vernhyndman4895Okay Hitler may characterize his party to the right but that is not a characterization of the Republican party today in America. As an Asian immigrant from Korea whose father side of the family came from North Korea I kinda know what Socialism looks like. Its closely resembles the Democratic party today in America. No longer the party of Kennedy,Truman, or even Clinton but a Socialist Marxist party. Those are Left wing ideologies as I said before. Communism, Socialism, and Fascism are close cousins of each other and in the same family. I think terminologies regarding identity politics has no doubt changed for instance people who would described Liberals in America as Leftist Progressive but the actual classical definition of it is being described as more Libertarians. I would be curious on how you would describe our Founding Fathers of America who created the Bills of Rights and the US Constitution? Are they Left wing or Right wing?
@@mustardseed738 The founding fathers were neither left or right.
You’re right the Republicans aren’t fascists... they TEND right, and so if they err, they err towards fascism and away from Communism.
And the Democrats are not communist... although they tend to the left.
Fascism is characterized by ethno-nationalism, corporatism, law and order, authoritarian, racism, and most often a charismatic populist leader.
Communism is characterized by authoritarian power, often by committee rather than a single leader, government ownership of the means of production, planned economy...
The founding fathers built a co-equal structure to prevent a king, a d to ensure the power remained with the people, and not with the government.
The Citizens United move was a huge move towards fascism, uniting the corporate world with government, and bypassing the will of the people.
My only point is that in every way, fascism (Nazis) are extreme right wing.
@@vernhyndman3239 Interesting hypothesis on the Founding Fathers. Just curious how you describe Conservatives in America. Are they right wing? I would concede on some of the definition of Fascisms. However as a Christian Social Conservative I do adhere to Law and Order and to a degree Nationalism. Whether that equates to Fascism i would not go that far. Having said that I will do further investigation on the history of Fascism. Everything I know of it I don't adhere to it and everything i know of its ideology it is on the left but I will do my due diligence and investigated further. Thanks for inviting me on your views. I do wish understand more of those who have contrary views.
@@mustardseed738 Before Regan, Republicans were fairly centered. They are drifting right.
Trump is a populist fascist... while he couldn't actuate what he was about, his advocated violence against opponents, the last of which was advocating violence against his own VP, and causing an insurrection. The events of January 6th are on a continuum... taken by themselves, they are horrible, but placed in the continuum of Trump, they are simply a fascist slide.
Biden is where Republicans used to be... he's not a socialist by any measure... but he's already making horrific mistakes. We'll see where he goes.
Nisam procitala dosadniju i besmisleniju knjigu u celom svom zivotu. Napisana je tako da samo krade vreme i nivac citaocu, sadrzaj je potpuno besmislen i bespotreban, nesto sto se zaista nikada nece desiti, niti ce ikada ikome koristiti.
Welcome to Russia 😂 For me this was a very useful reading
I found this comical
today, after seeing what has come of the Arizona audits and all of the other audits that will be coming out in the future, I think that it is fair what Trump did following the election. May have sounded out of place and crazy at the time but now it's starting to sound like its more and more true. Just my thoughts.
Tell us your politics without telling us your politics