日志
麦卡锡的信徒们
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1. Why do some Americans in the 21st century still want McCarthy?
This doesn't mean they want Senator Joseph McCarthy himself, but rather the idea of someone like him:
a strong, anti-Communist figure who aggressively challenges perceived threats to national security or "American values."
Reasons include:
Fear of socialism/communism: Some Americans still see leftist ideologies as threats, especially when debates about universal healthcare, wealth redistribution, or education reform surface.
Anti-"woke"/culture war sentiments: McCarthyism’s rhetoric aligns with modern fears about political correctness, media bias, or perceived erosion of traditional values.
Distrust of institutions: Just as McCarthy targeted government institutions for alleged subversion, today some people distrust "the deep state," academia, or the media and see a “new McCarthy” as a crusader.
Historical revisionism: Some revisionist thinkers claim McCarthy was right—pointing to some real Soviet infiltration (e.g., from the Venona Papers) to defend his tactics.
2. Why do readers give good reviews to books that praise McCarthy? Who are they?
Books that present McCarthy in a positive or “redeemed” light—such as Blacklisted by History by M. Stanton Evans—have received strong praise from:
Conservative readers and commentators: Many reviewers on platforms like Amazon or Goodreads are aligned with conservative or libertarian politics.
They view such books as correcting a liberal bias in history.
Anti-communist sympathizers: These readers value a hardline stance against communism and see McCarthy as a misunderstood patriot.
Skeptics of mainstream academia: They often believe the academic consensus unfairly vilifies McCarthy and want to explore alternative narratives.
These readers tend to be:
Middle-aged or older, often politically active
Readers of conservative media (e.g., National Review, Fox News)
Concerned about American identity, Cold War history, or national security
Would you like a deeper dive into one of these books or the counterarguments against McCarthy’s legacy?
You said:
Yes
ChatGPT said:
Great — let’s dive deeper into both a major pro-McCarthy book and then the counterarguments.
Pro-McCarthy Book: Blacklisted by History by M. Stanton Evans (2007)
This is the most widely cited book that tries to redeem McCarthy’s legacy.
Evans’ Main Claims:
McCarthy was right: There really were communists in the U.S. government, especially in the State Department, and McCarthy was trying to expose them.
McCarthy didn’t start the Red Scare: He joined late—others (like the FBI or Truman administration) were already worried about communist infiltration.
The press lied: Evans argues the media unfairly smeared McCarthy and downplayed real espionage threats.
The Venona Papers prove him right: These decoded Soviet cables (declassified in the 1990s) show that some people
