Sunday, May 17, 2009

Are neoconservatives ahead of their time?

I'm listening to the NPR program on the Star Trek franchise. The program notes that as much as neoconservatism has gotten a bad rap in the last 8 years, Gene Roddenerry's (the creator of Star Trek) vision of the future is neoconservative where a Federation of Planets, a "coalition of the willing" if you will, is socially liberal and interventionist. In the new movie, Captain Peko calls it a "humanitarian and peace-keeping armada."

Star Trek is liberal and progressive. Nichelle Nicholes was perhaps the first black woman to be featured in a major television series not playing a maid. The franchise series regularly portray women as major shapers in human history, such as having women captains and admirals (Condi?). It also portrays other races, or species in this case, as equals and allies in the progressive development of the world or galaxy. Captain Kirk, played by the Jewish William Shatner, regularly kisses characters of other specie and race.

2 comments:

LB said...

The term "neoconservative" has been ridiculously overused, and misused over the past few years - especially since March 2003.

Much too often, the term has been used pejoratively to refer to anyone on the "other" side of his aisle.

I'm glad to see you did not do the same. Truth and preciseness is important - "neoconservatism" is much more nuanced than the general term "Right." And as you implied, most true neoconservatives are probably opposed to much, if not most, of what "the Right" believes.

Michael W. said...

A neoconservative friend of mine (I'm just liberal), who calls himself that proudly, says that neoconservatives are usually socially liberal, but interventionist in foreign policy. Pat Buchanan is isolationist, and he's an ideal conservative. Bush isn't neoconservative because he's not socially liberal. I think neoconservatives are of the left in regards to economic policy.