One Step Forward -- like, Seven Steps Backward

i've been thinking mucho about horkeimer and adorno.

i've been re-reading the dialectic of enlightenment and it informs the current moment with -- dare i say it -- mucho gravitas.

no really -- the basic premise is that as the dominant culture of any society progresses in terms of economics, social advancement, and culture, there is a reactionary segment that revolts against this progress and seeks to revert to the old order.

it's a timeless argument, one that these two members of the frankfurt school formulated while living and working near disney world.

apropos, yes?

what else, though, explains the rise of the right-wing? i think this cycle of reactionary conservatism was to be expected, and now, as people begin to step back and regain a sense of rationality, we'll move back to an enlightened state.

that's the hope, anyway.