Far-Right Fantasy

<p><em>Far-Right Fantasy</em> is a straight-forward jargon-free study of contemporary American right-wing extremism. Accessible to both professional and lay audiences it allows activists to speak for themselves in their own words. It takes the self-announced religious motivations of extremists seriously and illustrates this by citing numerous cases of radical politics. The book addresses the strengths and weaknesses of the standard psycho-social-cultural explanations of far-right activism. It shows how extremists are similar educationally and psychologically to their more conventional neighbors; that they get into the movement in the same way that others become peace activists or radical environmentalists namely through their ties with fellow workers and church-goers family members and classmates; and that their views are given a patina of certainty by being repeatedly corroborated within closed non-contaminated communication systems. The book avoids being preachy or judgmental but it does try to challenge readers morally by submitting far-right fantasy to a formal ideology critique. It does this by showing how the reforms it recommends – a marketplace free of regulation draconian immigration restrictions; an end to the federal reserve bank and the income tax; a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution; anti-union right to work laws and a return to debt slavery; the privatization of schools the post office and the commons and so on – contradict its ostensible goal which is to protect and enhance middle class interests. <i>Far-Right Fantasy</i> is suitable for adoption as a supplemental text in political psychology and sociology sociologies of religion and knowledge collective behavior and American political history. </p>