From a reader picking up on the conversation about guilt in the Corner (start at 8:31 and scroll up):
Since liberals acknowledge no fixed moral standards of society, are they capable of feeling guilt? Isn’t it “shame” rather than “guilt” which the liberals are attempting to exploit, shame for supposed transgressions of liberal ideological positions?
guilt An emotional state produced by the knowledge that one has violated moral standards. Most authorities recognize an emotional state as guilt only when the individual has internalized the moral standards of the society; thus it is distinguished from simple fear of punishment from external sources – guilt is, in a sense, a self-administered punishment. Distinguish from “shame,” where knowledge of the transgression by others is part of the concept.
shame An emotional state produced by the awareness that one has acted dishonorably or ridiculously. The term is usually reserved for situations in which one’s actions are publicly known or exposed to real or potential ridicule. Distinguish from “guilt.”
[Arthur S. Reber, The Penguin Dictionary of Psychology (New York: Penguin Books, 1983), pp. 313 and 693]
It would be fascinating to explore the parallels of the ideology of liberal fascism to those of Continental fascism. For instance, in his Hitler’s Social Revolution (Norton edition, 1980), David Shoenbaum noted, “Thus Nazi social theory denied equality while at the same time asserting it.” Do not American Progressives do about the same thing?