Armed Propganda

In the 60's and 70's various left wing terror groups used to speak of 'armed propaganda.'

No one seems to remember the idea, but it does seem to work.

What sparked this thought on my part was an article on the aftermath of the Norwegian mass shooting of last year (Norway after Breivik: Populists Gain Lost Ground - SPIEGEL ONLINE), and one comment in particular:

Oslo-based historian Einhart Lorenz, who studies right-wing populism in Norway, has been astounded by the gains the party [the right-wing populist Progress Party (FrP)] is starting to show again. "Even if there is no direct responsibility, there is at least an association between the xenophobic atmosphere that the FrP has created and July 22," Lorenz says.

When one remembers the surge in the militia movement's profile following the Oklahoma City Bombing, or the effect of the implied violence by the Tea party in 2009, (or for that matter the rise in prestige of a minor Bavarian party or an unstable Venezuelan colonel following failed putchs ) I don't see how this can be a surprise.

Armed propaganda, particularly on the right, work.  Perhaps it is because all the rest of us do is wring our hands, and be fair. There are necks need wringing.