Aquarian
Member
- Oct 16, 2003
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I can't believe I'm cross posting from yahoo... but wanted to see responses to this not from the yahooligans...
Edit: This is not my post below, I just found it on yahoo. Just to be clear.
Original message
Re: Scary
by: jananda00
American Teeters Towards Facism
The American Heritage Dictionary (Houghton Mifflin Company, 1983) left us this definition of the form of government the German democracy had become through Hitler's close alliance with the largest German corporations and his policy of using war as a tool to keep power:
"fas-cism (fbsh'iz'em) n. A system of government that exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with belligerent nationalism."
Here are a few other points that illustrate the trend.
1) Fascism has learned from democracy the value of popular support for national policies, and it seeks to manufacture popular consent by a mixture of propaganda and intimidation. For this purpose the existence and use of modern mass media is essential.
2) Fascism thrives best as a system of permanent mobilization for war. ["We will not see the end of the War on Terrorism in our lifetime." (Cheney) ]
3) Fascism appeals to emotion rather than reason, fanaticism rather than skepticism; and requires the systematic discrediting and undermining (through propaganda and intimidation) of skeptical or rational thought about its goals and methods. [We see this vividly demonstrated on these boards.]
4) In addition to an external enemy, identification of the enemy within is also helpful in achieving the intimidation of dissent. There is no middle ground, no area given for discussion or inquiry or negotiation. Polarization of discussion into Black and White points of view is the method, with the goal of undermining all dissent and scapegoating dissenters. ["You are either with us or against us." (Bush)]
5) The fascist state is necessarily totalitarian, invalidating all competing values or social associations besides itself. By contrast, the democratic state is pluralistic: recognizing the fact that in a free society the loyalty of the individual to the state may often conflict with loyalties to family, church, or ones own conscience. The success of fascism requires the fusing and blurring of all these interests into the identification of the individual with the leader and the state.
6) The fascist acceptance of inherent inequality and exploitation naturally results in the theory and practice of government by an elite: some men are born to rule, others to obey. ["I'm the commander -- see, I don't need to explain -- I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being the president. Maybe somebody needs to explain to me why they say something, but I don't feel like I owe anybody an explanation." (Bush)]
7) Relying on authority and obedience, fascism attracts not only those who want to command, but also those who want to obey. In every society there are those who would rather follow and obey than think for themselves and assume responsibilities. The unwillingness to undertake the direct responsibilities for political outcomes required for the health of democracy is one of the chief psychological conditions necessary for the spread of fascism.
8) The tendency of fascism is to empower the rich and the powerful to become richer and more powerful at the expense of the poor and the powerless.
9) Economically, the interests of fascism are fused with the interests of corporations [as in the US by the selection of Bush's cabinet, the staffing of regulatory administration with those who were previously corporate lobbyists, and source of contributions].
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0316-08.htm
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a367e89fb33c6.htm
Imho the most important of these characteristics is #7. Fascism cannot occur without the consent and participation of the members of the society. We have all often wondered how such a fate could
Posted as a reply to: Msg 1 by sylentlaughter
Edit: This is not my post below, I just found it on yahoo. Just to be clear.
Original message
Re: Scary
by: jananda00
American Teeters Towards Facism
The American Heritage Dictionary (Houghton Mifflin Company, 1983) left us this definition of the form of government the German democracy had become through Hitler's close alliance with the largest German corporations and his policy of using war as a tool to keep power:
"fas-cism (fbsh'iz'em) n. A system of government that exercises a dictatorship of the extreme right, typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with belligerent nationalism."
Here are a few other points that illustrate the trend.
1) Fascism has learned from democracy the value of popular support for national policies, and it seeks to manufacture popular consent by a mixture of propaganda and intimidation. For this purpose the existence and use of modern mass media is essential.
2) Fascism thrives best as a system of permanent mobilization for war. ["We will not see the end of the War on Terrorism in our lifetime." (Cheney) ]
3) Fascism appeals to emotion rather than reason, fanaticism rather than skepticism; and requires the systematic discrediting and undermining (through propaganda and intimidation) of skeptical or rational thought about its goals and methods. [We see this vividly demonstrated on these boards.]
4) In addition to an external enemy, identification of the enemy within is also helpful in achieving the intimidation of dissent. There is no middle ground, no area given for discussion or inquiry or negotiation. Polarization of discussion into Black and White points of view is the method, with the goal of undermining all dissent and scapegoating dissenters. ["You are either with us or against us." (Bush)]
5) The fascist state is necessarily totalitarian, invalidating all competing values or social associations besides itself. By contrast, the democratic state is pluralistic: recognizing the fact that in a free society the loyalty of the individual to the state may often conflict with loyalties to family, church, or ones own conscience. The success of fascism requires the fusing and blurring of all these interests into the identification of the individual with the leader and the state.
6) The fascist acceptance of inherent inequality and exploitation naturally results in the theory and practice of government by an elite: some men are born to rule, others to obey. ["I'm the commander -- see, I don't need to explain -- I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being the president. Maybe somebody needs to explain to me why they say something, but I don't feel like I owe anybody an explanation." (Bush)]
7) Relying on authority and obedience, fascism attracts not only those who want to command, but also those who want to obey. In every society there are those who would rather follow and obey than think for themselves and assume responsibilities. The unwillingness to undertake the direct responsibilities for political outcomes required for the health of democracy is one of the chief psychological conditions necessary for the spread of fascism.
8) The tendency of fascism is to empower the rich and the powerful to become richer and more powerful at the expense of the poor and the powerless.
9) Economically, the interests of fascism are fused with the interests of corporations [as in the US by the selection of Bush's cabinet, the staffing of regulatory administration with those who were previously corporate lobbyists, and source of contributions].
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0316-08.htm
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a367e89fb33c6.htm
Imho the most important of these characteristics is #7. Fascism cannot occur without the consent and participation of the members of the society. We have all often wondered how such a fate could
Posted as a reply to: Msg 1 by sylentlaughter