Does Anyone Here Know What Fascism Really Is?

Awesome blog.

Thank you for writing this. It needed to be said, and couldn't have been any better.

To the left, a 'fascist' is anyone who suggests that universal healthcare and communism/socialism are not the only way to succeed.

To the left, a 'fascist' is anyone who suggests that lower taxes and national security are more effective than high taxes and politically correctness.

And it is this same left that had a stranglehold on education. So, our new grads are being taught this same thing, this time as fact, instead of misplaced and irrational opinion.

The Patriot Act is in no way fascist whatsoever. Nor is the report leaked in 2004 by the DOJ saying that when America goes to war, they are above the Geneva Convention and the Nuremburg trials, that isn't fascist at all. Fascism can happen fast or slow, it is taking its time in America, it slowly happened in Rome and America is like Rome in many ways.

Just because someone calls the American government fascist and happens to be a teenager doesn't mean they're stupid or ignorant. But that's how the world works, doesn't it.

ahh man, what was that little snippet on the Pope in there for? Besides that, you have a good and honest post.

Good post. I'm sick and tired of people regurgitating what they have been force fed, even though they know nothing else about the topic. Your blog really shows how different the liberal perception of fascism is compared to the real thing.

"A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you have." - Barry Goldwater
"... the ostensible means [diversity] of acheiving a desired end had become the end itself." - Clarence Thomas

Nazism and fascism are slightly different. Fascism is about the people working for the good of the state. Nazism is about the government taking charge of private industry to work for the state, while simultaneously attempting to create a nation based on a specific cultural identity.

If you're arguing that the US isn't a Nazi state, I agree there, but I do believe that it is certainly leaning towards fascism. In my eyes, Soviet Russia was a fascist state if that helps clarify anything,

--Mike

Check out the ProgU News Feed:
http://www.progressiveu.org/news

Keep an eye out for the new FAQ and Topic of the Week, coming this fall!

I'm really glad to see this blog, I think our youth is being force fed this Idea of America being somewhat fascist.

I think popular culture is what's wrong with this country today, not president Bush but the media misrepresenting things when it comes to our government.

Besides that I would gladly give up the privacy of my phone calls for life and freedom, I have nothing to hide.

I read your blog and by the end of it, I still really did not understand the term fascism. I only learned what I already knew which was that Nazi Germany was fascist and the United States is not and that fascim is bad. For those looking for a definition, here is a good discussion of fascism:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism

It turns out that there is no precise definition. Consider this statement from the Wikipedia article:

"Various scholars attribute different characteristics to fascism, but the following elements are usually seen as its integral parts: nationalism, statism, militarism, totalitarianism, anti-communism, corporatism, populism, collectivism, and opposition to economic and political liberalism."

How can you use anti-communism and collectivism in the same definition? Or corporatism and populism? The two sets of terms are not polar opposites but they are very close.

Fascism is one of those terms that nobody can really agree what it means but everybody agrees is very negative. Its primary usefulness therefore is as an insult to smear an opposing opinion. I for example believe strongly that we should control our borders and sharply step up deportations of illegal aliens. When the people who oppose this point of view realize that they have no legal or decent economic and only weak moral arguments on their side of the debate, they usually resort to name calling. Fascist is one of their favorite smears. I just kind of let this stuff roll off my shoulders; you need to make some allowances for the weak minded who are incapable of rational argument.

"Now does anyone here in America have a government-imposed stamp on their birth certificate that indicates their ethnicity?"

Yes I do, for both of my parents there is a field for race. The government also qualifies, or disqualifies me for benefits based on this field.
---
"Has anyone here been forced to go off and fight in Iraq or Afghanistan? Is there even a draft right now?"

At any moment that might change. If even half the threat Germany faced in the mid forties faced America we would all be considered for conscription into military service, and imprisoned if we refused.
---
The funny thing here is that these are all just words made up to use in rhetoric by people competing for power. Communist, Socialist and Fascist were ALL terms which when invented were intended to be positive descriptions for political movements. NAZI in fact is Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (National Socialist German Workers Party).

Now as then the people that ONLY WANT POWER will tell you any lie they think you want to believe.

The most positive development since the days of Nazi Germany is the internet. Knowledge is power, and it will be harder to deceive people from now on. It does not seem to have had much positive effect yet, but things take time.

"Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much."
Oscar Wilde

Like others have said, fascism and Nazism are different. Although they may share some core values, I think that those who call our government fascists are looking at a general definition, without historical context.

How come we only ask ourselves the really big questions when something bad happens?

nazism was a form of facism, just as catholicism is a branch of christianity. you are basically talking about one form of facism and painting it as a representation of facism. that is like saying that only catholic are christians without acknowledging that lutherans and prostantant exist.

to me facism is this:

http://www.infowars.com/articles/us/14_characteristics_of_facism.htm

http://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/fasci14chars.html

1. Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism. From the prominent displays of flags and bunting to the ubiquitous lapel pins, the fervor to show patriotic nationalism, both on the part of the regime itself and of citizens caught up in its frenzy, was always obvious. Catchy slogans, pride in the military, and demands for unity were common themes in expressing this nationalism. It was usually coupled with a suspicion of things foreign that often bordered on xenophobia.

2. Disdain for the importance of human rights. The regimes themselves viewed human rights as of little value and a hindrance to realizing the objectives of the ruling elite. Through clever use of propaganda, the population was brought to accept these human rights abuses by marginalizing, even demonizing, those being targeted. When abuse was egregious, the tactic was to use secrecy, denial, and disinformation.

3. Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause. The most significant common thread among these regimes was the use of scapegoating as a means to divert the people’s attention from other problems, to shift blame for failures, and to channel frustration in controlled directions. The methods of choice—relentless propaganda and disinformation—were usually effective. Often the regimes would incite “spontaneous” acts against the target scapegoats, usually communists, socialists, liberals, Jews, ethnic and racial minorities, traditional national enemies, members of other religions, secularists, homosexuals, and “terrorists.” Active opponents of these regimes were inevitably labeled as terrorists and dealt with accordingly.

4. The supremacy of the military/avid militarism. Ruling elites always identified closely with the military and the industrial infrastructure that supported it. A disproportionate share of national resources was allocated to the military, even when domestic needs were acute. The military was seen as an expression of nationalism, and was used whenever possible to assert national goals, intimidate other nations, and increase the power and prestige of the ruling elite.

5. Rampant sexism. Beyond the simple fact that the political elite and the national culture were male-dominated, these regimes inevitably viewed women as second-class citizens. They were adamantly anti-abortion and also homophobic. These attitudes were usually codified in Draconian laws that enjoyed strong support by the orthodox religion of the country, thus lending the regime cover for its abuses.

6. A controlled mass media. Under some of the regimes, the mass media were under strict direct control and could be relied upon never to stray from the party line. Other regimes exercised more subtle power to ensure media orthodoxy. Methods included the control of licensing and access to resources, economic pressure, appeals to patriotism, and implied threats. The leaders of the mass media were often politically compatible with the power elite. The result was usually success in keeping the general public unaware of the regimes’ excesses.

7. Obsession with national security. Inevitably, a national security apparatus was under direct control of the ruling elite. It was usually an instrument of oppression, operating in secret and beyond any constraints. Its actions were justified under the rubric of protecting “national security,” and questioning its activities was portrayed as unpatriotic or even treasonous.

8. Religion and ruling elite tied together. Unlike communist regimes, the fascist and protofascist regimes were never proclaimed as godless by their opponents. In fact, most of the regimes attached themselves to the predominant religion of the country and chose to portray themselves as militant defenders of that religion. The fact that the ruling elite’s behavior was incompatible with the precepts of the religion was generally swept under the rug. Propaganda kept up the illusion that the ruling elites were defenders of the faith and opponents of the “godless.” A perception was manufactured that opposing the power elite was tantamount to an attack on religion.

9. Power of corporations protected. Although the personal life of ordinary citizens was under strict control, the ability of large corporations to operate in relative freedom was not compromised. The ruling elite saw the corporate structure as a way to not only ensure military production (in developed states), but also as an additional means of social control. Members of the economic elite were often pampered by the political elite to ensure a continued mutuality of interests, especially in the repression of “have-not” citizens.

10. Power of labor suppressed or eliminated. Since organized labor was seen as the one power center that could challenge the political hegemony of the ruling elite and its corporate allies, it was inevitably crushed or made powerless. The poor formed an underclass, viewed with suspicion or outright contempt. Under some regimes, being poor was considered akin to a vice.

11. Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts. Intellectuals and the inherent freedom of ideas and expression associated with them were anathema to these regimes. Intellectual and academic freedom were considered subversive to national security and the patriotic ideal. Universities were tightly controlled; politically unreliable faculty harassed or eliminated. Unorthodox ideas or expressions of dissent were strongly attacked, silenced, or crushed. To these regimes, art and literature should serve the national interest or they had no right to exist.

12. Obsession with crime and punishment. Most of these regimes maintained Draconian systems of criminal justice with huge prison populations. The police were often glorified and had almost unchecked power, leading to rampant abuse. “Normal” and political crime were often merged into trumped-up criminal charges and sometimes used against political opponents of the regime. Fear, and hatred, of criminals or “traitors” was often promoted among the population as an excuse for more police power.

13. Rampant cronyism and corruption. Those in business circles and close to the power elite often used their position to enrich themselves. This corruption worked both ways; the power elite would receive financial gifts and property from the economic elite, who in turn would gain the benefit of government favoritism. Members of the power elite were in a position to obtain vast wealth from other sources as well: for example, by stealing national resources. With the national security apparatus under control and the media muzzled, this corruption was largely unconstrained and not well understood by the general population.

14. Fraudulent elections. Elections in the form of plebiscites or public opinion polls were usually bogus. When actual elections with candidates were held, they would usually be perverted by the power elite to get the desired result. Common methods included maintaining control of the election machinery, intimidating and disenfranchising opposition voters, destroying or disallowing legal votes, and, as a last resort, turning to a judiciary beholden to the power elite.

Does any of this ring alarm bells? Of course not. After all, this is America, officially a democracy with the rule of law, a constitution, a free press, honest elections, and a well-informed public constantly being put on guard against evils. Historical comparisons like these are just exercises in verbal gymnastics. Maybe, maybe not.

very funny indeed