is America Becoming Fascist?

[kalian]

http://empirewatch.org/pages/_archives/fascism/pages/America_Becoming.html

Is America becoming fascist? Since mainstream media refuse to seriously ask this question, the analysis of where we are heading and what has gone wrong has been mostly off-base. Investigation of the kinds of underhanded, criminal tactics fascist regimes undertake to legitimize their agenda and accelerate the rate of change in their favor is dismissed as indulging in “conspiracy theory.” If the f-word is uttered, observers are quick to note the obvious dissimilarities with previous variants of fascism. American writers dare not speak the truth.

The blinkered assertion that we are immune to the fascist virus ignores degrees of convergence and distinction based on the individual patient’s history. The New York Times and other liberal voices have been obsessed in recent years with the rise of minority fascist parties in the Netherlands, France and other European countries. They have questioned the tastefulness of new books and films about Hitler, and again demonized the icons of Nazism. Max Frankel, former editor of the Times, quotes from biographer Joachim Fest in his review of Speer:

snip...

A) the Fascist Negations:
• anti-Liberalism
• anti-Communism
• anti-Conservatism

(B) Ideology & Goals:
• Creation of a New Nationalist Authoritarian State.
• Organization of a New Kind of Regulated, Multi-Class, Integrated National Economic Structure.
• the Goal of Empire.
• Specific Espousal of an Idealist, Voluntarist Creed.

(C) Style & Organization:
• Emphasis on Aesthetic Structure, Stressing Romantic & Mystical Aspects.
• Attempted Mass Mobilization with Militarization of Political Relationships & Style, and the Goal of a Mass Party Militia.
• Positive Evaluation and Use of Violence.
• Extreme Stress on the Masculine Principle.
• Exaltation of Youth.
• Specific Tendency Toward an Authoritarian, Charismatic, Personal Style of Command.

...more...

:wow:

[LittleApple81]

1. Becoming... I think we are more advanced than that.And the MEDIA

has a lot to do with it.

[Ekova]

2. That's a site

that will be on a watch list for sure. I hope we're all careful when discussing it's contents. (Not in terms of censoring ourselves, just understanding of it's motives).

[kalian]

5. What motives?

:shrug:

Dissenting? Hmmm...last I heard, we're still "free"...I guess.

[Ekova]

7. Absolutely,

He boldly comes out in favour of armed resistance against the coalition, Anti-Israel, etc. It's just that I have no doubt, considering all we've learned about this administration that they would charge him under some obscure Patriot Act/Homeland Security law if he starts to say too much.

Considering that, so-called "sympathizers" might be targeted as well. I agree with you 100%, but we've seen how Junior will circumnavigate law, Geneva Conventions, etc.

I'm not saying that it's right or wrong to agree or disagree with him, just that the words could be picked up by people that will abuse it. Imagine the right publicly connecting DU with a site that blatantly promotes armed resistance to American troops.

Just voicing a concern. I understand that I may be acting paranoid - I'll let you guys make that call.


E.

[skooooo]

3. yup, but i think we will turn it around...

[xchrom]

4. indeed yes!

but we need a comprehensive conversation about how corporate fascism differs from uber-nationalism.
because it does. part of the difference lies in dis empowering the populace{i.e. apathy}
there are others -- but i am not eloquent.
and i only say this because it's important to recognize the landscape you are living in.

[belle]

9. Right. You don't need goosestepping or camps or even overt racism

for it to be fascism.

I think things are getting really creepy, or have been, let's put it that way. On the other hand, I'm encouraged at the strength and depth of the backlash. Maybe there really are "two Americas." I've been interested in this for a while. But I don't expect things to play out exactly the way they did in Nazi Germany, no.

Ultimately I worry more about the rise of the Christian theocrats than I do the neocons or the corporations, although obviously they all tie in together at a number of points. But I do think if things ever get really really terrible--as in we wouldn't even be able to have this discussion terrible--it won't be from this administration, even if they do somehow get in again (or if it did, it wouldn't last, I don't think--it'd be chaos) it'll be from some other faction, some more overtly religious and reactionary faction, later down the line. I hope it doesn't happen, obviously! We need to make sure it doesn't by laying solid groundwork; dumping Bush is not enough. Bush is bad in his own right, but he's also a warning, as far as I'm concerned.

[NewHampshireDem]

6. A Good Point Lost in A Poor Presentation

I was greatly disturbed by their homepage, which shows a montage of photo showing US soldiers wounded and on fire, with text reading "long live the Iraqi Resistance." At best, that is extremely bad taste, at worst it is treasonous. I'm not arguing one or the other, but I myself cannot support a site that advocates killing US service men.

[Chicago Democrat]

8. No doubt Neo Cons are "fascist" in the classic sense.

Our jails are certainly like concentration camps.... We execute people.... But it's not as bad as Nazi Germany in certain overt respects. Not yet...

The recent registration and round up of Arabs combined with the "drug 'war'" resemble early Nazi efforts against the Jews in Germany. The Holocoast was a very slow gradual process and gradual erosion of rights starting with property and political rights. Ending by making whole classes of people outlaw. (hmmm drug addicts, and illegal aliens come to mind)

Propaganda is another area practically invented by the Naziss. In this area, the Neo Con have almost exceeded the Nazis in their brazeness and their lies. Our Neo Cons like to kill, but it hasn't come to wholesale killing of their American enemies, yet. We still have a relatively free press, its just all being taken over by Neo Cons... and rebel "underground" press springs up all over.

So yes, but its a distinctly 21st century version of fascism and anytime you even use the word about 2/3rds of everyone still rolls thier eyes and basically thinks you are nuts. So don't call Bush a fascist. He's a liar. He's a bully. He's incompetant. He's is against the common man. That's how we can win people over.

[Jim__]

10. We are lacking Der Fuhrer

In Germany, Adolph Hitler was a passionate leader of the Nazis, similarly, in Italy, Mussolini was a passionate leader of the fascists. I don't believe we have any such leader on the right in this country. Bush is an empty suit. I believe fascism requires a strong leader. Fascism is nationalistic, and all the wishes of th enation become embodied in the strong leader. I don't see that here. There is a strong current of militarism and nationalism; but I don't think all the ingredients are there yet for fascism to develop in this country.

There is a pretty detailed discussion of the potential for fascism in America here, check out Rush, Newspeak and Fascism: An Exegesis.

[ixion]

11. Ray-gun heralded the start of facism in america

and we've been sliding down a slippery slope ever since. This country IS becoming more and more facist by the day. I really hope we're able to reverse that.

[Aidoneus]

12. interesting article & site

thanks kalian. :hi: