What is fascism?
Politics is a field where terminology tends to obsfuscate more than illuminate.
Most "Liberals" want to conserve the Welfare State while most "Conservatives" want to liberalize it through private enterprise. We have "pro-lifers" supporting the death penalty, "pro-choicers" wanting mandatory taxpayer funding of abortions, "peace activists" using violence against the military, and on and on.
In politics, clarity is far less important than electoral advantage. To a marketer like myself, this is simply described as "branding." Polls say that conservatism is heartless? Call it "compassionate conservatism." Does "liberal" sound wimpy? Call yourself a "progressive" or call for a "third way."
The terminology really gets loose when smearing your opponents. As a lifelong conservative, I've constantly been called names such as racist, sexist, etc. Just the behavior you'd expect from a bunch of commie pinko hippies...
But perhaps the most consistent, yet bizarre, label hurled at conservatives is "fascist."
- Want to reduce governmental power? You're a fascist! (Even though fascists want the opposite.)
- Want to end government-led social engineering? Fascist! (Even though social engineering was one of fascism's central planks.)
- Pro-Life? Fascist! (Yet the Fascists enthused about eugenics, sterilization and abortion.)
Time and again, conservatives are labeled fascist, even when explicitly arguing the anti-fascist position. At this point in my life, I'm just thankful if my opponent can spell the term correctly. (Don't forget that first "s," Che-boy!)
For a thorough, clearly written and well-researched explanation of fascism, read and re-read Jonah Goldberg's book Liberal Fascism. If you spend any time in the conservative blogosphere, you have heard this tome mentioned time and time again. That's for a very good reason: it's a remarkable work that will be discussed for years to come.
Goldberg presents his treasure trove of research proving that fascism is an ideology of the left, not the right. Although it is an entertaining read, he studiously avoids the glibness, cheap shots and strawmen that permeate the political best-seller lists. This isn't another lame partisan attack, but warns every politically minded person to be aware of the fascist tendency that can creep into any modern political movement, from the Cult of Obama to "big government conservatism".
By the way, here is Goldberg’s definition: “Fascism is a religion of the state. It assumes the organic unity of the body politic and longs for a national leader attuned to the will of the people. It is totalitarian in that it views everything as political and holds that any action by the state is justified to achieve the common good. It takes responsibility for all aspects of life, including our health and well-being, and seeks to impose uniformity of thought and action, whether by force or through regulation and social pressure. Everything, including the economy and religion, must be aligned with its objectives. Any rival identity is part of the ‘problem’ and therefore defined as the enemy.”
UPDATE: A link from the man himself. Thanks! Read Jonah's book-related NRO blog for his continuing discussion with readers, critics and reviewers
Also, be sure to listen to our good friend John McJunkin's interview with Jonah about the book.
Most "Liberals" want to conserve the Welfare State while most "Conservatives" want to liberalize it through private enterprise. We have "pro-lifers" supporting the death penalty, "pro-choicers" wanting mandatory taxpayer funding of abortions, "peace activists" using violence against the military, and on and on.
In politics, clarity is far less important than electoral advantage. To a marketer like myself, this is simply described as "branding." Polls say that conservatism is heartless? Call it "compassionate conservatism." Does "liberal" sound wimpy? Call yourself a "progressive" or call for a "third way."
The terminology really gets loose when smearing your opponents. As a lifelong conservative, I've constantly been called names such as racist, sexist, etc. Just the behavior you'd expect from a bunch of commie pinko hippies...
But perhaps the most consistent, yet bizarre, label hurled at conservatives is "fascist."
- Want to reduce governmental power? You're a fascist! (Even though fascists want the opposite.)
- Want to end government-led social engineering? Fascist! (Even though social engineering was one of fascism's central planks.)
- Pro-Life? Fascist! (Yet the Fascists enthused about eugenics, sterilization and abortion.)
Time and again, conservatives are labeled fascist, even when explicitly arguing the anti-fascist position. At this point in my life, I'm just thankful if my opponent can spell the term correctly. (Don't forget that first "s," Che-boy!)
For a thorough, clearly written and well-researched explanation of fascism, read and re-read Jonah Goldberg's book Liberal Fascism. If you spend any time in the conservative blogosphere, you have heard this tome mentioned time and time again. That's for a very good reason: it's a remarkable work that will be discussed for years to come.
Goldberg presents his treasure trove of research proving that fascism is an ideology of the left, not the right. Although it is an entertaining read, he studiously avoids the glibness, cheap shots and strawmen that permeate the political best-seller lists. This isn't another lame partisan attack, but warns every politically minded person to be aware of the fascist tendency that can creep into any modern political movement, from the Cult of Obama to "big government conservatism".
By the way, here is Goldberg’s definition: “Fascism is a religion of the state. It assumes the organic unity of the body politic and longs for a national leader attuned to the will of the people. It is totalitarian in that it views everything as political and holds that any action by the state is justified to achieve the common good. It takes responsibility for all aspects of life, including our health and well-being, and seeks to impose uniformity of thought and action, whether by force or through regulation and social pressure. Everything, including the economy and religion, must be aligned with its objectives. Any rival identity is part of the ‘problem’ and therefore defined as the enemy.”
UPDATE: A link from the man himself. Thanks! Read Jonah's book-related NRO blog for his continuing discussion with readers, critics and reviewers
Also, be sure to listen to our good friend John McJunkin's interview with Jonah about the book.
My brilliant and dashing husband had the pleasure of interviewing Jonah when his book was first released. You can listen to it here: http://voiceoflibertypodcast.com/2008/01/21/an-interview-with-jonah-goldberg.aspx
The book is an eye-opener on American history and will make you think.
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Yep, you guys have done a heck of a job arguing that government should be less powerful. In fact, you want it so weak that it can lock up whomever the president wants without a warrant, tell two adults how they can act in their bedrooms, limit the ability of spouses to make end-of-life decisions (decisions which even the Catholic Church allow), allow a single man to rewrite laws as he signs them, violate direct and clear laws regarding wiretapping and even torture. Hell, I'm a liberal and I want it smaller.
As for your other two examples, they're obvious red herrings. Only paranoids believe there's some sort of government social engineering plot and no one says someone's a fascist simply because they're pro-life. Really. No one does that.
Fascism was about authority and nationalism, which should be familiar to those of you who scream "traitor" whenever someone questions the president. For example, Limbaugh saying that Daschle had "chosen to align himself with the axis of evil" for questioning Bush's chest-thumping rhetoric (which even Bush now regrets). There are many other facets of the philosophy, but it pretty much boils down to a worship of power and country over decency.
I'm not saying those of you on the right are a bunch of fascists. I'm saying you're wannabe fascists.
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No, you're just assuming that all conservative are ok with everything that Bush and Limbaugh do and say. And you haven't read our blog much, either.
I can't remember the last time I listened to Limbaugh (search this blog for any references to him just to make sure of that), I'm not down with the Defense of Marriage Act, (again, search for yourself) and I'm totally OK with a President having the power to gather intelligence on our enemies overseas in a time of war (google "Bletchley Park" for more). And when did fascism as authority and nationalism really begin in the U.S.? Your comments lead me to believe you're not too familiar with the NRA, CCC and other FDR programs; maybe brushing up on your history would be a good place for you to start to learn about what is and is not fascist in America.
We here at Exurbanleague come for a wide variety of political backgrounds, but agree on one thing: The U.S. is better off with less polemics in our political discussion, no matter from the right or left. For someone who says they don't like conservatives because we rely on stereotypes and red herrings, you certainly seem willing to tar your opponents with a rather large brush.
But then again, fascism is all about making sure your side of the story is the only one told. The trains, they run on time, because the papers, they say so.
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Nitpicker, if you want a smaller government, you are neither a fascist, nor a "wannabe fascist." Since you chose to namecall, I fear I was not clear enough in my original post.
You are conflating conservatism with George W. Bush. Sadly, the two don't seem to know each other very well. As I said above, both political parties now support a massive government -- at least while they are the ones controlling it. That is why I warned that the fascist temptation afflicts both the right and the left.
Any political movement which considers itself immune to that impulse is dangerously deluded.
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Fascism!. That word was coined by Benito Mussolini, dictator of Italy (1921-1943) and his point of references were the fasces (a bundle of birch rods tied together with a red ribbon forming a cylinder around an ax, symbol of Roman magistrates’ authority) when he intended to start a new Roman Empire.
What is Fascism? Fascism is an exclusive, secular, authoritarian and racist (not necessarily anti-Semitic, in fact right up to 1937 Fascist Italy was considered philo-Semitic) system. .
The principle elements of Fascist ideology are laid out in the Manifesto of the Fascist Struggle were as follows:
1- Nationalism;
2- Economic centralization with progressive taxation;
3- Subordination of Church to State;
4- Expansionist militarism; and
5- Political equality for women.
E. David Litvak
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Wow. It seems that nitpicker (for starters) hasn't read Jonah's excellent and extensively researched book.
It's worth reading, which I did when it first hit the book stores -- and the cult of Obama was beginning its ascent. I'll have to take Jon's advice and read it again.
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You have to remember that labels are of utmost importance to progressives. Just because you have an "R" next to your name, must mean that you support everything an R politician does. Just as they support anything that a D does, or complain about anything a R does even when he/she is doing what a D was doing yesterday.
You'll also notice they are incapable of understanding the difference between ideal and party. You'll notice that while many, MANY conservative sites will have "RINO" sections, it's near impossible to find a DINO section on any liberal site. (did you hear them complain about Liberman before he changed his label?) Until they overcome this flaw, discussions will generally be impossible.
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I dunno, the DU does have a Gun Forum, with a surprising amount of pro-2nd Amendment postings.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=118
With an unsurprising amount of people trying to quash their right to keep and bear arms, of course.
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There is bad news about George Herbert Walker Bush.
What if basically all racial-minority people would subscribe to the interpretations that George Herbert Walker Bush committed monstrous, racist, hate crimes while he was the President of the United States?
It will eventually come out: it is only a matter of time.
Respectfully Submitted by Andrew Yu-Jen Wang, J.D. Candidate
B.S., With the Highest Level of Academic Honors at Graduation, 1996
Messiah College, Grantham, PA
Lower Merion High School, Ardmore, PA, 1993
(I can type 90 words per minute, and there are thousands of copies on the Internet indicating the content of this post. And there are at least hundreds of copies in very many countries around the world.)
_________________
“If only it were possible to ban invention that bottled up memories so they never got stale and faded.” Off the top of my head—it came from my Lower Merion High School yearbook.
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Hi everyone. Over the years your bodies become walking autobiographies, telling friends and strangers alike of the minor and major stresses of your lives.
I am from Finland and bad know English, please tell me right I wrote the following sentence: "Choose from our low fares the one that best suits you travel budget."
:o Thanks in advance. Kyne.
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