Fascism
The following are common aspects of fascism and yet which country do they appear to describe?
1. Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism. From theprominent displays of flags and bunting to the ubiquitous lapel pins, the fervor to show patriotic nationalism, both on the part of the regimeitself 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 asuspicion of things foreign that often bordered on xenophobia;2. Disdain for the importance of human rights. The regimes themselvesviewed human rights as of little value and a hindrance to realizing theobjectives of the ruling elite. Through clever use of propaganda, thepopulation was brought to accept these human rights abuses bymarginalizing, even demonizing, those being targeted. When abuse wasegregious, the tactic was to use secrecy, denial, and disinformation;3. Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause. The mostsignificant 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” actsagainst the target scapegoats, usually communists, socialists, liberals, Jews, ethnic and racial minorities, traditional national enemies, members of other religions, secularists, homosexuals, and “terrorists.” Activeopponents of these regimes were inevitably labeled as terrorists anddealt with accordingly;4. The supremacy of the military/avid militarism. Ruling elites always identified closely with the military and the industrial infrastructurethat supported it. A disproportionate share of national resources wasallocated to the military, even when domestic needs were acute. Themilitary 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 andalso 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 mediawere 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 generalpublic unaware of the regimes’ excesses;7. Obsession with national security. Inevitably, a national securityapparatus was under direct control of the ruling elite. It was usuallyan instrument of oppression, operating in secret and beyond anyconstraints. Its actions were justified under the rubric of protecting“national security,” and questioning its activities was portrayed asunpatriotic 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 asmilitant defenders of that religion. The fact that the ruling elite’sbehavior was incompatible with the precepts of the religion was generally swept under the rug. Propaganda kept up the illusion that the rulingelites were defenders of the faith and opponents of the “godless.” Aperception was manufactured that opposing the power elite was tantamount to an attack on religion;9. Power of corporations protected. Although the personal life ofordinary citizens was under strict control, the ability of largecorporations to operate in relative freedom was not compromised. Theruling elite saw the corporate structure as a way to not only ensuremilitary production (in developed states), but also as an additionalmeans of social control. Members of the economic elite were oftenpampered by the political elite to ensure a continued mutuality ofinterests, 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 crushedor 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 academicfreedom were considered subversive to national security and the patriotic ideal. Universities were tightly controlled; politically unreliablefaculty harassed or eliminated. Unorthodox ideas or expressions ofdissent were strongly attacked, silenced, or crushed. To these regimes, art and literature should serve the national interest or they had noright to exist;12. Obsession with crime and punishment. Most of these regimesmaintained Draconian systems of criminal justice with huge prisonpopulations. The police were often glorified and had almost uncheckedpower, leading to rampant abuse. “Normal” and political crime were often merged into trumped-up criminal charges and sometimes used againstpolitical 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 andclose 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 thebenefit of government favoritism. Members of the power elite were in aposition to obtain vast wealth from other sources as well: for example,by stealing national resources. With the national security apparatusunder control and the media muzzled, this corruption was largelyunconstrained and not well understood by the general population;14. Fraudulent elections. Elections in the form of plebiscites orpublic opinion polls were usually bogus. When actual elections withcandidates were held, they would usually be perverted by the power elite to get the desired result. Common methods included maintaining controlof the election machinery, intimidating and disenfranchising oppositionvoters, destroying or disallowing legal votes, and, as a last resort,turning to a judiciary beholden to the power elite;..
From Fascism anyone?
American democracy? Ha!
