About facism, the new American challenge

The term fascist comes from Latin “fasces.” Fasces were bundles of rods tied around an ax which were a symbol of the authority of the Roman empire. They were carried by certain of the Roman emperor's lieutenants. That symbol of authority meant that the carriers of it could, if they chose, kill those they deemed enemies of the state (Rome).

The most useful way to detect modern fascism, which people mainly ascribe to Hitler and his so-called “Third Reich” (although nothing about fascism as an ideology is unique to Hitler or to Germany), was outlined by Umberto Ecco, an Italian writer and thinker of some renown who lived through the fascist dictatorship of the 1930s-1940s in Europe. He has outlined 14 characteristics of “fascism”, and they are more important than ever for enlightened citizens in a democratic Republic to both memorize, and, to teach to their children (for critical thinking skill and the ability to detect anti-democratic ideologies is usually never taught in American public or private schools).

By using the term “Ur-Fascism” in his original 14 points, Ecco attempted to capture this ideology without reference to any specific time, place, state, or regime. I attempt the same herein, hastening to say that there is no one, single fascist threat in my view, but rather many of them which seem to be gathering influence in America. Please read Ecco's own words, readily available on the Internet...at least for now...!

Here I outline, with the help of Ecco's own language, his 14 characteristics of fascim. Please note, however, that nothing in these 14 critical aspects suggests that any American guarding against fascism must thus be against free speech, or a strong and regulated military, or naturally opinionated political leaders, second amendment rights, or enlightened regulation of immigration. Neither does it demand that those who guard against fascism should support every human rights lobby that clamors for legal rights or for an end to all censorship! I write this because of the disturbing rise in the number of voices in America who cry loudly that there is only ONE way, only ONE truth, only ONE light; who separate people into those who are with us and those against us; who want to stop the teaching of thinking and the reading of books they “suspect” in our public and private schools; who are forming isolationist communities of extreme fear and prejudice supported by their own media, schooling, places of worship that stand against democratic values. These people are not one enemy or only one group, but instead reflect a fascist trend which posits that, in these uncertain times, we must suspend reasoning, dis-believe science and research, be suspicious of those different from us, set aside democracy, and instead join a mythic quest to “return” to a vague, or worse, impossible (!), set of values in this 21st century world. This trend denies complexity, refuses discussion, quashes debate and free speech, labels objectors as “traitors,” bullies our government, denies the value of journalism's “fourth estate,” listens to no voices but its own, despises intellect and humanism, and occasionally promotes violence toward people like you who will now choose to read Ecco's 14 points:

1. The first feature of fascism is the cult of tradition. In the mindset of a cult of tradition, there can be no advancement of learning. Truth has been already spelled out once and for all, and we can only keep interpreting its message, known only to self-designated “experts.” Citizens will be told that the truth can ONLY be found in one book, one religious tract, one theology, one ideology, one politics. All else is traitorous, thus exposing the cult of tradition as a prime example of the black/white or either/or logical fallacy (see “logical fallacies” at www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies)

2. Fascists reject modernism, even though modern technology and the latest police and military tools are matters of great pride to their regimes. The Western Enlightenment (the Age of Reason) is viewed by fascists as the beginning of modern depravity and decline. They complain mightily of the breakdown of_____?____ (family, moral authority, old-time religion, etc...it is easy to fill in this blank for anyone who reads a newspaper).

3. Facism's irrationality depends on action for action's sake, where taking action is often seen as beautiful and noble. Action must be taken without reflection, since thinking too much is cowardice and calls patriotism and masculinity into question. Thinkers and intellectuals are always suspect, frequently referred to as “effete,” “elitist,” “ivory tower intellectuals,” “eggheads,” or “snobs.” Hermann Goering is alleged to have said: "When I hear talk of culture I reach for my gun,” presumably because such conversation betrayed the cult of tradition and the refusal to reject modernism.

4. For Facscists, disagreement is treason. They reject analysis (“paralysis through analysis”) for it could threaten the cult of tradition and also delay immediate action. One must listen, believe, act.

5. Fascists always exploit the fear of what is different, most especially different culture, religion, race, gender, sexuality, and/or ethnicity. These are seen as threats, intruders, disrupters of some “natural” order and by-gone standards.

6. Fascism tends to rise when people feel angry and dispossessed. When whole nations embrace fascism, it is often because they cannot admit they no longer have wealth, power, and or prestige they once enjoyed; that their standard of living is perceived to have declined; that they feel “under attack” and want simple, decisive retaliations. More simply, their people are afraid, and yearn for simple solutions and a return to a simpler time. Fear leads to a rise in mystical religion-ism, a desire for isolation from the world, and tendency to turn to “strong-man” leadership. “Fascist” responses might also happen in the culture of an institution or corporation,...perhaps not harmful to a nation, but clearly harmful to those living within them.

7. People in fear tend to turn to the one thing that is a clear identity for them: being born in the same place. Fascism feeds this by urging exclusion of “foreigners,” radical punishments for those deemed “alien,” application of simplistic formulas for who is “us” and who is “them,” arguing for a strong military not merely for fighting invasions, but for “policing” the citizens – who are also urged to report suspicious behaviors to them. Fascists want citizens to live in perpetual fear, and believe that there are vast plots against them. The “enemy” is always embodied in a single word: “communist,” “socialist,” “Muslim,” Jew,” “liberal,” “traitor,” and ironically, “fascism” itself! It is instructive to recall that Hitler's German supporters acted for the “Fatherland.”

8. Fascism portrays it's enemies as powerful and devious, feeding people's fears that they themselves are not in control, or that the world is spinning out of their control. After all, if the enemy is not depicted as powerful and overwhelming, there is not so much to fear.

9. Because enemies are powerful, fascists depict life as a struggle for survival, never a quest for diplomatic solutions, detente, individual expression, change, a new way of life, or peace. Those who offer such solutions are depicted as weaklings and traitors. A problem all fascists face is that once so powerful an enemy has successfully been created, no final end to the conflict against it can exist, and, of course, people do grow weary of fighting with no end, no victory in sight. Fascism must constantly find new ways to energize fear and keep the “war” going: new incidents, new atrocities, new horrors, new threats.

10. Fascism's power does not come from open discussion, critical debate, analysis, or democracy; fascism comes to power from bullying and force, having created the conditions described in 1-9 above. But to win through bullying is to have contempt for the weakness of those citizens who have been successfully bullied; thus, fascists have nothing but contempt for those they have persuaded to follow them. Such contempt (these days often a mash-up of Machiavelli and SunTzu and Dick Cheney) justifies ever more strident and autocratic leadership. The weak must be guided, shaped, ruled, threatened, and then rejoice at having been saved and remaining subordinate. Every fascist “Caesar” is, however, constantly fearful of the “Cassius-ness” of individual humans making up the masses: “Beware yond Cassius. He hath a lean and hungry look. He thinks too much. Such men are dangerous!”

11. Fascism controls citizens through force, but also by creating myth. In the myth, dying for a cause is great and noble, death is not to be feared, and suffering is part of a grand quest,...often for a reward in some imagined heaven or an afterlife or an eternal fame. Thus, everyone is urged to be a mythic hero, and a test of one's loyalty is their willingness to die for a cause. Blood rituals, often secret and tailored to hierarchies of privilege, are often used to extract and affirm this willingness.

12. People grow weary of war and hard-to-attain heroism, so Fascism again resorts to human sexuality, which is a powerful influence. Typically, to be weak or rebellious is depicted as being infantile, a-”sexual, homosexual, girlish,” perverted, or sexually impotent. It is not a coincidence that fascist propaganda depicts mostly masculine figures, sexual symbols of machismo, and physical domination. In a fascist mindset, the gun is the most powerful (phallic) symbol of sexual potency.

13. For fascists, individuals have no rights...no rights to be unique, to choose, to think, to question, to change, to grow, to self-rule,...even to live. The people are seen as “us,” never individual “I” or “you”. People are required only to be of “The People,” the mass with one common and supposedly noble will.

14. Fascism “speaks newspeak.” Newspeak was invented by George Orwell, in his novel

1984, as the official language of “Ingsoc” (Eng-lish Soc-ialism). Fascists exploit language in order to limit reasoning and individual critical thinking. They reduce words describing their enemies to simple single words. They argue for action using slogans (“the time is now” or “take back our beloved country”). Worse, they strive to change the connotative or even the literal meaning of words, such as, for example, “conservative” or “intellectual” or “patriot.” “Newspeak” is especially dangerous in today's digital world, where words and slogans can spread with exponential speed over the Internet, where digital spying can identify individuals using taboo or suspect words or phrases in writing or in electronic conversation, and where words/phrases/whole chapters in textbooks can be altered forever within the time of several keystrokes.