Thursday, February 11, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
The New Face of Fascism: Contriving Control in the Information Age
More and more I realize that our country is under seige. TeaBaggers would have us believe that a Socialist movement is underway and that Big Government is taking over. Needless to say, the Big Bush Government that actually DID take over didn't seem to concern them much. Of course, Republicans hate big government unless the big government is controlled by their party. The TeaBaggers like to quote Jefferson--"A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you have". Unfortunately, they don't realize that the Bush Administration basically did just that!
Now, in the aftermath of eight years of the Big Bush Government, the Obama Administration faces all of the hostility and the chore of clean up. In the midst of this economic collapse, unemployment disaster, and reform-era, the spectre of FASCISM has reared a new and uglier head. As Democrats and Independents teamed up to take a big risk on the promise of Change, the Republicans have begun a subtle and devisive campaign to regain power. At the heart of the Republican message, however, isn't a desire to "preserve Democracy" but a subtle and sometimes hidden striving towards a "marketable" form of Fascism.
To demonstrate this seemingly wild claim (though I do NOT feel it is nearly as wild as most of the claims by wingnuts on the right), I want to examine the basic principles of fascism as a political institution.
Fascism requires that six fundamentals are in place to acquire political leverage: 1. A Corporatist Economic System. Need I remind you that the Bailout of our Banking System ("Too Big to Fail" corporate entities) happened at the moment of Obama's election--not as a result of ANY of his policies-- and the Supreme Court's repeal of corporate campaign regulation along conservative justice lines (5-4), summarily issuing to corporations the status of "personhood" with protections provided by the Constitution. A thriving "Corporatist" system is the petri dish for fascism. It provides the environment in which the rich and powerful can control a government unfettered by the pesky tenets of Democracy. 2. Fascism represents the "complete opposite of Socialism". Currently, the TeaBaggers are convinced that Obama is channeling Karl Marx to turn America into Europe, or even worse, Canada!! Horror of horrors! Why would we want a country that has a strong monetary unit, a more stable-minded constituency, a controlled financial market, and health care for everyone? The repercussions would be. . . great?!? 3. An anti-liberal agenda. Needless to say, this has been the goal of the Republican Party since the so-called "culture wars" began in the 80s and 90s. Fascism requires that Social Darwinism (if not an acceptance of all of Darwin's evolutionary theories) instill inequality throughout society. Of course, the rich have gotten richer while the poor and middle class have grown exponentially in our fading Democracy. This acceptance of inequality is crucial to the rise of Fascism. Civil Rights are trampled upon and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, while given to Corporations, are denied to individuals. 4. The constant message being repeated during the rise of Fascism is one that envisions a rebirth from decadence. As civil rights seem imminent for an entire class of people deemed "unholy", the message of fascism can find a foothold with an entire constituency of religious followers. While politicians rely on an electorate who has been taught to see the world in black and white, they can use a "culture war" talking point to rally the "base". 5. Nationalism.
Pride in one's country means also taking a step back and admitting that country's failures, missteps and misdeeds. Our democracy relies on a multitude of voices--not the propaganda of a political machine like Fox News. Currently, the message being touted by the Republican News Outlet is one of vitriol and hatred, fear and lies outright. Yet, somehow, the message of Nationalism--a dangerous issue of PRIDE--has won over the independent voting constituency. If you present a lie loudly and long enough, even the wise man starts to believe that everyone else believes it. 6. Indoctrination. Fox News is the Opinion News Network that promises a "fair and balanced" take on politics. Unfortunately, one ideology has been determined as the only "fair and balanced" one available. All opposing voices are quickly shut down on this network. The success of Big Business is praised over the success of government. This powerhouse of control has managed to influence other networks' approach to reporting. They have managed to send out messages that mislead the public. Take, for instance, the focus of all reporting on the Republican Party following the election of Barack Obama--the DEATH of the Republican Party. Then, the "splintering" of the Republican Party as the TeaBaggers were roused up. As the message in the last year has shifted to outrage at Wall Street and the Obama Administration, the Republican Party somehow, as splintered and broken as it "was", managed to rally voters in Massachuessets to obtain the Senate seat held by Teddy Kennedy since the 1960s. Two things have helped to promote voter apathy in the Democrats: 1. the message that the Republican Party was dead and 2. the failure of the Obama Administration to make good on promises of change. Obama's failures may be a result of a necessity for his administration to trend toward the middle in the midst of an economic collapse, but they are also a direct result of Corporatism within the Democratic Party itself. Blue-Dog Democrats stood in the way of Health Care Reform even when their ties to the Health Insurance Industry were made most clear.
Who determines the message and its value? How can we trust these sources of information in an age where its proliferation can be either mass produced by our Corpocracy or fragmented into a thousand disparate parts on the internet? These six elements are tell-tale signs of fascism. So many Americans choose not to think for themselves, rather choosing to believe the predominant narrative of those around them. In urban areas, democratic ideals seem to flourish as diverse groups of Americans come together while in rural areas of the country people "become bitter and cling to guns or religion" as their fears grow. Luckily, for now, we have in the executive office of this great, and still "gangly youth" of a country, a man of exemplary intelligence with a spirit of human kindness who is making history. Hopefully, the undercurrent of hostility and fear, grounded in the roots of Fascism, will wither.
Now, in the aftermath of eight years of the Big Bush Government, the Obama Administration faces all of the hostility and the chore of clean up. In the midst of this economic collapse, unemployment disaster, and reform-era, the spectre of FASCISM has reared a new and uglier head. As Democrats and Independents teamed up to take a big risk on the promise of Change, the Republicans have begun a subtle and devisive campaign to regain power. At the heart of the Republican message, however, isn't a desire to "preserve Democracy" but a subtle and sometimes hidden striving towards a "marketable" form of Fascism.
To demonstrate this seemingly wild claim (though I do NOT feel it is nearly as wild as most of the claims by wingnuts on the right), I want to examine the basic principles of fascism as a political institution.
Fascism requires that six fundamentals are in place to acquire political leverage: 1. A Corporatist Economic System. Need I remind you that the Bailout of our Banking System ("Too Big to Fail" corporate entities) happened at the moment of Obama's election--not as a result of ANY of his policies-- and the Supreme Court's repeal of corporate campaign regulation along conservative justice lines (5-4), summarily issuing to corporations the status of "personhood" with protections provided by the Constitution. A thriving "Corporatist" system is the petri dish for fascism. It provides the environment in which the rich and powerful can control a government unfettered by the pesky tenets of Democracy. 2. Fascism represents the "complete opposite of Socialism". Currently, the TeaBaggers are convinced that Obama is channeling Karl Marx to turn America into Europe, or even worse, Canada!! Horror of horrors! Why would we want a country that has a strong monetary unit, a more stable-minded constituency, a controlled financial market, and health care for everyone? The repercussions would be. . . great?!? 3. An anti-liberal agenda. Needless to say, this has been the goal of the Republican Party since the so-called "culture wars" began in the 80s and 90s. Fascism requires that Social Darwinism (if not an acceptance of all of Darwin's evolutionary theories) instill inequality throughout society. Of course, the rich have gotten richer while the poor and middle class have grown exponentially in our fading Democracy. This acceptance of inequality is crucial to the rise of Fascism. Civil Rights are trampled upon and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, while given to Corporations, are denied to individuals. 4. The constant message being repeated during the rise of Fascism is one that envisions a rebirth from decadence. As civil rights seem imminent for an entire class of people deemed "unholy", the message of fascism can find a foothold with an entire constituency of religious followers. While politicians rely on an electorate who has been taught to see the world in black and white, they can use a "culture war" talking point to rally the "base". 5. Nationalism.
Pride in one's country means also taking a step back and admitting that country's failures, missteps and misdeeds. Our democracy relies on a multitude of voices--not the propaganda of a political machine like Fox News. Currently, the message being touted by the Republican News Outlet is one of vitriol and hatred, fear and lies outright. Yet, somehow, the message of Nationalism--a dangerous issue of PRIDE--has won over the independent voting constituency. If you present a lie loudly and long enough, even the wise man starts to believe that everyone else believes it. 6. Indoctrination. Fox News is the Opinion News Network that promises a "fair and balanced" take on politics. Unfortunately, one ideology has been determined as the only "fair and balanced" one available. All opposing voices are quickly shut down on this network. The success of Big Business is praised over the success of government. This powerhouse of control has managed to influence other networks' approach to reporting. They have managed to send out messages that mislead the public. Take, for instance, the focus of all reporting on the Republican Party following the election of Barack Obama--the DEATH of the Republican Party. Then, the "splintering" of the Republican Party as the TeaBaggers were roused up. As the message in the last year has shifted to outrage at Wall Street and the Obama Administration, the Republican Party somehow, as splintered and broken as it "was", managed to rally voters in Massachuessets to obtain the Senate seat held by Teddy Kennedy since the 1960s. Two things have helped to promote voter apathy in the Democrats: 1. the message that the Republican Party was dead and 2. the failure of the Obama Administration to make good on promises of change. Obama's failures may be a result of a necessity for his administration to trend toward the middle in the midst of an economic collapse, but they are also a direct result of Corporatism within the Democratic Party itself. Blue-Dog Democrats stood in the way of Health Care Reform even when their ties to the Health Insurance Industry were made most clear.I would argue that while this seems an OUTLANDISH claim (Fascism has taken hold at the core of the Republican Party in America) that there is also some validity. Our democracy IS at stake and IS under attack not only by a terrorist threat from without, but by specialized self-interest from within!
Who controls our information?
Who determines the message and its value? How can we trust these sources of information in an age where its proliferation can be either mass produced by our Corpocracy or fragmented into a thousand disparate parts on the internet? These six elements are tell-tale signs of fascism. So many Americans choose not to think for themselves, rather choosing to believe the predominant narrative of those around them. In urban areas, democratic ideals seem to flourish as diverse groups of Americans come together while in rural areas of the country people "become bitter and cling to guns or religion" as their fears grow. Luckily, for now, we have in the executive office of this great, and still "gangly youth" of a country, a man of exemplary intelligence with a spirit of human kindness who is making history. Hopefully, the undercurrent of hostility and fear, grounded in the roots of Fascism, will wither.
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