Suddenly, I like using this word. I like applying it to various causes that seem to be popping up lately. I may be throwing it about a little too lightly, but I can justify it in most cases. You see, all governments fall along a scale from *anarchy* to *fascism* and the justifier is LAW. Anarchy is 0 law. Fascism is total law.
I personally believe in a society with 3 criminal laws in place: Do not kill, do not abuse, do not steal. In essence, if it does not hurt your neighbor or family, you are free to do it. On the A-to-F scale, this system is one of the most basic forms of government above anarchy. My justification in using the word fascism is this: every criminal law put in place beyond those three drags us further and further towards fascism.
Paranoid? No, not really. I'm not panicking or anything here, however, I think it's time for me to give some examples.
Every day people are being sent up the river for years because they have been convicted of victimless crimes. They were caught on their third strike with some drugs, perhaps. What good does this do for society? Sure, it's another buyer off the street, but what does that solve? There are still dealers, shippers, smugglers and the trail of dead in their wake BECAUSE such things as drugs are illegal in the first place. This is just an example of how extra criminal laws beyond those 3 basic tenets throw things out of balance and create more room for perceived injustices.
Now, onto examples of fascism. When we look back at the last century, we can point out a few governments that have been considered as fascist. Take Nazi Germany for example, they're the easiest for people to recognize. One characteristic of their fascist government was nationalism. Nationalism is pretty much blind patriotic pride in support of one's country. So basicly, we are looking at strict rules and blind devotion.
There is an organization that recently contacted my favorite radio station to complain about their selection of music. Here is the email they sent to the administrator:
Quote:
It has come to my attention that people from the Skinny Puppy fanbase are requesting songs from the new album. One fan has created a list of stations for people to contact in their area.
http://www.spv.de/board/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=68
Recently, this band has been speaking out against the Bush administration's justified war against Iraq. Because of these treasonous actions the organization known as PABAAH ( http://www.pabaah.com ) is fighting back. We will not tolerate this treason and as a proud American I am requesting you not to play their music. Also, I will contact local stores and request them not to sell this album. We will not stand around and allow bands such as this to use their fame as a platform to spew their hatred against our country. Thank you. I hope you make the right decision. If you don't then we have no choice but to boycott your station.
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Constitution be damned. Fascism all the way. Recognize the exclusion of the 1st amendment's influence and realize that the purpose of this organization is to blindly support the government and attempt to undercut perceived opposition. This is the very definition of the F word.
Now, this may seem like a tirade once you come to my next sentence, but I'm thinking by the book here; not necessesarily on a platform. Organized religion falls close to fascism on the scale. Blind devotion. Strict rules.
The common opinions and values that come from someone of deep faith would, if incorporated into our government, push us into a fascist state. If you observe, nowhere in this nation are Christian churches arguing for less restriction. Their platform lies on *criminalizing* abortion, euthanasia, drugs, prostitution, and pornography. They *oppose* gay marriage, free speech and free dress. For all of you who have no problem with any one thing that I've listed, just think for a moment what life would be like if organized religion had a firmer grip on the government.
I guess we can equate big government to the F-word as well. While criminal laws are not so much a defining part of big government, lots and lots of restrictions and beaurocracy are. Do this, don't do that. Creating laws whose punishments are fines and further sanctions is like ghosting criminal laws. It's still influencing order through force, which is fascism.
I know some people, if they've actually had the patience to carefully read this post, are following along and thinking, "Then what ISN'T fascism and how else can order be influenced if not through laws?"
My answer is this: Any action to relieve the pressure on the people to "behave or else" is anti-fascism. Those who believe that only chaos would come of a population with less rules are missing something very valuable about human nature: we form order and structures naturally amongst ourselves. One very important thing to also remember about humans is that they WILL resist when pushed against. This loosely trickles up to the mechanism that something is only a crime BECAUSE it is illegal. Furthermore, crime begets poverty.
Once again, humans naturally form into social structures based on their social restrictions. Example: a person who sells drugs in the US *typically* lives in the ghetto and is a criminal. A person who sells drugs in Amsterdam *typically* lives in the middle class and is a valid business man.
There you have it. We love what keeps us busy. Fascism. It's my favorite word.