Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - Characteristics Of Fascism

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Characteristics Of Fascism

Quote:

Characteristics Of Fascism

Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each: 

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

4. Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.

6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
8. Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed
to the government's policies or actions.

9. Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

10. Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.

11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.

12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.

13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

so how does your country add up on this list?

it's curious how you can look at history one way and the present a completely different way, even when there are shining similarities to the lessons (and mistakes) leaned of our past.

i think that americans should take a cold hard look at how much freedom they are willing to give up to protect thier freedom.

but, im not really in a position to comment because all that i base my judgements on are snippets from the media.

[EDIT]: I think Australia is not too fascist, but we have to be careful to keep it that way =)

like all things in life, it's a matter of degree.
the most egregious fascistic nations are obvious.
extending the argument that may be implicit here is simply rhetoric.

Now this list is a real eye-opener.

That list sent a chill up my spine.

As Americans, I think we need to be ever vigilant.

Thank you VERY much for this list, phred. More people need to see it. Many, many, many more...

I am re-inventing the wheel here, but this goes to show why my country's War on Terror(at the homefront) is flawed.

The list make no sense to me... I love the USA!

*reporting phredgreen to Homeland Security*

Well sure, but at least the trains run on time!

That's a sick joke, for those of you who didn't get it.

One quibble:

11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked. 

The exception to this is when the expression or art supports the underlying goals of the regime, when it is typically coopted and made mainstream. The classic example is Modernist British poet Ezra Pound, who produced a LARGE volume of pro-Mussolini propaganda during World War II. One of his finest works, The Cantos, was produced, in part, in jail after he was charged with treason.

There's such a volume of mis-interpreted stuff out there these days, that I just had to check into Dr. Britt just a bit.

Here's the full article, posted at the website for The Council for Secular Humanism. http://www.secularhumanism.org/libra...britt_23_2.htm

This is the sentence that caught my eye at the end of the article: "Laurence Britt’s novel, June, 2004, depicts a future America dominated by right-wing extremists."

Isn't this sort of like going to the PETA website to find out if you should be a vegetarian or not?

Quote:

Originally posted by Mr. Mojo
The list make no sense to me... I love the USA!

I was thinking the same.

Fascism

A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.
A political philosophy or movement based on or advocating such a system of government.
Oppressive, dictatorial control

Sorry, but I just don't see how the US falls under this, and I think if Americans actually belive that it does they need to leave the country and go find a better one where they can make a much better life for themselves. In their search for a better life I'm quite sure many people will find out what a fascist regime is all about and realize that they took their country for granted.

Sixate: I don't think the point was to say that America is facist. The list was looking at a number of facist countries and looking at what they have in common.

The fact that America shares some of these traits still doesn't make America facist.

What the list should do is give citizens information that will assist them in recognizing what facism is when they see it...

To state that the USA is a facist state is complete hogwash. To point out that there are many trends in the USA that lean toward facism is not.

Charlatan well stated. The Singaporean government falls well within that list. They scorn knowledge that is brought in from other countries. If you learn abroad it is contaminated with free thinking. I used to discuss them as Fascist hiding behind democracy

Remember there are lots of pieces that make up the political process. Those were just common traits. Do the same thing for democracy and you'll see a similar slant.