The failure to hold fascists responsible for our democracy's downfall may well be because it's not always easy to recognize them. This difficulty has been amplified as misinformation and propaganda from the likes of FOX News has become endemic, as well as twaddle from the Wall Street Journal op-ed stable, like Lance Morrow, e.g.
WSJ Hack Lance Morrow Gets Fascism 'Backwards'
Morrow, as I noted, tried to portray the left as the true fascists in his WSJ piece (Sept. 6, p. A17, 'The Left Gets Fascism Backward') claiming.
"Mr. Trump and his followers, believe it or not, are essentially antifascists: They want the state to stand aside, to impose the least possible interference and allow market forces and entrepreneurial energies to work. Freedom isn’t fascism."
But this is deranged dreck given the
"freedom" which Morrow proclaimed was the counterfeit freedom to
conduct such misbegotten events as The Neo-Nazi, White Supremacist 'Unite the Right' March in Charlottesville in August, 2017:
Wherein Trump declared the existence of "some very fine people." But no one with an IQ over room temperature is buying because we know real fascism is always and invariably of the Right. This is given the "very fine people" include the likes of Timothy Cusanelli, a die-hard fan boy of both Hitler and Trump - cheering the latter at his rallies- and now confined to a prison cell, e.g.
But this is the one of the faces of the new MAGA fascists (see top image) whose virulent freedom Morrow tried to defend. Or the face of another Trumper fan boy - the Proud Boy founder Gavin McInnes, who also co-founded VICE media. These are the faces of the angry, "persecuted" white males who make up the modern fascist movement - most of whom move to either the beat of Trump or the new Mussolini - Ron Desantis.
My point is that's it's not always a 'gimme' to recognize these freaks. Worst of all, these latter-day fascists (who are often misogynists like Hitler) find fascism "cool" and present it as such to underlings or younger, impressionable kids with whom they network on social media - like 4chan. Indeed, these miscreants and misfits now include thousands of far right "influencers" who have also won over legions of followers on YouTube and other platforms. Amassing hundreds of millions of views by tapping into an inherently aggrieved, fragile male psyche that can no longer hold its own against black or brown people or an advancing phalanx of (white) female success.
But what is important to note is that the modern incarnation of this warped political ideology mirrors and echoes its emergence more than 80 years ago in Italy and Germany. In each case - then as now- we behold the same glorification of the hyper masculine - which extols the right to exact violence and calls for the seizure of government to achieve authoritarian rule. And like the fascists of old this current lot are unified by the love of violence, their hatred of progress and sense of entitlement.
Benito Mussolini, for example, was enchanted by ancient Roman symbols and desired a strong masculine society reminiscent of the Roman Empire. In the very first pages of his he noted "Fascism is a spiritual attitude, not merely a political doctrine." Hitler was no different, being all in on the use of occult symbols to spread his "Aryan" super race baloney, and occultism in general, i.e.
Occult History Of The 3rd Reich - Adolf Hitler - Full Documentary - YouTube
This is what one gets with fascism. Another aspect, which one has also seen with Trump's 2020 election rallies, is the fanfare and performance art. No surprise then that the Fascist parties of the 1930s won increasing shares of the vote and bamboozled millions with their marches, parades, carnivals, fairs and blustering speeches. Hitler himself preferred night marches with majestic banners and torches because they added an ominous, otherwordly aura to his movement. Thereby the pageantry and symbols became a powerful means of advancing the ideology.
For those bedazzled by it all, it appeared fascism was fun - not like the regular boring sounding notes attendant on democracy. Where you had to heed all kinds of boring rules, like giving the opposition equal time for speeches - and voting! Why not just clobber them? (Like Trump often encouraged his campaign crowds to do to any protesters in the audience). As Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels put it by giving some urgent advice to state broadcasters: "The first rule is don't be boring!"
So how has fascism succeeded in the U.S. of A.? Well by using all those techniques as defined by the 1930s reprobates and also understanding that fascism feeds on culture wars, psychological insecurities (which exploded during the pandemic) and fueling and feeding simmering resentments. Especially among those who believe a part of society has taken away goodies they are entitled to, like a college education or a job promotion. In addition, the fascists then and now put a heavy emphasis on propaganda in order to gut the brains of the susceptible and impressionable.
Fascism especially becomes influential when a state or other (commercial) service features a talented personality who exudes charisma and is able to cleverly blend his lies with entertainment. Thus, using timed eye rolls, eyebrow twitches, smirks and such while spinning lies in giving the "news" - he (or she) can gain control of millions of minds by projecting an "entertainment" dynamic- thereby making propaganda "fun". This is what explains, I believe, the hold that FOX News has on so many Americans.
But let's keep in mind that above all, today's fascists are malleable, diverse and assume many forms and guises. Some are more misogynist than racist, others the converse. It all hinges on the nature of the grievances built up and tuned - by specific propaganda- in the individual. But the commonality is these minions - o like Timothy Cusanelli (who loved Hitler so much he adopted his look) - is that they are all drawn to symbols of racial, social and sexual brutality. And for many white men today, especially in the Republican Trump cult, fascism starts as a cultivated cultural identity which then morphs gradually into a political ideology.
Germany, perhaps more than other modern democracies, is fully cognizant of its own history whereby a fascist and his party gained power via the democratic process. Thus, as reported earlier this week in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (www.faz.net) that nation has now taken steps to neutralize radical Right parties such as the Alternative for Germany (AfD) . This is in addition to already having adjusted the German penal code such that:
'The German penal code prohibits publicly denying the Holocaust and disseminating Nazi propaganda, both off- and online. This includes sharing images such as swastikas, wearing an SS uniform and making statements in support of Hitler.'
It also places strict rules on how social media companies must moderate and report hate speech and threats. These hate-speech laws were tightened last year, after three far-right terror attacks in 2019 and early 2020 prompted German authorities to warn of increasing extremism.'
E.g.
Germany’s Laws on Antisemitic Hate Speech and Holocaust Denial (pbs.org)
So we actually have a template to follow, if we choose. The Germans, unlike the U.S. - still with too many millions enchanted by a Trumpist form of fascism - knew from the get go that lies cannot be "free speech". Germans grasp now that their radical Right parties are merely vehicles to try to seize power via democratic machinery. The U.S. needs to learn that lesson too, especially as some polls last week (e.g. Real Clear Politics) .showed Trump beating Biden by a few points if the election were held today. This is utter fucking madness. As NY Times columnist David Brooks wrote yesterday;
"You may disagree with Biden on many issues. You may think he is too old. But that’s not the primary issue in this election. The presidency, as Franklin D. Roosevelt put it, “is pre-eminently a place of moral leadership.” One of the hardest, soul-wearying parts of living through the Trump presidency was that we had to endure a steady downpour of lies, transgressions and demoralizing behavior. We were all corroded by it."
We can't afford to let that happen again given Trump will be "unchained" next time. This monster must be put away once and for all, if not by the law - which seems to have too many loopholes for escape, as Germany's did in the 1i930s - then by the vote.
See Also:
Excerpt:
People watch with their mouths agape, trying to understand the scandal of Donald Trump leading a criminal insurrection to hold onto power even though he’d lost the election; of Supreme Court justices on the take; of political figures putting into law religious doctrine about the role of women in society.
They’re astonished by a media industry that seems to be a captive of the billionaire neofascist class.
They can’t figure out why extraordinarily wealthy people spend hundreds of millions of dollars every year stirring people up to hate each other.
They don’t understand why the morbidly rich are leading a campaign to destroy public schools, end Social Security, and prevent people from voting.
And:
And:
by Henry Giroux | April 11, 2023 - 6:22am | permalink
"Liberal Fascism" ? It's An Oxymoron. Trump Is The Real Fascist - Along With His Cult Of Thugs
And:
And:
by Robert Reich | April 20, 2023 - 6:55am | permalink
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