Common Traits of Facism
This article is by Dr Laurence Britt. He studied the facist regimes of Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Suharto and Pinochet and came up with 14 things they had in common.
The article is "Fascism Anyone?," Lawrence Britt, Free Inquiry, Spring 2003, page 20.
The 14 characteristics are:
1.Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symb ols, 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 i s 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. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.
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 mtivational 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 is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.
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 alway 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 candidat es, 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.
If any of you ever see these things happening in America, you should be concerned.
More things that just piss me off
The article is "Fascism Anyone?," Lawrence Britt, Free Inquiry, Spring 2003, page 20.
The 14 characteristics are:
1.Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symb ols, 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 i s 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. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.
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 mtivational 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 is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.
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 alway 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 candidat es, 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.
If any of you ever see these things happening in America, you should be concerned.
More things that just piss me off
posted by NameCritic at 9:31 AM
6 Comments:
If any of you ever see these things happening in America, you should be concerned.
you mean like now????
Just another site
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
You can't even begin to suggest that you don't see similarities in what's going on in this country today???
You're either ignorant, or blind.
Your willingness to accept the tide in this country is just further proof that people who will trade freedom for security deserve neither.
Please hand your freedom to the doorman on your way out.
The Gifted One
You can't even begin to suggest that you don't see similarities in what's going on in this country today???
You're either ignorant, or blind.
Your willingness to accept the tide in this country is just further proof that people who will trade freedom for security deserve neither.
Please hand your freedom to the doorman on your way out.
The Gifted One
Orion said "Freedom is just an illusion anyway, it is limited by the laws of the nations that protect people from other people who do negative or evil things."
Like breaking the law that says you must have probable cause and get a warrant before tapping someone's phone and email?
Orion also said "Using the definition of freedom that some of these posters seem to be using is that true freedom is an anarchy where you are free to do whatever you want, and nobody can tell your otherwise."
Like breaking the law that says you must have probable cause and get a warrant before tapping someone's phone and email?
And orion said "Which means if you want to become a terrorist sleeper agent and plot to murder people and blow things up in the near future, you have the freedom to do so, and nobody should wiretap your conversations or even arrest you because they caught you with plans to blow up the Broklyn Bridge and murder the people who were driving on it at the time you meant to blow it up."
I'd say the above would give you sufficient probable cause to get the necessary warrant to tap that person's phone.
In addition, Orion said "That is the freedom that these so called people who are against the current government are talking about."
The kind of freedom I'm talking about fortunately is written into the bill of rights and the constitution.
And Orion wrote, before really thinking it through I believe, "They want to see more death and destruction and violence, because they hate the current government so much, that it is something they have in common with the terrorists."
Not believing GW Bush is a good president or a good leader and not believing in the tactics he is using does not equate to siding with terrorists. That is a misconception bush and his supporters like to portray. "If you don't follow GW all the way, that makes you a traitor." Not true.
As Thomas Jefferson said, "It is not your right to question your government, it is your duty to do so."
Nationalism means you think your president and your government are right in everything they do.
Patriotism is loving your country more than your government, so much so that you will defend your country against bad elected officials that wish to ruin it.
When our rights are forfieted because of an attack on us, then those who did the attack achieve victory.
Chris McElroy
Who Let The Blog Out?
Orion made this same mistake on another thread "So tell me Chris, why do you support the rights and freedoms of terrorists instead of holding them accountable for their actions?"
Again, I ask you to point to a post where I support terrorists or terrorism. If you cannot, then I ask you once again to retract the statement.
I'll be happy to respond to other portions of your post after I read them. I don't read whole posts when the first paragraph starts with an unfair accusation or lie or a personal attack.
Chris McElroy
Kidsearch Network Website
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