[Peace-discuss] Fwd: identifying characteristics of fascism

[Morton K.Brussel]

Worth pondering. mkb

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Carol Herzenberg" <carol at herzenberg.net>
> Date: November 8, 2004 2:47:04 PM CST
>
> Subject: identifying characteristics of fascism
>
>
>> identifying characteristics of fascism
>>
>> Dr. Lawrence Britt, a political scientist, wrote an article about 
>> fascism
>> which appeared in Free Inquiry magazine (Spring 2003 issue) -- a 
>> journal
>> of
>> humanist thought. Dr. Britt studied the fascist regimes of Hitler
>> (Germany),
>> Mussolini Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet
>> (Chile).
>> He found the regimes all had 14 things in common, and he calls these 
>> the
>> identifying characteristics of fascism.
>>
>> You can draw your own parallels.
>>
>> The 14 characteristics are:
>>
>> 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. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia 
>> and
>> anti-gay legislation and national policy.
>>
>> 6. Controlled Mass Media -- Sometimes the media is directly 
>> controlled by
>> the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly 
>> controlled by
>> government regulation, or through sympathetic media spokespeople and
>> executives. Censorship, especially in wartime, 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 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 always 
>> are
>> governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to
>> government positions, and who 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 the assassination of) opposition candidates, the use 
>> of
>> legislation to control voting numbers or political district 
>> boundaries,
>> and
>> the manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use 
>> their
>> judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.
>>
>> Here is the full article:
>> http://secularhumanism.org/library/fi/britt_23_2.htm
>>
>
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