FASCISM: A CULT WITH AN EVIL INTENT
In a reaction to fear, people crave authority over others. They want someone to address the cause of their anxiety. They demand a way of being governed that imposes order on those "others". They believe that having power over them is the way to feel safe.
In fact, that way of thinking is fascist.
With his 1950 study called The Authoritarian Personality, German sociologist and psychologist T. W. Adorno introduced science to his "F-scale" (F for fascism). Complete with questionnaire and a rating scale, Adorno offered a means to measure authoritarianism in people.
An authoritarian personality, he said, makes for a dogmatic and biased thinker: "Authoritarian people demand from others and want to impose on them an obedience to their way of seeing the world. Fascist thought is therefore intolerant of ambiguity and differences; it has an exaggerated need to dispense "order" at the world."
People who fit his authoritarian profile tend to be attracted to ideologies and causes that demand submission to higher authority - like religions, governments and big business. Both from the political Left and Right, fascist thinkers are harboured in all walks of life. Every Religion has them, as do liberal philosophies; both High IQ thinkers and Lowbrows can be fascists. Fascists are bred from privilege and poverty. Every group will closet fascist thinkers.
As fascist thinking is shared and becomes an ideology, it ignites into full-blown fascism... AKA - a system of control over others.
As I discussed in my previous Blog Entry - DOES EVIL EXIST IN THE WORLD? Fascism is made possible by "memes" - i.e. the ideas that are common to that collection of individuals who need strong leaders. Memes in this sense are a metaphysical glue that binds individual thoughts into larger philosophies. Aware of it or not, the emotional attachment is to an authoritarian and fascist ideology.
That "memes" have an independent life is part of new science. The conclusions of how collectives think are gathered and sold by companies like Cambridge Analytica who collect and sell their info to political parties. "Memes" link common ideals into super-organisms and thereby offer power to hierarchies so today's fascist memes are sold to father extreme right-wing ideals. Of every tint, the extremists see imposing their ideas as the highest priority on their agenda. The Politico-Wannabes, Orthodox-Whom-Evers, Born-Again-Evangelists and Taliban Moolahs of every description want to impose their views on the rest of us. Their means, methods and tools might differ but their motivation, motive, motor and motto are straight-ahead-fascist.
Fascists gather support by giving importance and value to the beliefs we share. Fascism's power comes from polls that supply them with the emotional memes that describe a collective vision: We are this world. Fascists count on our willingness to surrender our individuality in order to come together to fight against the threats they perceive in their vision - the enemies, inside or outside the group.
Fascism is the backlash to living in times of uncertainty and change. In the 1700s, people were loyal to the feudal Lords who ruled over them. Royals made decisions based on their lifetimes and common people obeyed. Back then, borders could be changed without an outcry from the rabble against the "...violation of our national integrity". By the 19th century, nationalist sentiments had become more powerful as the common man began thinking of himself as equal in judgment to kings or court - and now everyone was a participant in the need to protect the "common weal" (my tribe) against "the barbarians" i.e. ...them.
Overt manipulation of nationalist sentiment began in the French revolution. First a crusade for the "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity" of the French people, it soon turned common thought against "foreign aggressors". Napoleon began empire-building by wanting to impose his ideas of "French culture" on the great unwashed masses, us. Other nations fought back to preserve their unique identity - also defined by their elite few on behalf the many. From Spain to Russia, masses rose in defence of the home team against those "imperialist others".
In the 20th century, the globalization of fascist thought continued with the international workers' movement. Communists took power in Russia and then immediately sought the liberation of working classes everywhere. Their rallying cry was increasingly nationalistic and fascist thinkers learned to manipulate the collective emotional "memes". Italian fascists gave the idea of imposed liberation political principles, and then German nationalism (Nazi) introduced the world to the excesses of the fascist-mind: Organized evil and destruction.
Fascists of every stripe are the anti-christ and work from Luciferian principles.
Today, many countries have developed a kind of nazi sentiment as fascism has become part of a full fledged ideological logic and a key motivator in the right-wing agenda in the USA. Can you say conspiracy? (...I knew you could ;-o)
In order to root out fascist thinking before it gels into the social "memes" that will enslave us, learn to identify and curtail this destructive super-organism. In "Free Enquiry Magazine", author Laurence W. Britt lists 14 common threads that link fascist thinking in recognizable patterns. These characteristics are more prevalent and intense in some places than in others, but every fascist group shares at least some of this modus operandi.
See if you can spot fascist thinking at work in your own community:
- 1. Fascists hide behind "a nationalistic cult of tradition": Using selective memory and "revised view of history", Fascists mask their intent with a conservative banner that links them to an ideal past: Back to a good old future. MAGA. Etcetera. God or history has promised them "selfhood" - or national prosperity - which must be respected by others. Fascists want to see that respect from others is secured, and they appropriate national symbols - like beliefs, flags, slogans and events - to manipulate the collective memes.
- 2. Fascists unify forces by identifying common enemies. The most significant shared thread in the fascist tissue is using scapegoat groups to divert attention from real problems, and shifting blame for failures to focus frustration in their favour. The methods of propaganda, fake news and "disinformation" are very effective. Fascists demonize enemies and label their tactics evil, while they can use identical tactics for good. Active opponents of their methods are labeled traitors and dealt with accordingly.
- 3. Fascists show disdain for human rights. They see human rights as a hindrance to them realizing their objectives. Through clever use of propaganda, fascists will marginalize, even demonize, select targeted groups so people are brought to accept abuses. When human rights abuse is egregious, their tactic is to use secrecy, denial, personal attack, moral ambiguity and disinformation.
- 4. Fascists are militaristic. They identify closely with the military apparatus and the corporate infrastructure that supports it. A disproportionate share of national resources is allocated to the military, even when domestic needs are acute. The military is seen as an expression of nationalism, and is used whenever possible to assert national goals, intimidate other nations, and to increase the power and prestige of the ruling elite.
- 5. Fascists are sexist. Other than the simple fact that fascist culture is male-dominated, fascists inevitably view women as second-class citizens. They are adamantly anti-choice and also homophobic. Their attitudes are to be codified in laws that enjoy strong support by a right-wing and JudeoChristian religiosity, who thereby lend legitimacy to the Fascists, their human rights abuses and their other anti-Christ activities.
- 6. Fascists seek to control mass media. Under fascist regimes, mass media come under the direct control of the capital-seeking elite who are relied on to not stray from the party line. The Zeitgeist projected onto the world will reflect their view of culture and truth. Some regimes have other subtle and not-so-subtle ways to ensure media orthodoxy.
- 7. Fascists are obsessed with national security. Inevitably, the national security apparatus falls under the direct control of the fascist elite. It is usually becomes an instrument of oppression and operates in secret and beyond human constraints. Its actions are justified under the guise of protecting "national security," and questioning its activities is portrayed as unpatriotic or even treasonous. Here, things get demonic.
- 8. Fascists and the "religious conservative agenda" are tied. Unlike communists, fascist and proto-fascist thinkers are never thought godless by others. In fact, most fascist regimes attach themselves to the predominant religion of the territory and portray themselves as militant defenders of that religion. Perception is then manufactured that to oppose the power their elite is tantamount to an attack on religion and God.
- 9. Fascists protect corporate-capital power. Although the personal life of ordinary citizens is under stricter control, the ability of large corporations to operate in relative freedom is not compromised. The Fascists see the corporate structure as a way to not only supply them with military might, but also as a means of social/financial control.
- 10. In their name, fascists suppress or eliminates the power of working class people. Since organized labor is seen as the one power center that could challenge the political elite and its corporate allies, it is inevitably crushed or made powerless. The poor form the underclass, viewed with suspicion or outright contempt. Under some regimes, being poor was considered akin to a vice.
- 11. Fascists have a disdain of liberals, intellectuals, philosophers (even their own) and the arts. Intellectual pursuit and the inherent free exchange of ideas, and the artistic expression associated with them, are anathema to fascist regimes. Intellectual and academic liberals are considered subversives who are contrary to national security and the patriotic ideal. Don't think... OBEY!
- 12. Fascists are obsessed with crime and punishment. Most of fascist regimes maintain Draconian systems of criminal justice with huge prison populations. The police are often glorified and have almost unchecked power, leading to rampant abuse. Fear, and hatred, of criminals, terrorists or "traitors" is promoted to the population as an excuse for more police power. Demons be here too...
- 13. Fascists are anti-democratic and work at election fraud. When elections with real candidates are held, they usually are perverted by the power elite to get a desired result. Elections in the form of plebiscites or public opinion polls are usually bogus. Common methods of fraud include maintaining control of the election machinery, intimidating and disenfranchising opposition voters, destroying or disallowing legal votes, and, as a last resort, turning to a judiciary who is beholden to the power elite.
- 14. Fascist hierarchy is rampant with cronyism and corruption. Any surprise? Share the wealth... and watch the scurry. Those in self-interested business, circle, and those in power and close to power become natural bed-fellows and, not mysteriously, use their position, money and friends to further enrich and empower themselves.
Do any of these above mentioned Fascist traits ring alarm bells? It shouldn't surprise us that people will sell their soul... but it might shock you to find out just how cheaply they sold it for! What politicians are you following?