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Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Thoughtful Commenter
Is America Becoming a Fascist Nation?
Source: Anonymous e-mail comment (received in response to Free Musings' current series on fascism)While I know what fascism is by example, I don't really have a good grasp on exactly what is meant by a fascist government, so I decided to look it up.
Here is how the Wikipedia entry defines fascism:
The term fascism has come to mean any system of government resembling Mussolini's, that in various combinations
state apparatus being supreme,
- exalts the nation and party above the individual, with the
stresses loyalty to a single leader, and submission to a single nationalistic culture, and
engages in economic totalitarianism through the creation of a Corporatist State, where the divergent economic and social interests of different races and classes are combined with the interests of the State.
I also clicked on corporatism to find out exactly what that means:Historically, corporatism or corporativism (Italian: corporativismo) is a political system in which legislative power is given to corporations that represent economic, industrial and professional groups. Unlike pluralism, in which many groups must compete for control of the state, in corporatism, certain unelected bodies take a critical role in the decision-making process.
Let me take each of these points separately:Exalts the nation and party above the individual, with the state apparatus being supreme.
America has always been the nation of rugged individualism, but that seems to be changing lately. Individual rights are being eroded for "the good of the nation." For instance, anti-flag desecration amendments have been defeated only narrowly and continue to be reintroduced. The root of the word "desecrate" is the same as the word "sacred." So apparently there are a large number of people in America who feel that a national emblem is sacred, but personal freedom of expression isn't (between 40-80% of Americans, depending upon whom you ask).
The PATRIOT Act and proposed PATRIOT Act II are probably the most egregious examples of individual freedoms being sacrificed for the supposed good of the nation. Each legalizes a litany of civil rights violations in order to save us all from those freedom hating terrorists. And strip club owners, and internet service providers, and the homeless.
Stresses loyalty to a single leader, and submission to a single nationalistic culture.Again, America was certainly not founded on this principle, but it seems to be sliding towards it. I believe that the whole idea of setting up America as a Democratic Republic was to avoid exactly the situation we are currently finding ourselves in. Effective government should be a system of compromises and support for various points of view. When you have a monarch or dictator, there is only one unquestionable viewpoint. We now have a large group of people in America who believe they are unassailably right because their viewpoint matches that of our Glorious Leader.
I also think this ties into the fact that such a large percentage of Americans are Christians. While I realize that there are freethinking Christians out there, the whole idea behind Christianity itself is that there is a three thousand year old book that tells you what to think about various issues. With Christianity (as with most other religions) there is no need to form your own opinions, because God has told you what you should believe.
Engages in economic totalitarianism through the creation of a Corporatist State, where the divergent economic and social interests of different races and classes are combined with the interests of the State.America is definitely showing signs of becoming a Corporatist state. Can you think of any reason why there should be a law that says you have to wear a seatbelt? Sure, people get killed in car wrecks, but people also get killed in the bathtub. Why are there no bathtub safety laws? Because there is no powerful bathtub lobby. There are many examples of insurance companies and other big business lobbies having a direct hand in enacting laws that restrict individual rights. Certain corporations are even being allowed to police and incarcerate American citizens.
Unlike some, I don't believe that America has yet become a fascist nation, but I am genuinely concerned that a large percentage of Americans are starting to embrace ideals that could lead us in that direction.
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Posted by fm on October 19, 2005 at 09:42 AM