"It doesn’t take genocide to make a fascist, though. As Wolfe made so clear, all it takes is a totalizing worldview in which everyone in the out-group is the enemy."
Another great piece. And yes, we've been going down this road for some time. Learned a new word today too... tautology. Fascinating read John.
I subscribe to an aggregator of right wing news sources called "The Righting", which sends the headlines every morning. It's equally fascinating and horrifying to understand how one would view the world if one only listened to/read right wing sources. Example from this morning: Newsmax headline "Is Biden America's Worst President?" Opening graph: "In less than five months, Joe Biden has brought this country to the brink. After years of cowering under Donald Trump, terrorism is back and proud. Peace in the Middle East, one of Trump’s most spectacular achievements has been shattered." It's hard to know if one should laugh/cry/have a nervous breakdown when you read utter crap like this and realize that way too many Americans get their news from outlets like this.
In many ways I would argue *especially* if you do not mean it. Fascism is not an ideology, it is a program for achieving hegemonic power. So lying (saying something you do not mean) for power is even more directly fascist in its intent and effect than those who "really mean what they say."
We are at war with Eurasia. We have always been at war with Eurasia. We have never been at war with Eastasia.
He was only off by 35 years or so.
"It doesn’t take genocide to make a fascist, though. As Wolfe made so clear, all it takes is a totalizing worldview in which everyone in the out-group is the enemy."
Another great piece. And yes, we've been going down this road for some time. Learned a new word today too... tautology. Fascinating read John.
I subscribe to an aggregator of right wing news sources called "The Righting", which sends the headlines every morning. It's equally fascinating and horrifying to understand how one would view the world if one only listened to/read right wing sources. Example from this morning: Newsmax headline "Is Biden America's Worst President?" Opening graph: "In less than five months, Joe Biden has brought this country to the brink. After years of cowering under Donald Trump, terrorism is back and proud. Peace in the Middle East, one of Trump’s most spectacular achievements has been shattered." It's hard to know if one should laugh/cry/have a nervous breakdown when you read utter crap like this and realize that way too many Americans get their news from outlets like this.
In many ways I would argue *especially* if you do not mean it. Fascism is not an ideology, it is a program for achieving hegemonic power. So lying (saying something you do not mean) for power is even more directly fascist in its intent and effect than those who "really mean what they say."