THEO-FASCIST


















14 Signs of Fascism.

1. Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism. Usually coupled with a suspicion of things foreign that often borders on xenophobia.

2. Disdain for the importance of human rights. Through clever use of propaganda, the population is brought to accept human rights abuses by marginalizing, even demonizing, those being targeted.

3. Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause. The most significant common thread among past regimes was the use of scapegoating as a means to divert the people’s attention from other problems, to shift blame for failures, and to channel frustration in controlled directions.

4. The supremacy of the military/avid militarism. A disproportionate share of national resources is allocated to the military, even when domestic needs were acute.

5. Domestic spying. Secret surveillance of and gathering dossiers on its own citizens.

6. A controlled mass media. Whether directly or indirectly, these regimes exercise power to ensure media orthodoxy. Methods include the control of licensing and access to resources, economic pressure, appeals to patriotism, and implied threats. The leaders of the mass media are often politically compatible with the power elite.

7. Obsession with national security. National security apparatus is under direct control of the ruling elite. It is usually an instrument of oppression, operating in secret and beyond any constraints. Its actions are justified under the rubric of “protecting national security,” and questioning its activities is portrayed as unpatriotic or even treasonous.

8. Religion and ruling elite tied together. Most of the regimes attach themselves to the predominant religion of the country and choose to portray themselves as militant defenders of that religion. Propaganda keeps up the illusion that the ruling elites were defenders of the faith and opponents of the “godless.”

9. Power of corporations protected. The corporate structure is a way to not only ensure military production, but also as an additional means of social control. Members of the economic elite are often pampered by the political elite to ensure a continued mutuality of interests, especially in the repression of “have-not” citizens.

10. Power of labor suppressed or eliminated. Since organized labor is seen as the one power center that could challenge the political hegemony of the ruling elite and its corporate allies, it is inevitably crushed or made powerless.

11. Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts. Intellectuals and the inherent freedom of ideas and expression associated with them are anathema to fascist regimes. Intellectual and academic freedom are considered subversive to national security and the patriotic ideal.

12. “Normal” and political crime are often merged into trumped-up criminal charges and sometimes used against political opponents of the regime. Fear, and hatred, of criminals or “traitors” is often promoted among the population as an excuse for more police power.

13. Rampant cronyism and corruption. This corruption works both ways; the power elite would receive financial gifts and property from the economic elite, who in turn would gain the benefit of government favoritism.

14. Fraudulent elections. Common methods 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 beholden to the power elite.

^ Does any of this sound familiar?