Are We a Fascist State?
Senin, 08 November 2004
0
komentar
"Fascist" is not a word to be used lightly, and I assure you this is not a joke. The short answer to the question: not yet, but we could be.
DyspepTex over at the Daily Kos has a diary about it, including a suggested summary of the 14 characteristics of fascist states, such as: nationalism; militarism; persecuted scapegoats; political leaders who identify with the dominant religion, even as their actions violate its precepts; obsession with national security; restricted rights for individuals even as corporations are given free reign; and corruption of the electoral process.
Sound familiar? Read it all; I've only listed a few, but all fourteen seem more or less relevant to our current situation.
David Neiwert, whose excellent blog Orcinus tracks domestic terrorism and hate crimes, says that what we have in the U.S. now is "pseudo-fascism," but trending toward fascism. His seven-part series examining the rise of pseudo-fascism is here (the link is to Part 7, which has at the beginning links to the other six parts).
Neiwert has documented a rise in incidents of right-wing violence against perceived opponents. When that violence, he says, becomes "condoned and organizational," we will have crossed the line into full-fledged fascism.
Of course, this raises the question: if we are on the verge of becoming a fascist state, what can we do about it? The level of polarization we've already reached makes it seem unlikely that a productive dialogue is even possible. But the alternative is to sit back and watch our country be taken over, so we have to try.
Neiwert says he'll be offering suggestions in the near future on how to approach the red states. One thing he points out, that I've noticed in my ramblings about the Internets (sic), is the extent to which lefties are contemptuous of those on the right. It is ironic, to say the least, for those on the left to castigate the right for their "ignorance," when they themselves are largely, and willfully, ignorant of what life is like for those in areas that heavily supported Bush. If we consider ourselves to be the "reality-based community," then we have a responsibility to try to understand their reality, not just dismiss them out of hand.
I read a profile in Fortune magazine of the Walton family, heirs to the Wal-Mart fortune (did you know they have more money than Bill Gates and Warren Buffett combined?). The article mentioned that Sam Walton's children, especially his daughter, have worked to build a better infrastructure in northern Arkansas. This includes things like a four-lane road and an airport, issues of basic accessibility. While I refuse to shop at Wal-Mart, I also recognize that they have benefitted their corner of the world in some very tangible ways, even as they have exploited economic conditions the world over. And people in northern Arkansas know whom to thank for the airport and the four-lane road, and the growth of their job market. The insularity of the South is geographical as well as cultural, and we in the blue states have given many of its residents no particular reason to believe that we have their best interests in mind.
Another blind spot--or sticking point--for many lefties is religion. While we can rightfully decry the ways that religion has been exploited by this administration, we do ourselves no favors by sneering at the genuineness of the faith that many people hold. Even as we hear reports that we are becoming a more secular nation, 80% of Americans claim some kind of belief in God. The fact that church attendance has steadily dropped is not necessarily a sign that people are abandoning religion, but rather that it is being explored in less structured, less traditional ways. The (often accurate) sense that red-state residents have that liberals hold their faith in contempt is, again, less than worthy of the open-mindedness and tolerance that the left espouses. If we want to reach religious conservatives, we need to speak their language. For many on the left, this is simply impossible; but if we cannot sympathize with conservatives' religious views, we should at least try to understand them; and if we cannot understand, we need to reach for the respect every person deserves.
Issues of fairness and equity, and of compassion for those in need, are values that we can and do share, and we need to learn to speak to those issues in an authentic way. Economic populism, a la John Edwards, is still a potent force, and one that is consistent with the deepest roots and values of the Democratic party.
I'll have more to say about these issues in future posts; but for now, think about how we can make inroads into the insularity of the red states, and inoculate ourselves, at least in part, against the creeping tide of fascism.
TERIMA KASIH ATAS KUNJUNGAN SAUDARA
Judul: Are We a Fascist State?
Ditulis oleh Unknown
Rating Blog 5 dari 5
Semoga artikel ini bermanfaat bagi saudara. Jika ingin mengutip, baik itu sebagian atau keseluruhan dari isi artikel ini harap menyertakan link dofollow ke http://androidphotography4.blogspot.com/2004/11/are-we-fascist-state.html. Terima kasih sudah singgah membaca artikel ini.Ditulis oleh Unknown
Rating Blog 5 dari 5
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar