So, let's look at fascism. A 2003 journal article looked at five fascist regimes (Germany, Italy, Spain, Indonesia and Chile) and found the following fourteen characteristics in common:
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1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
While this is a hallmark of your nation from its earliest days, I don't actually see this as a warning sign. This has been part of your national identity through many paradigm shifts, and does not betoken any movement towards fascism.
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2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
I think you have made a significant shift away from the political culture that gave rise to the Bill of Rights and the political culture that gave rise to the Civil Rights Act. The last decade has seen a significant erosion. But that being said, there is significant popular discontent--there is no government agency more despised, I suspect, than the TSA. So there is hope, yet.
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3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.
The United States has always needed an enemy to fight. After the Cold War, it was the laughable "War on Drugs." Then 9/11 gave you a real enemy to fight, but one who would not fight on your terms. But now where is the enemy? You are again turning on yourselves, and the enemies are domestic political opponents. Given the prediliction of your politics to focus on enemies, both foreign and domestic, I don't know that you are really in new territory here.
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4. Supremacy of the Military
Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
Here's another area where the last decade has been problematic. But it must be remembered that military spending is the only area in which the executive branch of government has a relatively free hand. After all, interstate highways were only built because the projects could be rationalized as meeting a military need. So while you might have engaged in an orgy of spending, funded on the basis of foreign purchase of US dollars, it was only military spending because there was no way that Congress would have allowed it to be civilian spending, and the economy would have shrunk without it.
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5. Rampant Sexism
The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.
Mixed bag here. Women are still underrepresented in some of your institutions, and some of the abortion rhetoric is troublesome. But when push comes to shove, you're still pretty liberal on most fronts and legislative assaults have been fairly unsuccessful at passing constitutional scrutiny.
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6. Controlled Mass Media
Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.
As if.
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7. Obsession with National Security
Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
Rather goes hand in hand with 3 and 4. If you see enemies and spend a lot on the military, you are going to point one at the other.
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8. Religion and Government are Intertwined
Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.
Tough one. You have strong barriers that are intended to keep religion out of government (and vice-versa). But you have a large number of religious organizations that are attempting to exercise a strong degree of political influence. I would be hard pressed to say that religion and government are intertwined in the United States--but you have permitted churches to blur the line in the political forum.
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9. Corporate Power is Protected
The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
Well, thus it ever was, no? Corporate power reached its nadir with the attempted breakup of U.S. Steel, perhaps. Which rather suggests that coporate power has always been protected.
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10. Labor Power is Suppressed
Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed .
It has been a downward trend for organized labour for the past 30-odd years.
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11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.
I think this was certainly a phenomenon in the 50's and in the 80's--but I am less certain that it is a feature today. The more interesting question would be the degree to which government interferes with academic research--particular research in which the private sector has not indicated any direct commercial interest. Is this new? Probably not--but the scale has probably changed.
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12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment
Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
Interestingly, I think you are recovering from that stupid misadventure with "tough on crime" legislation. I think government has started to tell legislatures that if they are going to look at crime, they have to look at preventing crime, not merely reacting to it. However, you still have a significant issue of prison labour in your economy that will have to be sorted through, and your incarceration rate is still astronomical.
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13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
I think the vernacular is, "you're boned." When commentators describe your economy as "crony capitalism," you know you have a problem. However, all is not as dark as it might seem. You have a heavily litigious investment sector, who will follow the dollars like a terrier going after vermin. So long as the courts are willing and able to enforce accountability, corruption can be held in some kind of check.
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14. Fraudulent Elections
Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.
If I was to identify a problem with American elections, it would not be fraud, it would be apathy. Which is, truth to tell, almost as bad.
So, while we can see many hallmarks of fascism in the United States, I tend to the view of ruveyn. "Thus it has ever been." At least for the last century. And while you have allowed government some pretty extraodinary powers in the last decade, I have faith that the scepticism of the electorate will win out over the attempted reach of government. So long as people bother going to the polls, and thinking about the consequences of their vote.
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--James
26 Jun 2012, 2:46 pm
"No I didn't YOU did!" you are a f***ing joke
