A dictator doesn't need concentration camps to be a dangerous fascist. People should check out this great essay on the 14 characteristics of fascism if they cannot fathom the Bush/Hitler connection. (link is below).
I'm posting just a few of the characteristics. They sound very familiar. We don't have concentration camps in the US (yet). For now they're in Cuba and Iraq, and some outsourced torture camps in Syria and Egypt. But if you read some of the violent rants on RW websites, I would not be surprised if "treasonous" people like me, who question the war and the corruption of this government, get rounded up in the middle of the night and "disappear."
In a fascist take-over, one of the advantages of the fascist regime is that people keep believing "oh, that would never happen here." I just saw "Hotel Rwanda" last night. There were huge, flashing danger signs all around Paul, the main character, but he just belittled people who took the signs seriously. Read a book called "The Oebermanns"- it was exactly the same in Germany as the Nazis started to rise in power.
No, it could never happen here! Bush like Hitler? Think about it, naysayers.
**************************************
http://www.secularhumanism.org/library/fi/britt_23_2.htm1.
Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism. From the prominent displays of flags and bunting to the ubiquitous lapel pins, the fervor to show patriotic nationalism, both on the part of the regime itself and of citizens caught up in its frenzy, was always obvious. Catchy slogans, pride in the military, and demands for unity were common themes in expressing this nationalism. It was usually coupled with a suspicion of things foreign that often bordered on xenophobia.
2.
Disdain for the importance of human rights. The regimes themselves viewed human rights as of little value and a hindrance to realizing the objectives of the ruling elite. Through clever use of propaganda, the population was brought to accept these human rights abuses by marginalizing, even demonizing, those being targeted. When abuse was egregious, the tactic was to use secrecy, denial, and disinformation.
3.
Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause. The most significant common thread among these 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. The methods of choice—relentless propaganda and disinformation—were usually effective. Often the regimes would incite “spontaneous” acts against the target scapegoats, usually communists, socialists, liberals, Jews, ethnic and racial minorities, traditional national enemies, members of other religions, secularists, homosexuals, and “terrorists.” Active opponents of these regimes were inevitably labeled as terrorists and dealt with accordingly.
4.
The supremacy of the military/avid militarism. Ruling elites always identified closely with the military and the industrial infrastructure that supported it. A disproportionate share of national resources was allocated to the military, even when domestic needs were acute. The military was seen as an expression of nationalism, and was used whenever possible to assert national goals, intimidate other nations, and increase the power and prestige of the ruling elite.
<snip>
8.
Religion and ruling elite tied together. Unlike communist regimes, the fascist and protofascist regimes were never proclaimed as godless by their opponents. In fact, most of the regimes attached themselves to the predominant religion of the country and chose to portray themselves as militant defenders of that religion. The fact that the ruling elite’s behavior was incompatible with the precepts of the religion was generally swept under the rug. Propaganda kept up the illusion that the ruling elites were defenders of the faith and opponents of the “godless.” A perception was manufactured that opposing the power elite was tantamount to an attack on religion.
<snip>
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(393 posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
