The View From Here: March 2014

Most people who live in Western democracies believe that we live in societies that value freedom, liberty and tolerance – principles and values that were purchased with human blood (during World War II) and at an immense cost to the national treasuries of most Western democracies (during both World War II and the Cold War). In the former conflict Allied soldiers fought against nations whose leaders were committed to political ideologies that plunged the world into madness and resulted in the death of more than 63 million people (a number slightly less than the current population of the United Kingdom).

The architects of those ideologies and the war they instigated died almost seven decades ago. However, people who believe in many aspects of those ideologies, and want to see governments based on them, continue to exist and have managed to influence politics in many Western democracies, particularly over the past two decades. The ideology to which I refer is fascism – a word that comes with all kinds of historical baggage, a word that most people are unlikely to use when referring to some present-day Western leaders and politicians. But despite the reticence of the mainstream media or political commentators to use that term, the truth is that many of the policies being implemented by governments, in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and other Western democracies have their roots in an ideology that millions shed their blood to defeat.

Present day fascism is an ideology that comes in many forms, an ideology where one size does not fit all. It manifests itself in The West by the actions of political, financial and corporate elites who desire to maintain and grow the existing infrastructure of wealth and power that favours their interests – that is, preserve the existing hierarchical and imbalanced socio-economic culture using the tools built into the globalized, corporation dominated economic order that has developed over the past 20 years.

The classical definition of fascism revolves around a joining of government and private corporations to exploit all available resources in pursuit of private profit, regardless of whether that profit is achieved by the exploitation and suffering of the vast majority of society, or even if it undermines the democratic underpinnings of that society.

The fascism of the 20th Century was a reactionary ideology primarily in response to the advance of communism, and it was expressed through the following characteristics:

protection and enhancement of the power of industrial / corporate elites;
control of the mass media;
rampant cronyism and political corruption;
election fraud and voter manipulation / suppression;
contempt for decisions and policies based on sound research;
identifying and targeting so-called “enemies” or scapegoating as a unifying cause;
fixation on national security, crime and punishment, and "order" in society;
political rhetoric emphasizing and elevating the place of police and the military in society;
historical revisionism;
disdain for civil liberties, human rights and social justice;
suppression of and attacks on legal political dissent and political opponents;
tolerance for sexism and misogyny;
support and advancement of ethnic and / or cultural nationalism; and
attacks on and suppression of organized labour.

If we examine the way that governments in most Western democracies, through their policies and actions, have evolved during the past two decades then we would see that many if not all of the characteristics that define fascism are present in the political cultures of The West.

If the allied soldiers who gave their lives for democracy, free speech, human rights and the other things that define a truly free and democratic society were alive today they would be appalled at what has transpired. Because what has happened is the creation of a political culture and societal attitude, shaped by governments and corporations following a neo-liberal / neo-conservative ideology, which has copied many aspects of the fascist ideology that Allied nations fought against in World War II, and the authoritarian ideology they continued to fight during the Cold War with the Soviet Union. And while what exists in western democracies lacks many of the more horrific and ethno-nationalist aspects of 20th Century fascism, in many of its major characteristics the political culture that has evolved in The West is proto-fascist if not actually fascist.

This is has not gone unobserved by journalists, academics and political pundits. It is something that has been noted by Canadian pollster and political commentator Allan Gregg among others. In a speech given on September 5, 2012 at Carleton University he compared what has happened to politics in Canada under Prime Minister Stephen Harper to the dystopian George Orwell novel Nineteen Eighty-Four – an analysis that is noteworthy because of Gregg’s historical connections to the predecessor of the Conservative Party of Canada. While the world we live in may not mirror what Orwell described in his novel, there are disturbing parallels between what is happening to politics and the democratic process in Canada and elements of Orwell’s novel.

In his remarks Gregg outlined the various policy changes that Harper has implemented at the federal level. By presenting the facts Gregg asks his audience to put together the pieces of the puzzle and conclude for themselves that Canada is well down the road to fascism courtesy of the Harper government. He then observes that despite how Canada has been transformed during Harper’s tenure as prime minister, there is no hue and cry from Canadians in protest. And yet there is much that Canadians and citizens of Western democracies should be protesting.

Another critic of the fascist political culture that has evolved in The West over the past two decades is Prof. Henry Giroux, Global Television Network Chair in English and Cultural Studies at McMaster University. In many of his writings Giroux provides analysis and insight into the state of modern society / culture in the U.S. and asks U.S. citizens to do what is necessary to challenge a culture and political mindset where the views of the majority of citizens / voters are relegated to the bottom of the list of interests that politicians cater to while the interests of corporations and elites are addressed with little thought as to the harmful effects they may have on society at large.

In a recent article, Intellectualism in the Age of Mass Surveillance, Giroux states that “[corporate] media are mostly engaged in what Noam Chomsky called ‘manufactured consent’, producing spectacles of [inanity and] violence, and pushing celebrity culture that becomes the ultimate model of a [debilitating] mode of consumption. He goes on to say that “loyalty to fame, money, and authority is far more important than the truth, a sense of social responsibility, or a passion and commitment to a more just world.”

Through their commentary People like Gregg, Giroux, Chomsky and others are trying to open the eyes of the masses, trying to raise awareness that we are living in a time where those who have the courage to hold authority accountable are treated like criminals or terrorists (i.e. Edward Snowden, Julian Assange, Bradley Manning) while those who use the power and authority of the state and mega corporations to commit horrendous crimes are treated as patriots and held up as models of leadership.

Giroux’s articles and critiques, as well as those of Allan Gregg, Noam Chomsky and others like them, should be heeded and used as inspirations for the changes that must be implemented if The West’s political culture (and by extension Western society) is to be prevented from stepping into an era of political and social darkness.

Please note that all links in this article were current and working at the time of posting. If any links no longer work please post a note in the comments section and I will post a link that works.
~ Fareed Khan

Monday, March 24, 2014

On the Road to Darkness: Thoughts on the Fascist Disease Infecting Western Society