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.
Related:
* Chris Hedges NPR Interview: On The Right Wing "Proto-Fascist Movement" in The U.S.
* Allan Gregg Speech Slams Tories’ Orwellian ‛Assault On Reason’
* Violence, USA: The Warfare State and the Brutalizing of Everyday Life
* Chris Hedges NPR Interview: On The Right Wing "Proto-Fascist Movement" in The U.S.
* Allan Gregg Speech Slams Tories’ Orwellian ‛Assault On Reason’
* Violence, USA: The Warfare State and the Brutalizing of Everyday Life
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
© F. Khan. All Rights Reserved.
Related Articles & Links:
* Is Stephen Harper displaying fascist-like tendencies?
* Chomsky Warns of Risk of Fascism in America
* Blueprint for Dictatorship
* The Rise of Christian Fascism and Its Threat to American Democracy
* The Christian Right and the Rise of American Fascism
* Brown Skin/Yellow Star: Turning the Corner Toward Fascism in the US
* High Plains Grifter: The Life and Crimes of George W. Bush: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
* Is America ‘Yearning for Fascism’?
* The Birth of Israelo-Fascism
* Is fascism on the march again?
* The far right is on the march again: The rise of Fascism in Austria
* Is Fascism Lurking in America?
* A Better Question Might Be, 'How Is It NOT Fascism?'
* Fascism Then. Fascism Now?
* Worse than Wal-Mart: Amazon’s sick brutality and secret history of ruthlessly intimidating workers
* Wal-Mart: An economic cancer on our cities
* Wal-Mart’s New Marketing Strategy Hides Dirty Practices
* Ex-US Marine: I Killed Civilians in Iraq
* If Bush is a War Criminal, Then What About the Troops
* Accused troops: We were under orders to kill
* The Marine’s tale: ‛We killed 30 civilians in six weeks. I felt we were committing genocide’
* Chomsky Warns of Risk of Fascism in America
* Blueprint for Dictatorship
* The Rise of Christian Fascism and Its Threat to American Democracy
* The Christian Right and the Rise of American Fascism
* Brown Skin/Yellow Star: Turning the Corner Toward Fascism in the US
* High Plains Grifter: The Life and Crimes of George W. Bush: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
* Is America ‘Yearning for Fascism’?
* The Birth of Israelo-Fascism
* Is fascism on the march again?
* The far right is on the march again: The rise of Fascism in Austria
* Is Fascism Lurking in America?
* A Better Question Might Be, 'How Is It NOT Fascism?'
* Fascism Then. Fascism Now?
* Worse than Wal-Mart: Amazon’s sick brutality and secret history of ruthlessly intimidating workers
* Wal-Mart: An economic cancer on our cities
* Wal-Mart’s New Marketing Strategy Hides Dirty Practices
* Ex-US Marine: I Killed Civilians in Iraq
* If Bush is a War Criminal, Then What About the Troops
* Accused troops: We were under orders to kill
* The Marine’s tale: ‛We killed 30 civilians in six weeks. I felt we were committing genocide’
© F. Khan. All Rights Reserved.
