I'm not convinced that there's such a thing as a "kinder gentler 21st century fascism." Really, the same sorts of issues that were prevalent in the 30s across the world: anti-labour, anti-women, anti-intelectualism, nationalism, and racial/white supremacy, are the touchstones of contemporary fascism in the way that they were the touchstones of European fascism in the 30s and 40s (and Cambodian fascism in the 70s and 80s), and so forth.
Having said that, I think it's dangerous (and muddies the waters) to suggest that classical liberalism (conservativeism) and centrism lead to fascism in an incremental way, as I think that muddies the water and the political analysis and allows us to begin to equate "fascism" with "bad" in a way that is unproductive. Fascism represents a substantial break from and a total rejection of the current political system. Fascists replace government, they don't participate in it.
I think the phenomena you're addressing is probably more like "a ripening of the political consciousness" that *may* make it susceptible and willing to accept fascism at some point in the future. That's significant and disheartening on many levels, but I think it's an important distinction.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rosecarmine
(no subject)
Date: 2010-08-22 06:37 pm (UTC)Having said that, I think it's dangerous (and muddies the waters) to suggest that classical liberalism (conservativeism) and centrism lead to fascism in an incremental way, as I think that muddies the water and the political analysis and allows us to begin to equate "fascism" with "bad" in a way that is unproductive. Fascism represents a substantial break from and a total rejection of the current political system. Fascists replace government, they don't participate in it.
I think the phenomena you're addressing is probably more like "a ripening of the political consciousness" that *may* make it susceptible and willing to accept fascism at some point in the future. That's significant and disheartening on many levels, but I think it's an important distinction.