[ExI] Anons

[Stefano Vaj]

2011/2/12 Darren Greer <darren.greer3 at gmail.com>:
> Damien wrote:
>>The technical name for what you prefer is "corporate fascism". That doesn't
>> have a really compelling history.<

Strangely enough, "corporations" this side of the Atlantic, especially
in Italian and Neolatin languages, have an apposite meaning to the
ordinary usage of the US English word (we would rather say "companies"
here).

In fact, the word "corporations" in Europe refer to authoritarian
state-controlled agencies whose purpose is that of regulating, of
"harmonising", and sooner or later of taking over (see the hysterical
denounciations of "communism" against Ugo Spirito in 1937 by Italian
capitalists), private businesses in each given sector, both at a
proprietary and at a union level. Thus, the "textile corporation", the
"mechanical corporation", the  "building industry corporation", the
"agricultural  corporation"... For some time, the catholic church
itself was promoting such a system as a solution to the social
problems and a "third way" between Marxist socialism and capitalism.

On the contrary, what goes for "corporate fascism" today seems to have
little to do with fascist or Leninist state control of the means of
production and rather with multi-sector umbrella conglomerates or
horizonal cartels (such as Japanese kairetsus) taking over state
prerogatives or subjugating public powers, as in the typical cyberpunk
scenario.

-- 
Stefano Vaj