[Paleopsych] Fourteen Defining Characteristics Of Fascism

[Lynn D. Johnson, Ph.D.]

So is Lawrence Britt a real Dr? See this blog:
http://www.genesoc.com/blog1/index.php?p=27

Possibly - well, likely - a hoax. It doesn't have the feel of an 
academic piece. It sounds more like the typical professional skeptic / 
humanist piece, with contrived "relationships" designed not to enlighten 
but to enflame. There is one book on Amazon by a Lawrence W. Britt, no 
Dr. attached to his name. It is a novel, not a scholarly piece. The 
novel sounds contrived and forced, and hasn't sold many copies.

Have you been had, Steve?

Steve Hovland wrote:

>Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), 
>Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin 
>American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each:
>
>1.  Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make 
>constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other 
>paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing 
>and in public displays.
>
>2.  Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of 
>enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are 
>persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of 
>"need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, 
>summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc. 
>
>3.  Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people 
>are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a 
>perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; 
>liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.
>
>4.  Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread  domestic 
>problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government 
>funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military 
>service are glamorized.
>
>5.  Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost 
>exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles 
>are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and 
>the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family 
>institution.
>
>6.  Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to media is directly controlled by 
>the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by 
>government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. 
>Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.
>
>7.  Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool 
>by the government over the masses.
>
>8.  Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist 
>nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to 
>manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common 
>from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are 
>diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.
>
>9.  Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy 
>of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into 
>power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and 
>power elite.
>
>10.  Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is 
>the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either 
>eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.
>
>11.  Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to 
>promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It 
>is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even 
>arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.
>
>12.  Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the 
>police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are 
>often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in 
>the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with 
>virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
>
>13.  Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are 
>governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to 
>government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect 
>their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes 
>for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even 
>outright stolen by government leaders.
>
>14.  Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a 
>complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns 
>against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation 
>to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and 
>manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their 
>judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.
>
>
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