[Paleopsych] Fourteen Defining Characteristics Of Fascism

[Lynn D. Johnson, Ph.D.]

brilliant! I wish I had thought of it.

G. Reinhart-Waller wrote:

> For the sake of argument le us counter Dr. Britt's defining
> characteristics of fascist regimes. In turning his 14 points upside 
> down, we then have the following characteristics of a non-fascist regime:
>
> 1.  No nationalism....all members of a given country relate and pay
> homage to all other nations, most especially those their ancestors came
> from.
>
> 2.  Place "human rights" above security.  If someone kills your brother,
> think of the murderer's rights before thinking of protecting your family.
>
> 3.  Don't label anyone as the enemy....this only promotes
> scapegoat-ism.  View all as brothers and friends, even Islamic militants.
>
> 4.  De-glamorize the military by cutting their funding.  The military
> serves no purpose, most especially for domestic problems.
>
> 5.  Remove males and other fascists from public office and allow 
> support for divorce, abortion and homosexuality to thrive.
>
> 6.  Eliminate all controls of media....free speech must be supported 
> even if it twists the facts.
>
> 7.  Removes all traces of National Security....provide for a 
> laissez-faire government in which soldiers and police become new rock 
> stars because crime will automatically disappear.
>
> 8.  Eliminate all forms of religion and replace with a scientific 
> ideology.
>
> 9.  Eliminate all corporations in favor of "mom and pop" businesses.
>
> 10.  Support and promote Labor Unions.
>
> 11.  Allow all artists and academics freedom of expression.  Applaud 
> gourmet treats such as barbecued dead babies or artistic works such as 
> crucifix in urine.  Never censure a professor since what he has to say 
> is intellectually correct.
>
> 12.  Provide no controls for crime which in turn eliminates any form 
> of punishment.  Butterflies are free and so are humans.
>
> 13.  Eliminate cronyism in government and academe....only strangers 
> can attain high positions, especially those without any background.
>
> 14.  Provide no security for elections.  Voting is a special treat 
> available only to those with huge funds to buy their way into government.
>
>
>
>
>
> 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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>
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