[Paleopsych] Fourteen Defining Characteristics Of Fascism

[G. Reinhart-Waller]

Dear Lynn and Steve,

Thanks awfully for your very kind words.  I like to think of these 14 
points in two respects.  Firstly we have the original set of 14 derived 
by Dr. Lawrence Britt after examing fascist regimes.  Let's call these 
the "thesis".  I then came along and stood the entire set on its head 
and compiled by own set of 14.....let's call these the "antithesis" .  
How does my set sound?   Mighty scary from a security point of view 
especially after the 9/11 scare, huh!  Yet when anyone complains fascism 
is WRONG, presenting the opposite is not a secure alternative.  If only 
we could meld thesis with antithesis....

Best regards,
Gerry



Steve Hovland wrote:

Good work :-)

Steve Hovland
www.stevehovland.net



Lynn D. Johnson, Ph.D. wrote:

> 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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