Fascism

Lately there has been a lot of interest in fascism. It probably has to do with the mood and the circumstances of our times, what with the war in Iraq, the rise of fundamentalism, the concentration of power and the growing disparity between rich and poor.

I just read an article by Paul Bigioni entitled “Fascism then. Fascism Now?” The article is meant to be a warning because as the author says we seem to be repeating history. Bogioni writes about corporate monopolies, which he argues, are at the crux of contemporary fascism. He sees parallels between today’s monopolistic business practices and that of Mussolini and Hitler's fascistic practices, which led to W.W.II. He also sees Bush&Co’s pandering to the rich and its war on terrorism as signs of fascism. I agree with Bigioni that things aren’t as egalitarian, equal and open as they should be. However, I don’t think we are headed for the serious kind of fascism of the past, as Bigioni seems to think.

The word fascism is bandied around so freely as to sometime be meaningless. We often use it wrongly, such as when we feel alienated and put upon. I looked it up in wikipedia, the free Internet encyclopedia, and it said, “there is little agreement among historians, political scientists, and other scholars concerning the exact nature of fascism.” However, it is generally associated with authoritarianism where citizens are dominated by a specific political ideology, something Bigioni sees occurring. It certainly is contradictory to democracy.

Someone asked, “ How do we ferret out the fascism that is ingrained in our behavior”. I like the question because it acknowledges the fact that we are all capable of fascistic behavior in one way or another, like we are all capable of doing evil, unawares of course. Hence, I don't think you can truly ferret out fascism. It is an inherent trait. I also believe it is ingrained institutionally- a reflection of human nature, in the way we organize and govern ourselves. In democracy we have learned to contain and counter this ingrained behavior. We do it through perverse means, by encouraging competing fascisms. America is a good example of this. It is replete with competing fascisms. By cultivating competing fascisms in business and government, democracies keep the bigger fascism of the past in check. In democracies the fascism of the ‘state’ is kept in check by the fascism of the media, capitalism, special interests and an open, churning society. An example, Bush's Social Security fascistic reform was kept in check by the fascism and the special interest of Social Security’s beneficiaries.

I remember hearing somewhere that fascism meant justice. Somebody said that Mussolini might have coined the idea, as the combination of corporate and state power. Bigioni wrote something that perhaps supporting that idea: “Mussolini spoke of a ‘corporate’ society wherein the energy of the people would not be wasted on class struggle. The corporation would resolve all labour/management disputes; if they failed to do so, the fascist state would intervene.” Mussolini suggested that under fascism a class struggled would no longer exist. That may have been interpreted by some as a form of justice.

I learned that "fasces" was an ancient Roman symbol, a staff with a double-sided axe on top, which Mussolini appropriated in trying to recreate the grandeur and power of Rome's past. It may have become a symbol of justice, like a judge's gavel, I was told. Moreover, the fascist states of Mussolini and Hitler also used Roman type symbols and props profusely to portray their authority, like insignia's and emblems on marching staffs and event backdrops. As it happens, Bush&Co. uses such backdrops to convey its power and propagandize its messages, a behavior that mirrors past fascism behavior. Fascism also is about staged events like those Mussolini and Hitler held, events that don’t usually reflect reality, again, something that Bush&Co is guilty of. Fascism, then, is an 'ism ' that masks reality.

In his article Bigioni more than suggests that liberals are responsible for fascism. Conservatives tend to blame liberals for all sorts of societies ills. The argument goes that liberals are the ones who brought us socialism, which in turn spawned fascism. Today, Bigioni writes, neo-liberals are responsible for the rise in fascism. He writes, “Under the sway of neo-liberalism, Thatcher, Reagan, Mulroney and George W. Bush have decimated labour and exalted capital”, capital meaning big business.

I thought those people he mentioned are conservatives. I guess conservatives are also capable of fascism.