Forecast fascist future

"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross."
-Sinclair Lewis

I was a bit disconnected from the blogosphere last week, so I missed much of the chattering about this column by Naomi Wolf in the Guardian. The word "fascist" often gets thrown around carelessly without exposition, and everyone agrees that any definition of the term would be amorphous at best. But Wolf (I almost called her Naomi Klein there) doesn't help matters by essentially using characteristics of any authoritarian state, which is not, in itself, enough to be called "fascist."

Wolf also has the advantage, in trying to define Bush's America as fascist, of being able to pick out definitions that fit the specific example she has in mind. A better template is Umberto Eco's modern classic "Eternal Fascism: Fourteen Ways of Looking at a Blackshirt," which is excerpted in Chris Hedges' recent book on the Christian Right "American Fascists." Like Hedges, I think there are legitimate strains of fascism on the American Right, but we need to avoid the further careless devaluation of the word which has led to it being wildly mis-applied to anyone who happens to be our political enemy.

1. The first feature of Ur-Fascism is the cult of tradition.

As Eco says, traditionalism in itself is not enough for fascism, which is why we can distinguish between fascism the plain conservative cult of tradition, which, although it's a flaw of conservatism, isn't an especially toxic one. Interestingly, the hardline Christian Right is very opposed to syncretism, unless by syncretism you mean "all traditions of the world serve to prove Christianity correct" which is present in some cases. It's no matter, they'll have a high enough batting average by the end of this.

2. Traditionalism implies the rejection of modernism.

As much as "postmodernism" is the great straw man of the Christianists, they are equally dismissive of modernism, being very much in love with an innocent, pre-modern, obedient hierarchy.

3. Irrationalism also depends on the cult of action for action's sake.

I think you could sucker a number of people with the Goering/Jobst quote "When I hear the word 'culture,' I reach for my gun." For fascists, the only value in "art" is its coercive power, its usefulness in leading people to The Way, cf, Left Behind, Thomas Kinkade, etc. At least the Nazi's had Leni Riefenstahl.

4. The critical spirit makes distinctions, and to distinguish is a sign of modernism.

5. Besides, disagreement is a sign of diversity.

6. Ur-Fascism derives from individual or social frustration.

7. To people who feel deprived of a clear social identity, Ur-Fascism says that their only privilege is the most common one, to be born in the same country.

I'm skipping ahead a bit, because this is the one I really wanted to reach. This, to me, is the single defining characteristic that distinguishes "fascism" from mere dictatorships, and it's a place many people are afraid to go.

A few weeks ago we had the "Blog Against Theocracy," event, which was very useful but ultimately incomplete because it only addressed the latter half of Sinclair Lewis' maxim. The American proto-fascists have certainly been able to tap into religion to serve their needs, but it isn't necessary. And indeed, they are already at work creating a surrogate religion of "Americanism," where national symbols and iconography are sanctified, and where even liberals are afraid to encroach upon because of the tried-and-true slur "anti-American." The BAT event used the logo of the Statue of Liberty holding a cross, and eagerly set about swatting the cross out of Lady Liberty's hands, without recognizing that she will just grow something else in its place.

8. The followers must feel humiliated by the ostentatious wealth and force of their enemies.

Eco "However, the followers of Ur-Fascism must also be convinced that they can overwhelm the enemies. Thus, by a continuous shifting of rhetorical focus, the enemies are at the same time too strong and too weak."

A frequent source of puzzlement for those of us who watch the religious right is how seamlessly their leaders can go from being oppressed and persecuted to a "silent majority," which will use the force of democracy to crush their outnumbered foes.

9. For Ur-Fascism there is no struggle for life but, rather, life is lived for struggle.

The long shadow of communism provided an excellent villain for the American fascists during the Cold War, insomuch as they could imagine a communist takeover of the United States as the impetus for this struggle. But the 21st-century Enemy, Islamic terrorism, has proven to be a poor replacement in the way of believability. At least, no one should take seriously the idea of Islamic fundamentalists instituting a theocracy in the United States, but this is solemnly intoned as a legitimate threat by far too many people.


10. Elitism is a typical aspect of any reactionary ideology, insofar as it is fundamentally aristocratic, and aristocratic and militaristic elitism cruelly implies contempt for the weak.

11. In such a perspective everybody is educated to become a hero.

Eco: "This cult of heroism is strictly linked with the cult of death."

Sound like anyone you know with a yellow ribbon magnet on their SUV? Our exploding militarism is now so mainstream that tempering every statement with "but the soldiers are the Real Heroes!" is now almost necessary to avoid being label an extremist.

12. Since both permanent war and heroism are difficult games to play, the Ur-Fascist transfers his will to power to sexual matters.

Not much need be said here, except for a note on "chastity," which, of course, is the only accepted standard sexual rule for Christianists, if not one closely followed by many of their leaders. This is why I think sexual (and otherwise) bullies like Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly are better representatives of American fascism than James Dobson or Pat Robertson, as both of the former also share the same preference of "Americanism" as a religion to Christianity.

13. Ur-Fascism is based upon a selective populism, a qualitative populism, one might say.

Eco: "Wherever a politician casts doubt on the legitimacy of a parliament because it no longer represents the Voice of the People, we can smell Ur-Fascism."

14. Ur-Fascism speaks Newspeak.

Eco again: "All the Nazi or Fascist schoolbooks made use of an impoverished vocabulary, and an elementary syntax, in order to limit the instruments for complex and critical reasoning."

I think we are all blessed to know a few fascists, and the question we would likely have to face is what makes Fascism more odious than other ideologies, so much that the first scent of it is enough to send people running for the hills? Fascism is never harmless because it can never be peaceful; it must always fight somebody, and it is too closely linked to a warrior masculinity to deal with its opposition peaceably.

It is a good thing that we are taking on the theocrats head-on, but that is only part of the battle, The theocrats are potent because they are tying themselves to American exceptionalism, which everyone either believes or is too timid to say otherwise. I am far more concerned about the serial flag-wavers and sanctified militarism as creeping fascism than the Bible-beaters. They are far more numerous, far more mainstream, and, while there are hordes of people piling on the tracks to slow down the plastic model-engine of the Christianists, the runaway train of nationalism continues downhill with no one in sight to apply the brakes.