debate

@chocopyro For clarification, are you following what this guy is saying? Do you affirm that the US is now a fascist country or has been all along? Need more info from what your stance is, I guess.

Liberalism has always been known to be vulnerable to fascism. Our CIA has a long history of toppling governments and putting despots in charge to destabilize regions. And if we aren't careful we run the risk of letting the red flags fly by us, as it's easy to be blinded by sensationalism. I view Fascism as more of a political phenomenon than it is a political ideology. And yes, there have been multiple attempts to install one such regime in the US. Mostly ends with the involved parties getting a slap on the wrist, and the movement quickly fizzles out. Though now, thanks to the internet, the framework of that kind of culture has already been built. Is Trump trying to turn America into a fascist state? I don't know about that. But is he opportunistically using authoritarian/nationalist or fascist tactics in his 2020 campaign to appeal to a growing base of disenfranchised, white identitarian voters like fascist regimes historically do? Haha, dude. That's always been part of the formula. Just look at my mom in the KKK. Avid Trump supporter. The muslims aren't going to take over her country! Never mind that many of the people she harasses are second generation war refugees who just wanted to get away from the extremists in their country. On both the right or the left, you have two types of people. Those who need the system to change in order to apply their merit to achieve something in life, and those who just want someone else to make their problems go away, thus will take any hand that affirms that its not their fault. There's also the status quo, but like... Well, if you believe in nothing, you'll fall for everything. So back to the other two I mentioned. One group is always going to use the others in order to get what they want. Even if they are the minority. So if you have a subsect of white nationalists in your country, and the advent of the internet gives these isolated groups like the KKK, the Neo Nazis, and other isolated individuals who feel marginalized, well, they're going to find each other. They're going to start swapping ideas. And then they will start to get smarter in how they do things. They may still be in the minority. But that doesn't matter. All you need to do is get into the right echo chambers. And soon the extremist anti-fa and anti-auth activists in the world start to have a bit of trouble telling an actual fascist from a normal conservative, as they start to pick up their dog whistles and talking points. The anarchists get alarmed, the far left communists get alarmed, and then theirs almost a counter reactionary movement against them, which in turn they could use the whole "You see that? They're calling normal people like us Nazis. Look how extreme they are!" Its what allows them to get more sympathetic in the eyes of the middle. So you have all this right versus left bs going on, but let's be real. Racists and antisemites exist across the board. They have a higher tendency of them in the right because conservative cultural values tend to appeal to their romanticized way of thinking more. But this has never been a right v left thing. All along its been... More of an up and down kinda thing. As for what the dude in the video is referencing? Its a 2003 article from Political scientist Dr. Lawrence Britt, ("Fascism Anyone?," Free Inquiry, Spring 2003, page 20). who studied the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile), Dr. Britt found they all had 14 elements in common. He calls these the identifying characteristics of fascism. Here's an excert from the article. "The 14 characteristics are: 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. 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. 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. 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. Rampant Sexism: The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy. 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. Obsession with National Security: Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses. 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. 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. 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 . 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 is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts. 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. 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. 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." (And thats why I need my meds for a debate. ^_^)