The P. who hated Jazz (part one)

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Theodor W. Adorno, Anti-Semitism and Fascist Propaganda (1946), in: 
Soziologische Schriften I, Frankfurt/Main 1979, S. 397-407 (Suhrkamp). 
An analysis about the fascist and Antisemite propaganda of West Coast 
agitators.
Similarities to special forewords are purely accidental, of course.

"The observations contained in this paper are based upon three studies made 
by the Research Project on Anti-Semitism (Authors: T. W. Adorno, Leo L
oewenthal, Paul W. Massing) under the auspices of the Institute of Social 
Research at Columbia University. These studies analyze an extensive body of 
anti-democratic and anti-Semitic propaganda, consisting mainly of shorthand 
transcriptions of radio addresses by some West Coast agitators, pamphlets, 
and weekly publications...
To a certain extent, all these patterns can be explained rationally. Very few 
American agitators would dare openly to profess fascist and anti-democratic 
goals. In contrast to Germany, the democratic ideology in this country has 
evolved certain taboos, the violation of which might jeopardize people 
engaging in subversive activities. Thus the fascist demagogue here is much 
more restricted in what he can say, for reasons ob both political censorship 
and psychological tactics. Moreover, a certain vagueness with regard to 
political aims is inherent in Fascism itself. This is partly due to its 
intrinsically untheoretical nature, partly to the fact that its followers 
will be cheated in the end and that therefore the leaders must avoid any 
formulations to which they might have to stick later. It should also be noted 
that with regard to terror and repressive measures, Fascism habitually goes 
beyond what it has announced. Totalitarianism means knowing no limits, not 
allowing for any breathing spell, conquest with absolute domination, complete 
extermination of the chosen foe. With regard to this meaning of fascist 
"dynamism", any clear-cut program would function as a limitation, a kind of 
guarantee even to the adversary. It is essential to totalitarian rule that 
nothing shall be guaranteed, no limit is set to ruthless arbitrariness...
It his highly doubtful whether actual mass hypnosis takes place at all in 
Fascism, or whether it is not a handy metaphor that permits the observer to 
dispense with further analysis. Cynical soberness is probably more 
characteristic of the fascist mentality than psychological intoxication. 
Moreover, no one who has ever had an opportunity to observe fascist attitudes 
can overlook the fact that even those stages of collective enthusiasm to 
which the term "mass hypnosis" refers have an element of conscious 
manipulation, by the leader and even by the individual subject himself, which 
can hardly be regarded as a result of mere passive contagion. Speaking 
psychologically, the ego plays much too large a role in fascist irrationality 
to admit of an interpretation of the supposed ecstasy as a mere manifestation 
of the unconscious. There is always something self-styled, self-ordained, 
spurious about fascist hysteria which demands critical attention if the 
psychological theory about Fascism is not to yield to the irrational slogans 
which Fascism itself promotes...
1.) Fascist propaganda attacks bogies rather than real opponents, that is to 
say, it builds up an imagery of the Jew, or of the Communist, and tears it to 
pieces, without caring much how this imagery is related to reality.
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