Fascism Part I

[Joel Katz]

and how about the anti-mimetic taboo gone obscene and transformed into its 
opposite, uncontrolled mimesis?  (hitler, anyone?  il fago?)  how about the 
obscene superego supplement that hardwires the id to the State?  (operation 
infinite justice, anyone?)  how about funny moustaches and overuse of hair 
wax?

the point being:  merely sociological interpretations of fascism suck.  you 
need metaphysics.



>From: "Hal" <hjl31 at adelphia.net>
>To: <pynchon-l at waste.org>
>Subject: Fascism Part I
>Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2004 16:56:31 -0400
>
>
>
>I know it might be late but this list is worth reading. Part II will 
>follow.
>
>THE IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS OF FASCISM
>
>By Dr. Lawrence Britt
>
>Free Inquiry Magazine / Spring 2003
>
>Dr. Lawrence Britt, a political scientist, studied the fascist regimes of 
>Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), 
>and Pinochet (Chile). He found the regimes all had 14 things in common, and 
>he calls these the identifying characteristics of fascism. The article is 
>titled 'Fascism Anyone?', and appears in Free Inquiry's Spring 2003 issue 
>on page 20.
>
>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 the media is directly controlled by the 
>government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by 
>government regulation, or through sympathetic media spokespeople and 
>executives. Censorship, especially in wartime, is very common.
>
>

_________________________________________________________________
Limited-time offer: Fast, reliable MSN 9 Dial-up Internet access FREE for 2 
months! 
http://join.msn.com/?page=dept/dialup&pgmarket=en-us&ST=1/go/onm00200361ave/direct/01/