It seems Conservatives are throwing around the term Fascist again. First it was Islam-o-fascist during the war on terror. Now It's the Democrats and Barack Obama.
So let's look at their argument and see how it pans out.
There are 14 commonly excepted defining traits of a fascist society. I'll be using a list by Dr. Lawrence Britt, who " has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each:"
At the end of the list ask yourself who sounds more like a fascist, a democrat or a Republican?
1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia.
2. 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."
3. 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
4. Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread
domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding
5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.
6. 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.
7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
8. Religion and Government are Intertwined
9. Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power
10. Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government
11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia.
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
14. Fraudulent Elections
Still having trouble? Here's a Hint.
2. 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
