democratic is a bit of a stretch though
this post was submitted on 24 Aug 2024
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Hardship most likely
I need to make a bot to post this any time fascism gets mentioned.
The western left’s use of the term fascism, is borderline white-supremacist at this point. Fascism was a form of colonialism that died by the 1940s, and is only allowed to be demonized in public discourse, because it was a form of colonialism directed also against white europeans. It was defeated, and Germany / Italy / Japan reverted to the more stable form of government for colonialism (practiced by the US, UK, France, the Netherlands, Australia, etc): bourgeois parliamentarism.
British, european, and now US colonizers were doing the exact same thing, and killing far more people for hundreds of years in the global south, yet you don’t hear ppl scared of their countries potentially "adopting parliamentary democracy”. They haven't changed, and their wealth is still propped up by surplus value theft from the super-exploitation of hundreds of millions of low-paid global south proletarians.
This is why you have new leftists terrified that the UK or US or europe “might turn fascist!!”, betraying that the atrocities propagated by those empires against the global south was and is completely acceptable.
Make no mistake about it: parliamentary / bourgeois democracy is not only a more stable form of government, it's also far more effective at carrying out colonialism, and killing millions of innocent people.
Fascism is a pretty specific ideology. If you want to learn more, Umberto Eco made a list.
I get where you're getting at: the role of past and ongoing colonialism is still being downplayed. But you're wrong. There are very good reasons why we should fear fascism in particular.
Umberto Eco completely ignores the material basis for fascism, which is usually the downwardly mobile petit bourgeoisie. Fascism takes advantage of superstructural elements, which is why Eco’s list contains the elements it does in a kind of grab bag fashion. But it still has a material basis, itself being a response to a crisis within capitalism. Would highly recommend The Jakarta Method for further reading on what people are discussing in your replies and in this thread.
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Eco is not a definitive authority and his little checklist is extremely ahistorical.
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I'd also like to add that hitler was very specific about his desire to emulate the US model of colonialism: and do to eastern europe, what the US had already done to its native peoples.
The only difference between lebensraum and manifest destiny, is that bourgeois democracy was far more effective at indigenous genocide than fascism was.
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The USA genocided an entire continent under it's current form of government, and committed and is still committing countless other atrocities. Look at what Europe did to Africa and Asia under that same form.
Bourgeois parliamentarism is a much more stable shell for colonialism than any other form of government has proven to be. Demonizing a dead form of colonialism (fascism) lets them off the hook, and never forces them to look at what their own governments are currently doing. They get to keep their chauvinist / supremacist myth about "liberal democracy" being the superior form of government, without challenging it.
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I think calling everyone a fascist would just water down the impact of the fascist world just like the far right- or far left-wing words which nowadays are just used on more left/right parties but are kinda not close on their agenda like the 20th century parties were where these definitons came from.
But educate me if some of these countries have parties which really apply most general aspects of the fascism movement
This started with “the war on terror.” And then any time there was anything someone didn’t like, it was “terrorism.”
A few of the AFD highlights
Member of the Bundestag suggested to shoot every migrant at the border.
Another one claimed not every SS member was a bad person. Which lost them the support of French and Italian fascist.
Leader of the party in Thüringen, a history teacher, used a slogan of the SA.
There is many more...
Yeah. Scary stuff. I live in central Berlin, and it's pretty relaxed here. Did the Mauerlauf last weekend and immediately when you cross the Brandenburg border to some of these villages, they're full of AfD advertisement. Berlin is definitely the Portland of Germany :D
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An example, a Dutch minister for the biggest party (PVV, in my opinion (very close to being) a fascist party) was an active member on an internet forum called Stormfront which is known to be a forum for neo-nazis
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Wanting to ban mosques, the quran and muslim clothing like niqabs sounds pretty fascist to me (that’s what the biggest political party in The Netherlands wants). Thinking the European far right (that is rapidly gaining grounds) isn’t fascist or fascist leaning is a wild take.
Unfortunately most leftist parties in Europe suffer from the paradox of tolerance. And rightists are hypocritical in opposing Islam but supporting Christianity. There's nobody anti-islamic who's not a fascist, which is ironic since in some ways they are quite similar, and both are harmful to humanity.
(And to make it clear before you accuse me of being fascist, I oppose the currently dominant version of Islam which is not separable from politics, and which insists on actual belief in god and quran. Once it becomes a weakly held cultural category like Christianity in most of Europe I'll be fine with it)
Where in Europe do you consider islam to be more than a ‘cultural category like Christianity’? Most European countries have large Christian conservative political parties that are preventing trans people from getting the medical care they need and women from having ownership of their bodies when they’re pregnant.
As a trans person fundamentalist Christians are a much bigger threat to me than fundamentalist muslims. I experience solidarity from muslims who know what it’s like to be marginalised and discriminated against. There are muslim people who would like to restrict my determination over my own body, but there are way more Christians in my country who would like to do the same and they pose and actual threat to me.
"There's nobody anti-islamic who's not a fascis"
I'm sorry but you can be violently anti-religion without being a fascist. Considering religions for what they are - a way to dominate the people by fear anddesinformation - does not mean that you are going to prevent people from practicing their religion. You are just making damn sure they don't advocate them in public schools, hospitals and administrations.
I’m sorry but you can be violently anti-religion without being a fascist.
Yes, that was exactly my point. I'm complaining that in the current political scene there are no parties that separate those ideas.
And yes, banning the public display will only make it go underground and become stronger, this is why it's so important to separate anti-religion from fascism.
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There is no careful use of language that can stop people from preferring hatred. Humans are machines for making the world worse, and they will continue to do so, and while they do it they will rationalise doing it, and while people get hurt (including themselves) they will blame the victims.
"It's not fascism!" they complain as minorities are scapegoated and children die. Just get used to the fact that anything that is pointed entirely towards harming people for fun and profit is going to attract a range of derogatory words, and maybe think about how to stop humans from hurting humans instead.
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the guy running for chancellor in Austria (Herbert Kickl) is calling himself "Volkskanzler", guess who also called himself that? fucking Hitler. so no, I don't think I'm over reacting
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Many are populist parties, with the feeling that fascism is just waiting behind a hidden corner.
Not even slightly hidden
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Where's italy?
Italy's taking the picture
they already are fascist, so no reason for them to run towards it, also they're included in the EU
also they're included in the EU
So's Germany, France, and ~~Latvia~~ Austria. AKA everyone pictured except the US.
tbh I was just too lazy to insert every european flag, so I just put the EU one there and the countries I know some politicsl shit about
That's fair 😁
Italy should actually be in the front