You may ask why is the author of a series of espionage thrillers writing blog posts about fascism? Answer: because the topic pertains to deadly deception.
To recap my last post, a fascist party will:
1. advocate concentration of wealth in the hands of only a few elites.
2. propagate fear and loathing of an 'other' group of people on the basis of traits they do not control.
3. vilify and try to silence, often violently, any criticism.
4. demand unquestioned loyalty, and often adulation, of its leadership or a particular leader.
To gain a toehold on power, the party will dissemble when giving the specifics of its agenda. Arguments will be subtle and couched in the language of reason and patriotism. The subtleties often contain words and concepts that stimulate a listener’s preconceived prejudices, often referred to as buzz words or dog whistles. An enemy will be suggested, sub rosa.
At this early stage, watch for catch phrases or scornful references to enemies chosen for an immutable characteristic, something they do not control, such as race, disability, origin or religious affiliation. An emphasis on the promise of national purity is an ominous early indication.
As the party moves further into public consciousness, it will have access to better means of communication that allow more sophisticated propaganda and misinformation. Their message will become increasingly more explicit about the evil nature of the people portrayed as enemies and the nirvana of a world without them. The confiding tone develops an addictive, simmering anger in the listener. The ratio of fact to fiction becomes smaller. Extreme sectarianism infiltrates major public institutions, especially the legal system. Fascists are firm believers in law and equality, but with the important caveat that they are more equal than others and all law must be structured to insure the difference.
Many conspiracy theories use similar propaganda, creating fantastic scenarios in order not only to inspire and maintain anger, but also to keep the target audience from believing any other information. No ordinary source can be trusted, only the breathless doom of propaganda and conspiracy. If the party member finds a discrepancy, a lie or mistake, it will be explained, perhaps winked at, in such a way as to make him feel superior, as if he is the only one in on the secret. In a fascist cult, everything is a secret.
Among many fantastic conspiracy theories extant is Holocaust denial. Despite clouds of witnesses, primary source reports, sworn testimony and photographic evidence, Holocaust denial is widespread in fascist cults. Its purpose is to assure present-day members whose consciences are not entirely prepared for fascist logic that genocide is not on the program.
Yet, every genocide humanity has ever experienced was borne on the shoulders of rank and file supporters who salved their consciences with similar self-deceptive myths while working to bring the killing regime to power.
Make no mistake. Death is the only solution a fascist leader has for the existence of people who are 'not us.'
Few of the people who fought the fascists in WWII remain to remind us how this worked back then. Memories are shorter now and propaganda techniques more sophisticated, capturing people all over the world. My next post will be a simple list of major fascist organizations in various countries.
You may be resistant to the more explicit agendas of these groups, but watch for their fellow travelers, politicians and hangers-on who jockey for position, spouting catchwords about patriotism. They will be more deceptive.
Why is this important? For anyone with a conscience, it never pays to facilitate, however inadvertently, the slaughter of innocents.