President Biden's inspiring Jan. 6 speech gave promise that he will do everything he can to fight for democracy and the soul of the nation. Will it be enough?
As frustrating and frightening as it is to wait and wonder how, and even if, our leaders intend to proceed with fortifying our democratic republic against fascist aggression, there are things we as individuals can do in the meantime to not inadvertently make things easier for the authoritarians among us.
First, we need to identify what it’s about and call it by name. Fascism is its name and it’s about tyranny:
FASCISM: a political philosophy that exalts nation and race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic (despotic) government headed by an oppressive or arrogantly overbearing leader who requires severe economic as well as social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition. Misogyny, (contempt for women)is also a hallmark of fascism.
In my last post I wrote about how seemingly un-related patterns of republican behavior are actually related for a specific purpose. The purpose is to introduce fascism to Americans and allow us to get comfortable with it before a full-fledged government takeover occurs. (I’m not assuming a takeover will happen, I’m pointing out that it’s part of a plan)
There are several psychological techniques used extensively by fascists according to a book called, “On Tyranny,” by Timothy Snyder. I’m sure you’ll recognize some of them:
1. “Do Not Obey In Advance.” What the author is referring to is that people often adapt to new situations instinctively. There’s a phenomenon called anticipatory obedience, where people sense what a new leader(good or bad) wants from them and they give it without being asked. For this to work as fascists intend, citizens must be cognizant of an unspoken threat for non-cooperation.
2. “Defend Institutions.” Institutions cannot defend themselves, it’s up to us to preserve them & fight for them if need be. Institutions are an important part of our heritage because they are valuable symbols that reflect Americans’ values. Fascists naturally want to destroy them. Our job is to not take them for granted.
3. “Take responsibility for the face of the world.” If you see a symbol of hate, like a swastika, remove it if you can. No one should get used to seeing them around because they embolden fascists. Individually we can make it our business to destroy symbols of hate.
4. “Be wary of paramilitaries.” We’ve got a ton of paramilitary groups across the nation. Their very existence degrades political order & stability. But eventually and as history has demonstrated, paramilitary militias influence local police and military, and that’s not a good thing. We’ve already seen more than enough demonstrations of paramilitary influence on local police.
5. “Stand Out.” As the author says, “Someone has to.” What he’s referring to is that by standing out, someone sets a better example. It’s often the people who stand out that become great leaders.
6. “Be kind to our language.” The incessant slogans that characterize authoritarian/ fascism-speak(cancel-culture, War on Christmas, woke, so much winning)are part of a campaign of psychological conditioning for large groups. Part of it is a deliberate effort to narrow vocabulary and another part is to create an automatic psychological response. Narrowing of vocabulary is an insidious psychological ploy, because if you want to describe something you must have command of the words you need to do that accurately. Some would say it’s also part of a campaign to dumb-down the population—another typical fascist manipulation. People are easier to control when they are not well read, ignorant about history and haven’t been taught critical thinking. What we must do is be mindful to not incorporate fascist phrases & slogans into our personal way of expressing ourselves.
7. “Believe in truth.” Fascists notoriously invent alternate realities to obscure truth and facts. We’ve all witnessed the hostility from fascists when we insist on truth and verifiable facts. The former president’s penchant for nicknames and repetition is another part of growing an alternate reality. By insisting on using repetitive nicknames, the person in question is reduced to a stereotype or caricature. It’s easier to say bad things about a stereotype than a real person. The author also points out that the next step in a war on truth is “an open embrace of contradiction.” He gives the example of Trump’s promises when he campaigned for president. Trump promised to cut taxes for everyone and eliminate the national debt. Anyone with the ability to reason knows those two things can’t be done at the same time, but his fans refused to concern themselves about it. The last step in this category is when people value faith over facts. When this stage happens evidence is irrelevant.
There are several more techniques used to impose fascism on a population. I’ll cover them in a subsequent post.
It’s obvious. When Garland refused to prosecute the crimes in the Mueller report he signaled to the GOP he has no intention of holding Trump accountable for anything. His plan is to do nothing and say nothing. I hope I’m wrong.
If the President is serious he should replace the leadership at FBI and other institutions. I'm honestly shocked it hasn't been done already
As frustrating and frightening as it is to wait and wonder how, and even if, our leaders intend to proceed with fortifying our democratic republic against fascist aggression, there are things we as individuals can do in the meantime to not inadvertently make things easier for the authoritarians among us.
First, we need to identify what it’s about and call it by name. Fascism is its name and it’s about tyranny:
FASCISM: a political philosophy that exalts nation and race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic (despotic) government headed by an oppressive or arrogantly overbearing leader who requires severe economic as well as social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition. Misogyny, (contempt for women)is also a hallmark of fascism.
In my last post I wrote about how seemingly un-related patterns of republican behavior are actually related for a specific purpose. The purpose is to introduce fascism to Americans and allow us to get comfortable with it before a full-fledged government takeover occurs. (I’m not assuming a takeover will happen, I’m pointing out that it’s part of a plan)
There are several psychological techniques used extensively by fascists according to a book called, “On Tyranny,” by Timothy Snyder. I’m sure you’ll recognize some of them:
1. “Do Not Obey In Advance.” What the author is referring to is that people often adapt to new situations instinctively. There’s a phenomenon called anticipatory obedience, where people sense what a new leader(good or bad) wants from them and they give it without being asked. For this to work as fascists intend, citizens must be cognizant of an unspoken threat for non-cooperation.
2. “Defend Institutions.” Institutions cannot defend themselves, it’s up to us to preserve them & fight for them if need be. Institutions are an important part of our heritage because they are valuable symbols that reflect Americans’ values. Fascists naturally want to destroy them. Our job is to not take them for granted.
3. “Take responsibility for the face of the world.” If you see a symbol of hate, like a swastika, remove it if you can. No one should get used to seeing them around because they embolden fascists. Individually we can make it our business to destroy symbols of hate.
4. “Be wary of paramilitaries.” We’ve got a ton of paramilitary groups across the nation. Their very existence degrades political order & stability. But eventually and as history has demonstrated, paramilitary militias influence local police and military, and that’s not a good thing. We’ve already seen more than enough demonstrations of paramilitary influence on local police.
5. “Stand Out.” As the author says, “Someone has to.” What he’s referring to is that by standing out, someone sets a better example. It’s often the people who stand out that become great leaders.
6. “Be kind to our language.” The incessant slogans that characterize authoritarian/ fascism-speak(cancel-culture, War on Christmas, woke, so much winning)are part of a campaign of psychological conditioning for large groups. Part of it is a deliberate effort to narrow vocabulary and another part is to create an automatic psychological response. Narrowing of vocabulary is an insidious psychological ploy, because if you want to describe something you must have command of the words you need to do that accurately. Some would say it’s also part of a campaign to dumb-down the population—another typical fascist manipulation. People are easier to control when they are not well read, ignorant about history and haven’t been taught critical thinking. What we must do is be mindful to not incorporate fascist phrases & slogans into our personal way of expressing ourselves.
7. “Believe in truth.” Fascists notoriously invent alternate realities to obscure truth and facts. We’ve all witnessed the hostility from fascists when we insist on truth and verifiable facts. The former president’s penchant for nicknames and repetition is another part of growing an alternate reality. By insisting on using repetitive nicknames, the person in question is reduced to a stereotype or caricature. It’s easier to say bad things about a stereotype than a real person. The author also points out that the next step in a war on truth is “an open embrace of contradiction.” He gives the example of Trump’s promises when he campaigned for president. Trump promised to cut taxes for everyone and eliminate the national debt. Anyone with the ability to reason knows those two things can’t be done at the same time, but his fans refused to concern themselves about it. The last step in this category is when people value faith over facts. When this stage happens evidence is irrelevant.
There are several more techniques used to impose fascism on a population. I’ll cover them in a subsequent post.
It’s obvious. When Garland refused to prosecute the crimes in the Mueller report he signaled to the GOP he has no intention of holding Trump accountable for anything. His plan is to do nothing and say nothing. I hope I’m wrong.