The Fourteen Points of Fascism : Points 11 & 12
Posted by Jason Easley on 08.08.2007
Brian McLain continues his series on the fourteen points of fascism with points 11 and 12, disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts, and obsession with crime and punishment.
Good day, everyone and welcome to the new installment of the fourteen points of fascism. Next week I will be offering the last two points next week and the following week I will offer my final conclusions and statements in regards to this subject, so please be on the look out for those over the next two weeks.
A couple of matters I would like to clear up before I get on with this article. I recently was honored to take part in the Fact or Fiction, currently under the new management of my fine feathered friend, Crow, but he has had a constant impulse to label me a liberal. I can assure everyone that I am far from a liberal on many issues, I am also far from conservative on many issues, I am libertarian is many instances and I am a Constitutionalist the majority of the time.
I was on a radio show recently in which I was labeled a Libertarian continuously, and that irritated me to no end and I will tell you why. I am a mutt, an independent who has come to despise placing ones self in different clicks and clichés because it gives many a false impression of where you stand. When one finds out one's particular brand name, it compels some to run away or automatically denounce every breath you steal from the atmosphere and that is not the basis of liberty and the Republic. When one follows the beat of their own drum, it often confuses the masses and leaves them wanting to know more. I attended a protest against Bush when he was in town last and somebody attempted to hand me a Kerry sign. I declined politely and this left this poor sap wondering "Well are you not voting then?"
Quite the contrary, I planned to submit my vote for one of the other 7 candidates running for president, and the fact that this guy, who probably voted strict party line his entire 4 years of legal voting didn't realize there were other parties than Democrat and Republican. People listen to you more if you just give your name and what your opinion is. If you slap an R or a D beside it, you are automatically alienating half of your audience. Besides, there's little difference between the two parties and I feel it's mostly a show boating scam anyway. I mean, come on, two parties that happen to believe the exact opposite of each other ALL THE TIME?! This seems a little fishy if you ask me. I shall digress no more, so enough of my rambling and on with what you all signed up for.
11. Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts
I don't know about many of you, but I grew up in a school system which taught that the United States was THE country in the world. It had never lost any wars, did no wrongs, it was flawless in all ways possible. Of course then I get to college and find out the real truth, that the United States, while a unique concept in representative government and confederacy, was far from flawless. I also would say that when the enemy crosses your border, and sets fire to the main home of the nation's executive, I think it would count as a win on the books for the enemy.
Americanization of the school system is only one method of indoctrination that took place during the Cold War, as any action deemed morally deprived was considered a Communist plot to destroy the American way of life, which lead to so many writers, screen stars, stage stars, journalists, artists, and others to be harassed, placed in front of Senate tribunals, and even jailed for their supposed ties. Universities across the country also felt the wrath of the government on this one, with words and lectured monitored very closely for any phrases or words that could be considered Communist indoctrination.
Artists were some of the vilest creatures on the planet according to Plato's Republic, and certain intellectuals that were not golden philosophers by birth were given about the same amount of disdain because it directed the public away from thinking a specific way, or the "right" way. So long as the people stay asleep to the true nature of things around them, then the ease of ruling over them would be at a maximum. Once thought enters one's brain, however, the whole plan is turned upside down and people will wise up by way of thinking abstractly, complexly, and critically. Today, the same disdain exists for those who teach and those who perform in the arts, only the battle is waged against them in money and propaganda.
Funds for arts and humanities education were dropped dramatically by the Bush administration, false news and staged show interviews are very much the norm now to combat any dissidence attempting to gain the public's ear, and artists have even been turned away at the US border by the scores due to "security risks". Intellectuals giving differing viewpoints from the mainstream are often sacrificed on evening news broadcasts in favor of what the latest Lindsey Lohan news is, and artistic political statements are very much suppressed as un-American. It is a continuous of assault on the freedom of speech and expression in the United States, and should one feel compelled to speak out against the unruly actions of the powers that be, they might find themselves in the same spot as many college newspapers in the country.
12. Obsession with crime and punishment
Draconian style of punishment is very much a major part of a fascist society. This is perhaps the fastest growing concern among the American population, as police are raised up to higher levels of authority and some even act out in a military fashion against the population. Random check points, forcing citizens to show their "papers" by constantly asking for identification, and tactics that are used to make people fear the police, rather than see them as a helpful force to protect them. It is fact that United States and England lead the industrialized world in incarcerations.
To add to this, police officers, per Supreme Court ruling, don't have to give an immediate reason for arresting someone, which was meant to shield over-zealous officers from false arrest lawsuits. It isn't just at the local level, however, as the federal government is getting further and further into local government's business in the War on Terror. The FBI is currently working on building a stasis style spy network to research and report possible terrorist or criminal activities after former Attorney General Ashcroft scrapped the original guidelines that prevented the FBI from spying on any individuals or groups unless there was clear criminal activity available.
I'm certain many remember the famous FBI tip line where you could leave information regarding possible terrorist activities anonymously, and now with the John Doe Amendment currently making its way successfully through congress, an informant doesn't even have to worry about being sued for falsely turning someone in. The explicit power being afforded law enforcement in all jurisdictions, boosted dramatically with the US Patriot Act, is becoming more apparent every day. And while there are still fine and great servants to the public safety, there are more and more of instances like this, this, and this. Comply and behave, and nobody gets hurt. Get back to your free speech zone before you have an "accident".
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