Fascists typically believe in strongman leadership, but you don’t have to swear allegiance to a specific strongman to be a fascist.
Eco-fascists, in particular, want a Pol Pot-style dictator, someone who will ignore laws, human rights, and common decency, in order to drastically reduce the human population and force the survivors into low-tech subsistence farming. Last I checked, no one like that is anywhere near power anywhere in the world, but that doesn’t make eco-fascists any less fascist for it.
I think eco-fascism in particular is fascinating, because elements of it can take root in otherwise very progressive individuals. And then they go on to spread to crypto-fascism without even knowing it–like the “humans are the virus” thing, which you might chalk up to everyday cynicism.
I mean this is true of all fascisms. I hesitate to call it a natural human disease of the mind or anything like that, but it certainly is a tendency, especially when times are tough.
Sure. Fascism, at its core, is just a fancy 20th century version of the age-old human instinct to respond to problems with violence. And we all have to watch out for that instinct. Progressives are human too.
I guess I’m just slowly realizing that–that it isn’t something that can ever be “solved” for good, just combated and mitigated. Not to say it isn’t a worthwhile struggle. Perhaps even the most worthwhile struggle we have.
Doesn’t fascism require a strong man leader?
I’m all for calling out destructive ideologies but if we call everything fascism then it’s really going to dilute the power of the term.
Fascists typically believe in strongman leadership, but you don’t have to swear allegiance to a specific strongman to be a fascist.
Eco-fascists, in particular, want a Pol Pot-style dictator, someone who will ignore laws, human rights, and common decency, in order to drastically reduce the human population and force the survivors into low-tech subsistence farming. Last I checked, no one like that is anywhere near power anywhere in the world, but that doesn’t make eco-fascists any less fascist for it.
I think eco-fascism in particular is fascinating, because elements of it can take root in otherwise very progressive individuals. And then they go on to spread to crypto-fascism without even knowing it–like the “humans are the virus” thing, which you might chalk up to everyday cynicism.
I mean this is true of all fascisms. I hesitate to call it a natural human disease of the mind or anything like that, but it certainly is a tendency, especially when times are tough.
Sure. Fascism, at its core, is just a fancy 20th century version of the age-old human instinct to respond to problems with violence. And we all have to watch out for that instinct. Progressives are human too.
I guess I’m just slowly realizing that–that it isn’t something that can ever be “solved” for good, just combated and mitigated. Not to say it isn’t a worthwhile struggle. Perhaps even the most worthwhile struggle we have.
I’m far, far more concerned with the regular fascism going on then someone crashing out about why people wont just stop being terrible to each other.