Too Many Morons (foul language warning) | 24 comments (24 topical, 0 hidden)
*insert clever title here* (none / 0)
Hmm, now the version I learned in PoliSci (and remember, I'm a Brit) was that the more toward the left you moved, the more you believed that people were essentially good and would, if left to their own devices, act in the best interests of each other; while the more toward the right you went, the more you believed that humans were essentially selfish and should be restrained. Where the hell modrn Republicans (who seem to believe that people are inherantly selfish but shouldn't be restrained at all) fit in is anyone's guess.

I'll agree entirely that economics were never a very major feature of fascism. The ideaology was always more about returning to a glorious (usually mythical) past. However, some degree of merger between the corporate and public estates is considered a key feature of fascism since fascism normally directs the corporate estate (for example, think of the Nazis directing the development of the VW Beetle). Essentially, fascism subordinates everything, including the corporate sphere, to the state.

With regard to the NSDAP list, a couple of caveats: Firstly, remember that the "socialist" part of the name was a hangover from before Hitler took over and several points of that list are likewise (for example, the communalization of warehouses was abandoned) and other parts (for example, the entry about pensions) were put in there to appeal to voters with no intention of ever honouring them (in the same way as the BNP always include clauses about funding education). Apart from that, most of the list is fairly nondescript, the only significantly right-wing entry is the one that says "the first duty of every citizen is to work". Fascism tends to glorify "honest toil". Think of the propoganda posters of farming volk. Actually, think of Republican tirades about "real America", the tone isn't dissimilar (although Republicans usually don't go anywhere near as far).

I promise I'll start such a thread once I work out my own opinion on it. The thing is, it sounds great in theory until I overhear the guys in the pub or read the local paper's LTTE and remember how incredibly dumb a very large portion of the public are (I actually am an elitist).

by Ebon on 10/15/2009 08:35:56 AM EST

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Even though (none / 0)
I'm also an elitist and consider myself extremly left. Some consider that a contadiction.

To me it seems that terms like left and right are not as straight forward as one thinks.
It seems in America left means wanting the best for the biggest amount of people.
My definition was what we were told in Germany.
And the British definition seems to be different, too.

This is just another argument for my hate of people starting arguments with something like :"I as a left/liberal etc..."
Nobody knows what these terms mean and still people let them decide their opinion.

Maybe a thread about direct democracy could help both of us to make up our mind on it.

"The first thing Fascists usually try to do is silencing the opposition."

by opposition on 10/15/2009 10:16:05 AM EST

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Too Many Morons (foul language warning) | 24 comments (24 topical, 0 hidden)