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It's upsetting that most Americans think democracy is the opposite of fascism. Recently,
a high school in the metro Detroit area introduced a class intended to be used for a possible substitute for the generic American history and
politics class that all students are required to take before they graduate.
In this class, the students would be asked questions such as "Is the United States a fascist state?" Fox News attacked the school's administration as being, of course, "anti-American." Irony indeed, but that's the point. Of course, in a truly non-fascist state, the question can be considered and answered with a well-reasoned, proud and truthful "no". But, at the point where, for patriotic reasons, the question itself, "Are we fascist?" becomes unacceptable to ask … when those who ask the question are automatically considered anti-patriots … that is the very birth of fascism. It is in this way that fascism itself is paradoxical. The only societies willing to truly analyze themselves objectively, without having some predetermined bias telling them what the answer should be, on whether or not they are fascist, are those who truly have nothing to fear for they lack any fascist trait. Of course, even writing something like the preceding paragraphs today in the United States is enough for many to consider you an "anti-American," whether or not you have made any claim as to whether the U.S. itself is fascist or not. Again, the paradox inserts itself. If we are fascist, we as society won't know it. Those who claim it, they will be rejected. Am I claiming it? I'm not sure. If I did, and also stated that I was a patriot of this country, what would that make me? We'd like to think that fascism is the consequence of some evil force coming to power, such as Hitler or Mussolini. In reality, fascism appears to be less rooted at the personal level and seems to only gain real existence at the level of society at large. We'd like to think that fascist leaders are evil. But, that would ignore the fact that most of them are popularly elected in democracies, even if these democracies themselves are flawed - they serve a just end of democratic government opposed to total dictatorship, and remain popular among the majority even while the world watches in shock as atrocities are committed and backed by this majority. The fascists continue to praise their own good, how far from evil they are and how just their cause is. What shocks me the most about politics is how good, how just everyone thinks their own view and course of action are. At the same time, the rest of the world may be looking at them as if they are complete idiots … they simply need to wake up and come to terms with reality. But, this is how we see terrorists, and it is also how they see us, and I don't think many people realize this. Thinking that people are evil by nature is not a good point of entrance into politics. Thinking that terrorists are by nature evil serves no purpose as it only creates fear and rage amongst ourselves, as thinking that the U.S. is evil does the same for the terrorists … and we remain at a standstill as neither side understands one single thing that the other is saying. |
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