Capitalism and fascism (article)

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Its real title is "How to tell if someone you know is becoming a fascist" but it would not fit, so I condensed the actual title. It's a long article, chock full of great analysis. Here is one salient quote:
The moment that you suppose that some people, who are inherently inferior, deserve not to survive in some basic way — whether through a lack of healthcare, or finance, or education, or shelter — then you have gone a very long way to being a fascist. Because of course that is precisely what fascism is made of — there is in fact just one step remaining on the path towards it.
https://eand.co/how-to-tell-if-you-or-s ... fc6490d52a

In the article we find a critique of how social media has made normal all kinds of unsavory ideas, and it lays out the features of fascism while comparing and contrasting them with the ideals and features of capitalism. Worth a read--after all, the orange fascist has started his will-fail 2024 campaign. But his voice and words are everywhere.

CDFingers
Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandana
like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eyed Jack

Re: Capitalism and fascism (article)

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CDFingers wrote: Sat Jan 28, 2023 5:23 pm
In the article we find a critique of how social media has made normal all kinds of unsavory ideas, and it lays out the features of fascism while comparing and contrasting them with the ideals and features of capitalism. Worth a read--after all, the orange fascist has started his will-fail 2024 campaign. But his voice and words are everywhere.

CDFingers
CD we have had social media doing the same thing since the printed word. In modern times we had pamphlets and flyers pushing anti-semitism in Germany and Austria in the late 1890s and early 1900s that were read by a young Adolf Hitler.
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.-Huxley
"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." ~ Louis Brandeis,

Re: Capitalism and fascism (article)

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Beau asks us to examine the mythology behind the Second Amendment, showing that it asks us to be alert to injustice.



When we see social media tell us to diss on the "woke" idea and we accept that, we are shirking out duty to remain alert to injustice. Fascism asks us to ignore injustice to those who are "woke." So, fascism is the wrong path.

CDFingers
Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandana
like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eyed Jack

Re: Capitalism and fascism (article)

4
Had this conversation yesterday with a younger relative. Not in economic terms, but they can be useful here.

The Gini coefficient is a mathematical expression of economic inequality, ranging from 1.0 - 0, where 0 is Marx's utopia and 1 represents total concentration of wealth in the hands of one person - say, a literal interpretation of God in Abrahamic traditions. But what is wealth but one abstract measure of power in a free market? It isn't political power or social influence per se, but you know and I know that these things are for sale. Wealth is not the only measure of power, but the boundaries between expressions of power are permeable.

Imagine a democratically organized commune, where all things are held in trust by a collective - shared among the members when possible, their use determined by the will of the group otherwise. Each individual may hold equal economic and political power - although variations in individual knowledge and social influence are inevitable. Contrast with modern Russia. Not only is political power concentrated in the hands of one man, but also legal, economic, and military power - Putin's control is not absolute but it is upheld by near-monopoly on violence. The wealth, power, and influence of others is subject to his approval and by his leave.

Our country was founded on platitudes of equality and justice, scribbled by wealthy white slave-owning men who used political power, social influence, and violence to oppress others based on sex and race. Still, they sought to build a nation more equal than the monarchy they renounced, under the flag of ideals we still follow, even if they did not. We know that perfect equality is a dream that we will never achieve, but the pursuit of that dream is how we uphold justice.

We can not achieve justice in an unequal nation. It is not enough to have one person, one vote for all people if votes are on the market in a country of profoundly unequal wealth. We are not equal in a system that suppresses the voices of some while promoting the opinions of others. Most relevant to our mission - the capacity for violence must never be concentrated in the hands of a few. Self-defense and the collective defense are both human rights. Equality isn't possible under a monopoly of force.

Which brings us to underlying attitudes. Autocracy is rooted in selfishness - not mere self-interest, but a pursuit of personal power in disregard for the welfare of others. It is upheld by cruelty, ruthlessness, suppression of dissent, dishonesty and fear. By contrast, equality is upheld by kindness, respect, generosity, defense of diversity, openness, and dedication to truth. Live your ideals.
Last edited by wings on Sun Jan 29, 2023 11:41 am, edited 1 time in total.

Re: Capitalism and fascism (article)

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Everyone knows I'm no fan of social media, talk about sheeple it's full of them and they occupy both ends of the political spectrum. Don't forget we live in the era of surveillance capitalism, the capitalists behind social media make money whether those who use their platforms promote right or left wing causes. Trump used Twitter and Facebook to his advantage in the 2016 election and he'll try to do it again in 2024.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Capitalism and fascism (article)

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TrueTexan wrote: Sun Jan 29, 2023 10:29 am Wings-Very good post.
Agreed--most excellent. These last two paragraphs are especially salient:
We can not achieve justice in an unequal nation. It is not enough to have one person, one vote for all people if votes are on the market in a country of profoundly unequal wealth. We are not equal in a system that suppresses the voices of some while promoting the opinions of others. Most relevant to our mission - the capacity for violence must never be concentrated in the hands of a few. Self-defense and the collective defense are both human rights. Equality isn't possible under a monopoly of force.

Which brings us to underlying attitudes. Autocracy is rooted in selfishness - not mere self-interest, but a pursuit of personal power in disregard for the welfare of others. It is upheld by cruelty, ruthlessness, suppression of dissent, dishonesty and fear. By contrast, equality is upheld by kindness, respect, generosity, defense of diversity, openness, and dedication to truth. Live your ideals.
Also
highdesert wrote: Sun Jan 29, 2023 10:40 am Everyone knows I'm no fan of social media, talk about sheeple it's full of them and they occupy both ends of the political spectrum. Don't forget we live in the era of surveillance capitalism, the capitalists behind social media make money whether those who use their platforms promote right or left wing causes. Trump used Twitter and Facebook to his advantage in the 2016 election and he'll try to do it again in 2024.
From another thread comes this stump for Ben Bagdikian's book, which now has a new edition.
In this critique of corporate media control, Ben Bagdikian examines the effect of corporate ownership and advertising on mass media in the United States. He documents the continuing decline in the number of firms dominating production of newspapers, magizines, books, television and movies in the U.S. He also discusses the emerging corporate control of alternative media outlets such as cable television, syndicated programming and videocassetes, and shows how the recession, corporate takovers and lax antitrust policies have affected news reporting in the 1980s
https://archive.org/details/mediamonopoly00bagd

CDFingers
Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandana
like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eyed Jack

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