fas⋅cism  /ˈfæʃɪzəm/ Pronunciation [fash-iz-uhm]
-noun
1. (sometimes initial capital letter) a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.
2. (sometimes initial capital letter) the philosophy, principles, or methods of fascism.
3. (initial capital letter) a fascist movement, esp. the one established by Mussolini in Italy 1922-43.
I've heard and read a lot about the "threat" of fascism that America faces today. Given the polarized, overheated political climate these days (as evidenced by the madness of the August town hall season), it's easy to see why so many see the potential for fascism. Historically, fascism was germinated and nurtured to full flower in similar circumstances in pre-WWII Italy. Fascism grew in the fertile soil of ignorance, fear, and propaganda designed to produce uncertainty and reaction instead of rational thought. Post-9.11, I've sensed a heightened fear of the unknown permeating public discourse. Combine that with the reality that an African-American (and a Liberal Democrat at that) now calls the White House home...and there are a lot of people inclined to react rather than think. Properly manipulated, these folks can be (and apparently are being) convinced that America is on the brink of disaster.
More and more, I find myself wondering what these folks are so all-fired terrified of. Are they really so intellectually pliable that they'll react however the talking heads on Fox Noise Channel tell them to? Are they really so incapable of independent, rational thought that they would willing oppress those who happen to think and believe differently? Are they so willing to defend the country they love that they would deny others the very rights they demand for themselves? There have always been those conspiracy theorists ready to head for the hills at a moment's notice, but the current unrest has taken on a tenor that seems nothing if not dangerous in it's volume and vitriol. I suppose this is what happens after four decades of unchallenged Conservative propaganda and misrule. So many have come to believe that Right is right that they're willing to work (and vote) against their own interests. The GOP, and it's designated mouthpiece- Fox Noise Channel- have demonstrated that millions of Americans can be fooled and manipulated when you control both the medium and the message.
How in the hell did we get here? And more to the point: How do we get back out?
The first question is depressingly easy. This is precisely where 40 years wandering in the right-wing moral, cultural and economic wilderness has left us -- and, in fact, where it was always intended to lead us.
A liberal democratic society is a complex system that's designed to be very resilient and self-correcting in the face of all kinds of extremism. But the health of that system -- especially its natural immunity to would-be attackers -- ultimately depends on just one factor: It cannot survive without people's ongoing confidence in a functioning political contract.
A functional democracy is a messy, noisy, dysfunctional thing to watch, and ours is certainly a shining example of that reality. Underlying any functioning and healthy democratic system is the threat posed to it by those who would force their views down the throats of those who happen to think differently. The threat we face today is neither new or really any different than what's come before. It certainly seems more visible and prevalent today, primarily because information travels so much faster and farther than at any time in our history. One of the beautiful things about this country, though, is it's resilience and ability to maintain it's perspective and direction even when things seem completely FUBARed. No, the silliness and the ignorance displayed in spades at various town halls may not speak well for the national IQ, but I'm not sure that it portends an inexorable march towards fascism.
I'm not naive enough to dismiss the specter of fascism outright. After all, the price of democracy is eternal vigilance, right? (I think I saw that on a bumper sticker somewhere.) The potential is there, and there will always be those demagogues willing to manipulate the American electorate for their own self-aggrandizement. This attitude may be personified by the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Ann Coulter, and their ilk, but while they may be vocal and uninhibited, they generally represent a pronounced minority. Noisy, to be sure, but a threat to democracy? Eh, probably not.
Elections tend to sort these things out, and they serve as reminders that our system still works. The way it will continue to work is for those of us with a stake- and that would be all of us- to participate in the system. We can restore and maintain confidence in an ongoing political contract simply by being part of it. The noise and the Sturm und Drang may be messy, and it may appear threatening, but it's part and parcel of what makes this country what it is. By and large, our system still works. If it didn't, would it still be the destination of choice for so many from so many far-flung places?
