Political definitions are dangerous. It gives one the impression that there is a specific semantic procedure to identify and specify a vague constellation of behaviors and characteristics. This is just wrong. Human social organization is highly complex and never repeats itself, even if we can identify similar scenarios and patterns. But even more important, demanding formal definitions gives the apologists for fascism a means of rejecting and confusing any analysis by simply bogging us down in endless debates about nomenclature and linguistic precision. The same goes for "Socialism". These things are valid mental constructs, useful operational terminology, but they are not mathematically or logically definable. I've seen that particular shell game played too often right here on the Zone. George Orwell, the great English Socialist writer and critic wrote a fine essay on this, and it is still worth reading. He pretty much determined there is no definition.
http://orwell.ru/library/articles/As_I_Please/english/efasc
Eco's descriptions are as good as any, but there's no need to try and specify fascism precisely. In the end, the definition generally applied to pornography, "I'll know it when I see it", is good enough. You don't need to be a musicologist to tell the difference between folk, country, rock and jazz. There may be a lot of overlap, but we know exactly what we're talking about after hearing just a few bars on the radio.
What we should concentrate on instead is why is fascism so easy for highly organized societies under stress to slip into. I believe it is like feudalism; in that in hard times it is a quick and robust way of organizing populations. It may not be efficient, or humane, or very smart, but it is fast and easy. When the Empire falls, the land slides into feudalism, just like it did at the collapse of Rome, the rise of the Shogunates in Japan, the Warlords in China, and several other periods in history. When a complex and sophisticated social system unravels, the bullies and thugs take over and restore "order". The trains run on time. Fascism, like feudalism, provides order, and it gives the illusion of stability. At least for a while.
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Definitions
The whole thread (74 posts)
- Defining fascism--a little light reading
- A superb description of the Republican Party with their goosestep members of Congress.
- It's funny, even you guys have to look up the definition of fascist.....n/t
- Do you already know one?
- Please..
- OK, the long way round, you're saying you don't think Trump is a Fascist
- I think you're just a little too gleeful.
- "Glee" is the wrong word
- I'm sorry you took offense Robert
- If you are really asking a question:
- Racism was more of a prominent example than the sole characteristic
- Excellent post.
- It wasn't that Eco, or even Robert, were wrong.
- Your ideology is showing.
- I should hope so.
- Your ideology is showing.
- Thanks for that
- It wasn't that Eco, or even Robert, were wrong.
- I'm tending to agree with TB on this
- Have you read this whole thread?
- "Glee" is the wrong word
- I think you're just a little too gleeful.
- They're in the "furious gibbering" phase.
- I don't think Trump is making any effort NOT to be shoehorned.
- Be honest Rob...
- OK, the long way round, you're saying you don't think Trump is a Fascist
- I don't think Trump has a political ideology...
- Please..
- That's because there IS NO definition of fascist.
- Do you already know one?
- Fascism is the dictatorship of the middle class.
- Definitions