The "Fascist" Type As a beginning on the subject of the socially maladapted individual who engages in extreme behavior under ideological cover, the practical definition of the common fascist is: Anyone opposed to We the People having the true power of governance in a society. Stereotypically, they will derisively refer to our constitutionally driven concept of We the People as being socialist or communist, definitely "liberal," as a "dirty" word. The typical social profile of a fascist is that of an authority enforcer or wannabe authority enforcer. They believe in the power of authority as self justifying and are incapable of or are intimidated by independent thought. As an organizing principle, they usually single out a race or religion for persecution, but any identifiable group that they find vulnerable will do. Iconic symbols and cultish rituals permit them in their own minds to shut down their responsibilities as individuals so that they can act purely for the sake of power. Sometimes those symbols are created by "religio-cult" hybrids like extremist Christian groups. They are usually funded and organized by an amalgam of state authority and corporatist interests, although this type will function in loosely knit gangs. Anyone who is substantially different from them, especially their opposite (one who engages in independent, rational thought and espouses individual rights granted by a just body of laws based in concepts of international human rights), is repugnant to them. If they are organized but not identifiably in power, as in this country, they often find their funding through illicit means like drug and arms dealing and they often form secret societies within established organizations like churches, businesses, the military and branches of law enforcement. The type described above is usually right leaning in ideology, but they can also identify with ideologies that espouse socialist values, as did the National Socialists. As a generalized personality this type also finds its way into service for dictatorships that are left leaning, like the communist dictatorship that dominated modern day Russia during the Soviet era. If you replace some of the ideological precepts, there is usually the same kind of psychological profile within both groups; adherents of dictatorial ideology who crave blind surrender to authority because they are either incapable of or uncomfortable with independent thought. The same can be said of theocratic dictatorships. The symbols are simply adjusted to fit a religious intent. Sometimes it is the stated lack of common identifying symbols or ideology that draws this type, as in the case of anarchists. These groups delude themselves into thinking that they are acting like rebel individuals, in similar fashion to the counter-culture hippies of the 60s; their uniformity is quite obvious, although not recognized by themselves -- a sea of long haired people in jeans and tie-dyed tee shirts, as the hippies often were. Of course there are also sadists who simply enjoy inflicting pain on others. There are the classic sociopaths whose psychological pathology by definition holds no sense of compassion for others and justifies their behavior through a set of private rules that usually only they understand. Finally there is just muscle for hire that has no ideology whatsoever. Most of these types gravitate toward military/paramilitary service, law enforcement and extremist religious or political bases that grant them not only cover but reward them with esteem building rank amongst their peers and special recognitions that apply to their heroic status in this lifetime and, depending on the group, the next. The most important thing to understand is that, through their psychological make up and social proclivities, they are prone to manipulation by those who understand their propensities and limitations. In Nazi Germany they were socially defined as Brown Shirts and Black Shirts. The Brown shirts were usually the less intelligent and/or educated and usually came from what was defined as the lower classes. The defining ideas of such adherents are usually less centered on a real set of thought out values and more centered on the need to first conform to authority and then violently express raw power within the limits established by their governing authority. One must come to the basic understanding that arguing with any of these types is futile. Identifying them as socially and/or psychologically incapable of appropriate social behavior is useful. Treating them as people you can proactively share a democratic society with, outside of providing them sufficient means to live an independent and decent life without damaging the lives of others, is misguided altruism. You give them free rein if you are not fully engaged in contributing to a truly democratic society. You make them possible by denying them as children the proper means to develop into fully realized human beings or by failing to identify those who have difficulty adapting socially and helping them to do so. Your bottom line approach has to be that, if you want to be in a society which fully actualizes humanitarian rights, you need to be personally involved. The socially and psychologically impaired individuals co-opted by dictatorial powers, as described above, historically constitute about ten percent of any society. Their effective manipulation by a much smaller grouping of "power elite" is predicated upon how the remaining ninety percent of society behaves. The influence of potential dictators and their minions is inversely proportional to that percentage of society that refuses to assume the role of guilty bystander and cowered individual. Your starting point should be a full understanding of the international statement of human rights and your constant furthering of those rights. Remember, pointless argument with this type of personality not only feeds them and the general attention that they get from media, etc., but is a waste of time and energy that could be devoted instead to developing human rights in your everyday world. I would suggest peer progressive connections across all ideological lines.
Posted on: Sun, 11 Aug 2013 15:39:54 +0000
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