So, a little Aristotle with your morning coffee. Perfectly logical. Wikipedia says that fascism is Authoritarian Nationalism, defined as an authoritarian government exploiting patriotism as a means of controlling the populace. Nazi is a portmanteau of the first word of the NSDAP, Nationalsozialistische. NSDAP is an abbreviation of Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (National Socialist German Workers Party). American Nazis are far-right extremists, the furthest thing from reasonable folk, right? The reasonable folk understand that governing this land requires big government. Besides, there are all these upsides to having a Pimp Daddy US. Obvi, no? I’ll make you wait for me to conclude the syllogism. You have to read to the end, sorry.
I saw a YouTube video where the guy was man ‘splaining to us dolts that national socialism isn’t, ipso facto, evil. It’s just socialism implemented at a national level. No problem. Reasonable people agree that by itself, national socialism isn’t bad. Adolf Hitler, though, yeah, that wasn’t good.
So . . . Authoritarian Nationalist Socialism, or socialism that exploits patriotism (or demonizes a titular enemy) to control the populace and perpetuate the continued rule of the current regime. Sound like anything you have heard of in this country?
When Billary lost, what was the response of some? It was that this was racist, it was unfair. Billary won the popular vote. Dumpf is a Nazi extremist, bigoted, alt-right asshole who was going to send home our gardeners and pool boys, take food from babies and kill our old people. What we were supposed to do is elect Billary and continue the current regime, protecting our great country from scary boogeymen like Dumpf. That’s reasonable, right?
Let’s review. Wikipedia says fascism is authoritarian and nationalist. It’s two successful political leaders in recent memory were Mussolini and Hitler. Both were socialists that abandoned any pretense of democracy in the name of doing the needful for the people. Both were loved because they got things done. Italy’s trains ran on time. Hitler bribed his way into popularity by implementing social justice programs for the proletariat. Sorry about that, “kill all the Jews” thing. That was a bit unfortunate. Hey, look, check out the People’s Car made by Porsche and the leader of the Third Reich. Great car, right?
A couple of things creep me out when I hear them. One I’ve quoted a bunch in this space, that I should be reasonable. If I was reasonable I’d understand. If I understood I’d agree. If I agreed then I’d come along and raise my flag to our dear leader, like a good little plebeian. The other is shiny-toothed politicians who give stump speeches claiming that they can bring me free goodies. Housing, food, medical care, and education for the needy. I mean, we don’t really want Appalachian children to starve, do we? And reasonable people would not want grandma to be homeless and hungry, would they?
How do we get to Hitler? He was elected into office. His evil ways revealed themselves later. He was a populist politician promising hope and change for the German people. there was no hint of what was to come at the start. It started out great then it got really weird. Hitler happened when the good people were herded into my house, the absurd house where cool is hot, where being bad is good, genocide is necessary for the common good, where the usual rules don’t help. It was a “frog in a pot” thing. By the time the German people understood the depth of the evils being perpetuated it was too late. They were cooked.
Socialism–community control of resources so as to make things fair, so no one has too much nor too little, has this little issue. In order to assure fairness free will has to be contained. There you are, authoritarian control. Somebody has to arbitrate disputes and administer resources so the goal of the enterprise is fulfilled. This authority will either be controlled by a committee or by a barony of some kind. Either way, you and I lose our voice in this. We don’t get a vote.
But . . . that hillbilly kid talked about by the Children’s Defense Fund won’t go hungry because Pimp Daddy Uncle Sam will feed him. Much better. And grandma will be fine because again, the community through one of Pimp Daddy US’s agencies will take care of her. Warm fuzzies abound. That’s worth losing a little freedom, right?
A tangent. Western First World Vacationaries who arrive in nominally Third World countries are not a blessing. They arrive expecting a high degree of hospitality that costs the local community more than whatever boons will be bestowed. They ignore any indigenous flavor of Christianity as apostate and proselytize Post Great Awakening American Evangelism as the only true religion. The products they bring replace what could be gotten locally and require resources easily available in the First World but impossible to obtain in a hillside village in Central America. The preaching denigrates those within earshot as heathens needing to be saved. Our trillions in foreign aid over a half-century have spawned a massive money laundering operation that has made organized crime and corrupt governments fabulously wealthy. The answer? We have to try harder to evangelize modernist, Utopian socialist, and secular democracy so the heathens will behave as we want them to with our money. Not all help is help.
One more. Last year I got a temp job that paid double what I usually make. I was set. I could save half of what I made and bank some cash. So, where is the money from that job? Gone. I spent it in epic FUB style. Wealth redistribution ignores the character flaws which make some of us bad candidates for windfalls. I had a blast for the months I lived in a company paid hotel and got to see a ton of this land behind the wheel of a camera car. I still arrived home broke and needed the help of my church to get through the year.
Our inner cities are populated by people who are trapped by Pimp Daddy US’s benevolence. They are subject to socialism that is authoritarian and implemented by a national government. This is the price they pay for the help promised them, the hope and change they desire. We do this in the name of compassion and the unintended consequence is a life they can’t escape. Socialism that is authoritarian and comes from a national government. Sound like something we’ve seen before?
All the way through this campaign to elect a president the Democrats pitched themselves as the party of the reasonable folk. Billary was the reasonable candidate who would continue the hope and change promised by Obama in 2008. The battle cry was, “we are stronger together.” The people’s will would get its due through Billary’s leadership. Mussolini made the trains run on time.
And of course, the people’s will was greater government involvement in our lives through a guaranteed $15.00/hour minimum wage, mandated paid time off, mandated compensation for childcare, more funding for Planned Parenthood, a greater expansion of Medicare with a eye toward achieving the goal of single payer (nationalized) health insurance, demonizing states with Right to Work laws, and more, this is what was on offer as the reasonable thing to do. Less choice and more fairness. How is it not reasonable that society should be just? Why wouldn’t you agree to this?
We didn’t agree. We don’t agree. We have seen what a century of social progressive and increasingly authoritarian government has gotten us. We know. That’s what made us vote for an evil man like Dumpf. We understand. We have been voting in Republican majorities to local and state governments for a decade. We are not, will not behave in an amenable way.
Many villages, in the weeks following the departure of the Vacationaries, have to tear down what was built because it can’t be maintained. These villages also have to recoup their losses after putting on an expensive week of hospitality. They are worse off than before the Vacationaries arrived. This is progress. This is Christian benevolence in action. The only difference between this and the mercy programs conducted by governments are the people doing the work. Instead of well-meaning vacation missionaries it is civil servants on taxpayer funded salaries. There is a reason some homeless people decline an offer of public housing.
Our government is socialist and nominally democratic. It is increasingly authoritarian with those in charge proselytizing an ideology that worships science and Marxist thought. The answer pitched by reasonable politicians to most every problem is to let Pimp Daddy US handle it. Some of our yungins cower in safe spaces wanting to be protected from triggers and aggression. Their reasonable desire is for an even more authoritarian government who would ensure their safety. The Constitution challenges their right to be protected from people who cherish their guns and religion. If we had Caesar, he’d fix it. What we really need is a good old god-king like Jim Jones. We have then, a society that is increasingly authoritarian, increasingly nationalist, and demonstrably socialist. So, what is a name for this brave new world? Fascist America.
It’s not a future nightmare. We are already the adjectives that characterize German Nazism. We just haven’t done the concentration camps or genocide, have we? (Anybody remember Manzanar? How about the Native Americans, that wasn’t genocide, was it?) We are just afraid to say the word. Not saying it doesn’t diminish our itch to be what we claim to hate. Nor does it change the conclusion I set up at the start of this. We are already a Nazi country and were headed with due speed toward a more authoritarian, nationalist, and socialist, nee fascist society. Dumpf just slows down the pace of it.
Welcome to the New Democratic National Socialist Federation of North American States! We are stronger together, most of us. If you’ll all just queue up in this line remove all of your clothing and put all your belongings on this table we’ll get started making you comfortable in your new home. We will provide you with a towel as you exit the shower.. At the next station you will find uniforms with your name tag and process id number. We are sorry we can’t provide a more respectful changing room. It’s been such a challenge providing a great experience to those of you joining us at Manzanar. I hope you understand. Life in Manzanar is going to be great, you are going to be great, isn’t American so great again!