[lbo-talk] Allen, racism, fascism and beyond

[John Thornton]

Wojtek Sokolowski wrote:
> Another point - I disagree with John Thronton that
> there are similarities between the American regime and
> fascism.  The American regime is basically a
> plutocracy with strong populist elements and
> anti-institutional attitudes.  Fascism, by contrast,
> is a form of etatisme or a regime in which the state
> and its institutional spinoffs play the central role. 
> Both share populist elements as and appeals, but they
> are very different institutionally.  
>
> Their impacts on the everyday life is very different
> as well.  The fascism regime is a form of
> paternalistic authoritarian welfare state that feeds
> and tightly controls its subjects. The US regime by
> contrast is fundamentally laissez faire - it's main
> raison d'etre is to provide contracting opportunities
> and property rights protections to the well connected
> businessmen but beyond that it does not provide any
> support to its subjects, but it is relatively free of
> totalitarian controls.  
>
> Wojtek  

I think you misread my analogy.
When I wrote "Different things that kill by nearly identical means." I 
meant there are differences between fascism and US authoritarianism just 
as there is between a gun and a knife.
It is the wound inflicted; a hole in the heart, that is where the 
similarity lies.
In other words the suckiness for the average citizen is pretty equal 
under either regime.
I don't see a great deal of difference for most people living under one 
vs. the other.
I also don't see much difference in opposition at the grass-roots level 
to either regime.
Again, how does one fight creeping fascism differently than one does US 
authoritarianism?
What strategies apply to opposing one but not the other?
I'm open to the idea that there may be fundamental differences in the 
strategies one might employ to fight creeping fascism rather than US 
style authoritarianism but I've never seen anyone explain the how and/or 
why of those differences.
Without articulating those differences, and explaining them in a 
convincing manner, the idea that there is an actual threat in 
mislabeling US authoritarianism as fascism rings hollow.
I agree they are different but I disagree that failing to properly note 
the difference constitutes a threat in itself.

John Thornton