It is not always scare talk and old forms of repression still cut as deep.
There is a growing consensus that fascism is the most militant form of right-wing populism built around a nationalist call for the heroic purification and rebirth of the society after a period of decline or humiliation (palingenesis); and using demonization of the corrupt and elite parasitic regime along with scapegoating of target groups (lazy, sinful, and subversive parasites) to build a core group of people portrayed as the productive and proper citizens who with charismatic leaders will enforce rigid ideological beliefs as fulfilling the nation's destiny (sacralization of politics).
Right-wing populist movements seldom become full-blown fascist movements, and fascist movements seldom seize state power; but the named scapegoats are real people who are harmed or hurt or murdered when right-wing populist movements become large and also embrace certain demonizing and totalitarian elements of fascism.
People who have less social and economic status than you or I, Doug, get hurt. They suffer the consequences when the privileged dismiss the very real threat to the marginalized, impoverished, and weak.
The scores of progressive activists I have been interviewing in states including Montana, Idaho, Washington, California, Colorado, Ohio, and Massachusetts feel that smug dismissiveness from people with a surplus of entitlement is more than merely annoying.
-Chip
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From: lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org on behalf of Doug Henwood Sent: Tue 4/20/2010 9:20 AM To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] Thoughts on the Tea Party
On Apr 20, 2010, at 9:04 AM, Chip Berlet wrote:
> None of this is new. It follows certain patterns. There are at
> least 20 books on the topic since 1980 concerning the U.S. and
> Europe. The terms used include "Radical Center," Middle American
> Radicals," the "Revolt from the Middle."
Well yeah. Then why all the scare talk about the fascist threat? This is as old as the hills.
Doug ___________________________________ http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk