What is facism?

Question

Can anyone explain to me in an understandable, yet accurate and detailed way of what facism is?

Answer 1

Facism is what BUSH is doing now.
What the ZIONIST jewish lobby proposing !

Answer 2

Fascism is characterised by an alliance of government and corporate institutions. There may be elected government bodies but huge power is vested in (or taken by) a single leader. Militarism and nationalism are important features. Civil liberties are put aside and secret police are a necessary part of government as opposition must be curtailed and silenced.
Other posters are quite correct when they say it is essentially what the Bush regime has done to America. But this could never have happened without actions of the Rightwing Traitorium and the collusion of the media.
Notice how opposition to the atrocity that is Iraq is branded as unpatriotic.

Answer 3

Fascism is a political system under which the state -- typically under the command of a dictator -- has total control over everything. The state strictly manages the economy and severely limits any type of free political expression. Fascist states are typically associated with a form of beligerent ultra-nationalism and/or racism. It is considered to be a form of totalitarianism.

EDIT: The so-called "alliance" between government and corporations is a typical sham put forth by corporations under the fascist system in order to stay in good standing with the regime; much like how the citizenry fake nationalistic pride in order to avoid being jailed.

Answer 4

Simply put - Fascism is the influence of big business on the government to the disadvantage of the public.

They country is actually run by businessmen under the guise of a president or leader who slyly reports to the corporation.

A good example is the Bush administration.

The term 'islamofascist' lately bandied about, is total nonsense, it is just a regurgitation by Cons who know diddly about fascism.

Middle Eastern countries are run by religious groups, not businessmen.

Answer 5

Incidentally, on fascism, no less an authority than Benito Mussolini declared: Fascism should more appropriately be called corporatism, as it is a merge of state and corporate power.

Isn't that what we have in the U.S.? The Corporate States of America.

Answer 6

pachl@sbc... ---

Here is a list of 14 characteristics of fascism (there are many similar lists that can easily be found on the internet).

Even a brief reading of them makes it clear that the term applies more to the Bush administration than it does to our enemies.
Radical Islamic terrorists might be a lot of things – but fascist is not one of them.

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

4. Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread
domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.

6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

8. Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.

9. Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

10. Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.

11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.

12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.

13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

http://www.rense.com/general37/char.htm

Answer 7

Here's the dictionary definistion of Fascism: a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often promoting racism.

I would love to confront the people who call Bush a fascist. They don't even understand the meaning of the word. Seriously. If you put one of these punks on the spot and made him "stand and deliver", he'd just start spouting a bunch of irrelevant nonsense.

One trait of fascism is suppression of the oppostion through terror and censorship. Every day, there are articles critical of Bush in practically every U.S. newspaper. TV is even worse. If Bush can't muzzle his critics, he's doing a lousy job at being a fascist dictator.

Who are the fascists? Look at the leaders of many Middle Eastern countries. They fit the bill exactly. Think about it. They are the dictionary definition of fascist dictators. This is why people like Bill O'Reilly denounce the tyranny of Bin Laden and his crew of Islama-fascists.

Bush is the opposite of a fascist. He is giving other countries freedom of choice. That is what democracy is all about. They write their own laws, they make their own policies. If, like Iraq, they make tenets of the Islamic religion part of their constitutions, we may not like it, but we don't put undue pressure on them. The Iraqis didn't make a clone of the U.S. Constitution. They made one that they could live with.

Once again, Bush is the opposite of a fascist. Fascists are tyrannical dictators don't have enough trust in the populace to make their own decisions. Fascists are the African strongmen who maintain a deathgrip on their countries while the people starve to death.

Bush, on the other hand trusts the capacity of the Middle Easterners for self rule. Liberals do not. Here's the proof.

Bush once made the remarkable statement about "the soft bigotry of low expectations". I want you to remember that quote. Think about what he is saying. I've talked to a lot of liberals about the war in Iraq, and when I bring up the obvious point that millions of people have now been given the opportunity to live in freedom rather than tyranny, they mindlessly object with silly, irrelevant arguments.

If I chide them enough, and make them hot under the collar, they will finally lose all control and exclaim, "Oh come on, you don't really expect that a bunch of volatile, irrational Arabs can handle democracy, do you?"

Whoa......! That's what liberals really think. They don't have confidence in Middle Easterners. They belive Arabs and Persians are ignorant and backward, incapable of ruling themselves without a strong dictator like Saddam keeping them in line.

Bush did not denigrate the people of the Middle East with the "soft bigotry of low expectations". Unlike the Democrats, he believes in their potential. He does not arrogantly belive that they can't handle democracy.

So, to all the people who accuse Bush of fascist thinking, remember that he is the most liberal, progressive thinker regarding foreign nations' ability to design and administer their own democratically elected governments, with free speech, rights for women, and guaranteed human rights.

Liberals only see a bunch of scary, fist pumping ragheads.

So, who's the real fascist?

Answer 8

NO IDEA.... THATS MY NEXT QUESTION. NAH, ILL JUST WAIT TO SEE YOUR ANSWERS.