Communism, communism, communism everywhere. It’s over here, it’s over there. It’s in the ground and the air. I think I ate some communism for breakfast this morning. I saw some communism trying to hide behind a tree, but it turned out to be just some Democrat trying to give me free healthcare. Everybody’s talking about communism and its victims. I can’t escape the near-hysterical rhetoric when watching my favorite sport, Mixed Martial Arts. Right-wingers and right-leaning people alike are running through the streets like Paul Revere warning us about the dangers of communism. Somehow, those same people seem oblivious to the growing fascistic ideology invading American politics. Considering that there was an insurgency on January 6th whose partial goal was to execute some of them and their peers, I expected a more balanced discussion about what’s going on in our body politic. I should have known better. Now, I’m not an expert on either system. I’m merely a frustrated black woman sick of being told to “look over there” while hate groups foment discord in American society. So, if you want to scream about communism, can we at least TALK about fascism?
According to Merriam-Webster, Fascism is a political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition. Let’s break down this definition and discuss how it relates to the current political climate in our country.
Exalting Nation…
The flag, the service members, the police, oh my! Our exalted institutions cannot be criticized and can do no wrong in the eyes of the indoctrinated. An example of this is the backlash against football players who peacefully knelt during the national anthem. Put aside his recent controversies for a moment. Colin Kaepernick's method of protest was peaceful and should have led to meaningful discussions on the intersection of racism and police brutality. Instead, the loudest white voices were the ones condemning Kaepernick and his colleagues for somehow disrespecting the flag and servicemembers. I’m a former servicemember and I’m telling you that putting on a uniform doesn’t change the way you see people. If you were racist naked, you’ll be racist in uniform. The history of policing in this country includes slave patrols, police refusal to enforce integration orders in the south, and individual police officers’ membership in white supremacist organizations such as the KKK, Aryan Brotherhood, etc. Are we, as a nation, willing to pretend that the racism that exists in our larger society disappears inside the halls of police precincts? Some people would rather protect the image of this country’s institutions than the people who live within its borders. Black families pay taxes, serve in the military, and serve in the police ranks just to go home, take off their own uniforms, and be treated as less-than in some spaces and threats in other spaces.
Exalting Race…
Let’s get some things out of the way, first. I know that there are conservatives of color. The percentage is small, but it’s worth mentioning. I understand the difference between people who consider themselves traditional conservatives and those who are on the far right. Okay, but the very nature of conservativism preserves the status quo — economically, politically, and socially. The hesitancy to accept social progress acts as a bridge between traditional conservatives and the radical right. It is not a bridge that all members cross, but many mainstream conservative leaders are comfortable meeting the far-right halfway. This is harmful to society even if it is done just for the votes. But let's be clear about something else, some shake hands in agreement. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, donations to the far-right hate group, VDARE, increased by $4million between 2018 and 2019. Trump administration officials Stephen Miller and Julia Hahn have been linked to the group’s founder, Peter Brimelow. VDARE’s website is anti-Catholic, anti-Semitic, anti-anyone who isn’t white, and ironically anti-immigration. I say ironically because Brimelow is an English immigrant. The Organization’s website publishes essays from white supremacist “intellectuals” who embrace the white genocide conspiracy theory, race-based IQ theories, and anti-Semitic writers like Kevin Macdonald. The evolution of the alt-right online has led to the growth of the accelerationist movement. Accelerationism is a philosophy embraced by many groups within the far-right space. One such group, Atomwaffen Division, is described by the SPLC as such:
“a series of terror cells that work toward civilizational collapse…believe that violence, depravity, and degeneracy are the only sure way to establish order in their dystopian and apocalyptic vision of the world. AWD’s chief influences are James Mason, Charles Manson, Joseph Tommasi, and William Pierce. Their strategy for promoting and establishing national socialism can be traced back to The Order, the violent and capable white supremacist terror cell founded by Robert Jay Mathews in the 1980s”.
Instead of wearing suits and running for office like the more well-known alt-right, accelerationists work to speed up the end of American society through violence to promote civil unrest. Mass shootings, for example, trigger discussions about gun legislation which are often contentious. They appreciate the violence, of course, but the goal is to deepen the divide between the left and the right. When videos surface of mysterious men in black during BLM protests it never turns out to be Will Smith or Tommy Lee Jones. Protestors decry these as actions of local police departments sabotaging otherwise peaceful protests to have an excuse to violently disperse or arrest protestors. However, as noted above, uniforms don’t change the individual. Some of those people may very well be members of the accelerationist movement. They aim to replace our democratic government with one that supports white dominance in the United States and abroad. Since they are working so hard to destroy American society, we should not be surprised by their willingness to assault police officers whom they view as unsympathetic to their movement. Anyone willing to defend our current system of government is an enemy in their eyes. We should also not be surprised that they focus so much energy on the second amendment. They want to own weapons of war because they are working hard to incite one.
Autocratic Government, Dictatorial Leader…
Dictatorships are a feature of both communism and fascism, but the methods are different. Communist dictators will not usually compete with a god. The state is God, service to the state is, therefore, service to the “most high”. Fascists, on the other hand, use the majority’s version of a god to justify their leadership. In their view, God chose them to lead, regardless of the will of the people. Church leaders support this view because fascist politicians intertwine religious dogma with the law. In that way it’s not oppression, it’s service to God. Communist states do not allow private ownership of businesses. Inventions, ideas, and patents all belong to the state. The government claims to offer safety nets to the citizens but those social services may be underfunded due to overfunding of military and police budgets and plain old corruption at the top. Fascist dictators also control the means of production, overfund police, and enjoy the lavish life that corruption provides government officials. However, there may be a difference, here, between these two horrible forms of government. The wealth of a fascist nation is shared more freely amongst the lower class of the majority because extreme tribalism is a feature of fascism. Both systems oppress critics and opponents, yes, but fascists go a step further and subjugate a specific group or groups of people based on skin color, religion, sexual orientation, etc. Those group(s) are removed from competition at all levels of society then forced to work for devastatingly low wages or they are enslaved, imprisoned, or executed.
Social regimentation…
White Jesus, evangelicalism, men in charge, women have babies, no sex until marriage, work a 9–5, die. These are “American values” and are, therefore “Christian values”. This is the right and only way to be “good” in the eyes of evangelical Christians in this country. Why? This keeps the economy moving, maintains white male dominance, and keeps the white “race” reproducing. Everybody has their place. It is a sanitized version of life that whitewashes the erasure of the individual that is required by fascism. Social regimentation screams, look at our nice suburbs, manicured lawns, cul-de-sacs, and high-and-tight haircuts. The blood of the oppressed isn’t under our collective fingernails. Hatred and tribalism are hidden behind religiosity which grants adherents an unearned veneer of morality and authority. They’ll smile nicely, denounce racism, denounce sexism, all while explaining how their holy book and the government support the inhumane treatment of the ostracized group(s). It’s not them, it’s God.
Sources:
Alex Kotch and Michael Edison Hayden. (2021, June 17). Donors Pumped Millions into White Nationalist Group. Southern Poverty Law Center. https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2021/06/17/donors-pumped-millions-white-nationalist-group.
Atomwaffen Division. Southern Poverty Law Center. (n.d.). https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/group/atomwaffen-division.
Levin, B. (2021, June 17). Republican Congressman Madison Cawthorn Casually Suggests Armed Citizens Should Overthrow The Government. Vanity Fair Hive. https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/06/madison-cawthorn-viet-cong.
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Fascism. Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fascism.
