The US is in Denial as it Slides Further into Fascism
Time to spread the new gospel of truth
“Because the old narratives, the ones handed down as institutional truths and social opiates, are tearing themselves apart before our eyes. It’s time to go right back to the campfire, and the cave, and rediscover the story-driven creatures we truly are.” — Colin Roswell
Who to believe? Your peers? Institutions? Pop stars? The government? When moguls control the media, the source of truth becomes even more distorted.
Where does one lie begin and the other end?
It’s time we got back to our roots. Begin the storytelling process over again. Begin to work together as a community with trust held deep within our hearts.
But at what point? History is written by winners. Gospels are invented to coerce belief in an idea.
The inherent danger of an ideal is that it takes hold when division is created. Fascism lurks around every corner.
This is how it will spread.
Take note would-be dictators, this is a playbook just for you.
Fascism Decree Number One — Contempt for the Weak (immigrants, the poor, and people of color)
I can no longer think for myself.
I draw my opinion from the well of Twitter. I know what outrage looks like. I know who my targets are. I know I can hide safely in this mob. The world is doomed for those not carrying a pitchfork like mine.
I no longer need to think for myself.
No doomed rat circling the maze. I’ve found a pattern to the hate. I can smell vitriol from my pedestal. I spy the ghetto of filthy immigrants and know that my app, Neighborly, will protect me. It’s a neighborhood of familiarity.
The filth that washes upon our shores. The lazy Mexicans refuse to work. They squander our grand gestures and mock our systems. They violate our trust with their refusal to integrate. They bludgeon our goodwill as we offer them shelter. I wonder how they could be so ungrateful with all that we’ve done to help them build a new life. They now have riches beyond their wildest imagination. Did they think The Great Dream was to sit by and accept hand-outs?
Fascism Decree Number Two — Disagreement is Treason (calling unpleasant facts fake news)
I no longer need to question.
The answers are all provided for me. The echo chamber is safely locked down from outside interference. There are familiar faces of supportive peers kindly suggesting good news. They whisper about the masses. The strange decisions made by those who want to take away our liberties. My peers can’t reveal their sources. They’ve verified the information for me. All I need to do is listen.
There are too many factions peddling their lies. Fabrication of truth built upon a Babel tower. Foreign tongues with ideals. Distortion of truths. I know I can recognize a sinister underbelly masquerading as news. They want to control the narrative. Them. The Other. The groups that want to take our freedom. The liberals that want our guns. The people of color that want to rob us of our voice.
The information age is flowing. It’s harder to form an opinion that somebody hasn’t already expressed better. I don’t need to create. I don’t need to be creative. I only want to belong. Conforming is survival. Conservative views are a life raft of hope. White courage. Beacon of righteousness. The Lord will protect us all from those who aren’t true believers.
Fascism Decree Number Three — Obsession with a Plot (the deep state)
I’m no longer ignorant.
I’m finely tuned to world events. It’s a global conspiracy perpetrated by Russians. Large corporations are our friends. They support the community. They alone have the power to make us great again. They provide work for everyone.
I passively watch the news. A FOX taking on the hounds. Netflix forms my worldview. I can learn everything I need to know on YouTube. No subject is too complicated or filled with bias. I sometimes wonder just how deep the conspiracy goes. How could the enemies of the state become so entangled in our governance? I trust the ruling party when they talk of spies and corruption infiltrating our beloved land. This land belongs to us. This land is ours.
Rhetorical rhymes flow easily from my mouth. The state will be pleased with my diligence in learning.
Fascism Decree Number Four — Fear of Differences (Islamophobia)
I no longer believe in false idols.
I’ve seen the posters in our local church. I’ve stared at the long line of rabble at the airport. The queue stretches and snakes itself around the terminal moving at an uncomfortable pace. I’ve witnessed immigration control coerced into building ‘spaces’ for them to pray. And I’ve said a silent prayer to hope.
I pray new entrants to our glorious country will not be terrorists. I pray they’ll do no harm to our children. I pray their customs and language will not become one we all have to study to appease a guilty liberal who wants to become worldly. I pray for my children who may be forced to eat their food and say their prayers whilst bent at the knee. I pray their religion doesn’t take hold and corrupt vulnerable young minds. I pray above all else, that the Lord, the one true savior, will keep everybody safe especially those whose parents do not stray.
It’s a dangerous time for the future of our land.
Fascism Decree Number Five — Selective Populism (using lies and false equivalencies)
I believe in the word of our President
Our great President should be trusted above all others and judged only in the eyes of God. When he speaks of walls being built to help our nation through economic difficulties and help control the flow of immigration; we should all believe.
False claims are the making of the opposition. They’re determined to discredit our glorious leader. Was it even possible to make over 12,000 false and misleading statements? I find this number ridiculous. Who could possibly keep track of such statistics? It appears to be randomly generated by henchmen working for some nefarious organization. Fact-checking has become a national obsession among the enemies of the state.
It’s a game they play. Hackers are trying to control the media. They’re trying to make us question the fabric of reality itself. The wall is up. The economy is good. Wages are better than ever. The police have stemmed a tide of violence. The world is a safer place for our children. When will they realize that inaction is a powerful force? That no change can be good.
Isn’t it time they accepted the one truth?
“Umberto Eco is firm in claiming “There was only one Nazism,” he says, “the fascist game can be played in many forms, and the name of the game does not change.”
Eco reduces the qualities of what he calls “Ur-Fascism, or Eternal Fascism” down to 14 “typical” features. “These features,” writes the novelist and semiotician, “cannot be organized into a system; many of them contradict each other, and are also typical of other kinds of despotism or fanaticism. But it is enough that one of them be present to allow fascism to coagulate around it.”” Source — Openculture.com
It’s one thing to encounter those ignorant due to lack of access to other points of view, or sources of information that are not tightly controlled and biased. It’s another to encounter those who are ignorant, yet convinced that they’re actually not.
For further reading on Eco’s points of fascism, please go to NYBooks.com.
And here’s what happens when you talk out against the regime.