Jon's Soapbox
Fascism - Roots Run Deep in American History
(posted 3/30/2019) - World War II reshaped the minds of millions of Americans to view Fascism as an embodiment of Mussolini's National Fascist Party (Blackshirts) and Hitler's Reich (Brownshirts). But before Japan's attack officially brought the US into direct confrontation with Fascists on the battlefields of Europe and Africa there was a tradition in the United States that held white western Europeans to be superior intellectually and culturally to all other peoples of the world. Our American culture to that point was in large part based on institutionalized assumptions of genetic superiority by many of its members.
At its heart Fascism is about a cult of leadership by supposedly superior personalities that bind a nation to their will. Fascist leaders embody their nation's spirit and are not bound by law but by the ferver of their 'peoples' belief that their leaders are gifted and above any petty considerations of right and wrong.
World War II shaped the minds of millions of Americans in new ways. Fascism and the cult of leadership by decree that went with it became viscerally anathema to soldiers and their families as they saw the absolute horrors unfolding across the world during that war. The US in effect was shocked towards a cultural shift that was less willing to accept without question the superiority of wester European genetics and society over all others.
The thing that got me thinking about where we have been and where we a now heading is an article recently published in The Atlantic (this month), titled "White Nationalism's Deep American Roots." In this long and detailed history lesson Adam Serwer chronicles the history of White Supremacy movements in the US. He ties the movement to Nationalism and to Fascism as we've seen it evolve in Europe. He warns of the pitfalls that await any citizenry that give up institutional rule of law to rule of personality (are you listening Trump Administration enablers).
Here is the link to the April Issue article in The Atlantic Magazine.
Also, because I've found that weblinks often disappear over years' time I've captured the article and converted it to a pdf file linked here.
Listen to the words of our state and federal elected officials and you will begin to understand why we are at risk from Fascistic ideologies hiding in plain sight. Electing people who hold fair play above wins for their tribe, and who value all members of our society for their unique contributions is essential to a functioning democracy.