Tag: Fascism

Just When You Thought…

Alternative worst-title:

It’s New To Me: Accelerationism.

Wow, dear worst-reader. As if there’s not enough to busy the worst-mind. You know. Enough mindfcuk bat$hit that turns the head(s) of MAGA aka THE LAND OF FREEDOM TO BE STUPID aka my beloved & missed #Americant. Oh. It is everywhere. Namely. There’s former prez Cheeto-jeezus. Forgotten him yet? Talk about right-wing bat$hit looney run amok. Yeah, he’s a doozy, eh. And what about flatearthers–which has obviously been around for a while–unless you consider, I worst-suppose, there might be little difference between flatearthers and deep state believers. By-the-buy, the deep state is nothing more than two sides of the same financial and economic authoritarianism fighting for top or bottom on a bed of rotten roses, underneath hideous and flaky bedsheets. Oh! And let’s not forget that the moon landings were faked. Yeah, baby! Fake newz galore. And the Illuminati? That’s a classic one, right? But what about the new bat$hit stuff? Like the last generation. Oh wait. No. They’re actually kinda cool, kinda real, not bat$hit. Moving on.

Here in Germany there’s the Reichsbürger which has somehow connected itself to Qanon. Go figure! Yet. For those in the less slightly-bat$hit-know, let’s not forget libertarianism. The king and queen and monarchy of twenty-first century bat$hit. Libertarianism, according to worst-writer, is a conservative system of thought that, for whatever worst-reason, you have because you lost, at some point or other, your balls, which is the reason why your true calling, aka darwinism equates with economics, confuses the bee-jeezus out of you to the point that you can’t tell the difference between right and wrong, left or right or who/what you attempted to rape the previous night. Blah blah blah.

Oh yeah. Accelerationism.

On a pod-cast the other day, dear worst-reader, I got thrown for a loop. And don’t you know, just when you think the bat$hitters can’t come up with something new, you sneeze and look up at what you just heard and bam! The new kid on the bat$hit block, dear worst-reader, at least for worst-writer, is Accelerationism. In worst-short, according to the #Interwebnets, it is thus:

Accelerationism is a range of Marxist and reactionary ideas in critical and social theory that propose that social processes, such as capitalist growth and technological change, should be drastically intensified to destabilize systems to create further radical social change referred to as “acceleration”. -Source: see wiki link below

According to my worst-research, Accelerationism has been around a while but perhaps not as long as, say, The Illuminati. Ha. Ha. Ha. With that in worst-mind, and with such a comparison, it’s easy for worst-writer to categorise this new faith/belief/ideology as not only bat$hit but right-wing. If the above wiki quote doesn’t sound bat$hit enough or is a bit misleading, allow worst-writer to worst-illuminate.

Accelerationism, in short, is the idear that bat$hitters, as mentioned throughout this worst-post, in order to marginalise those who would question the legitimacy or merit of wealth, can only be controlled or subjugated by increasing social and political pressures that serve the wealthy. Now. That may or mayn’t sound contradictory because Marx is also mentioned as a proponent of Accelerationism. But. The reason it sounds contradictory to worst-writer is because many of those who attach themselves to Accelerationism obviously have no idear who/what Marx is–or they’ve found yet another new way to re/un/dis/label him–as has been the case for the last century or so. These people have all been reared in a world where political and social issues rely on propaganda as opposed to any understanding of history. If you read the wiki article (link below) it is clearly assumed that there is a left and right form or Accelerationism. Of course. The left form is Marxist. For worst-writer this connection is no different than both-sideism. In worst-short, IMHO, Marx and Accelerationism would be better connected if one understands the concept of counter-revolution–which can only happen after a revolution. Where has there been a revolution–that would cause Accelerationism to reach its current popularity? Neo-liberalism ring a bell? Austerity? Economic turmoil? Political bat$hittery? The greed $hitshow? But I die-gress.

I’m gonna go out and on a limb here and make an assumption–just like one needs to do when considering the differences between Antifa and right-wingers as they have been labeled in my beloved & missed united mistakes of #Americant. Marx would have used Accelerationism for revolution, I’ll give it that. The bat$hitters of today, libertarians & co., right-wingers, etc., have attached themselves to Accelerationism as a form of counter-revolution. Which is a form of, who’d a thunk it, fascism. With that in worst-mind. I think. It begs this worst-question: what was/is the revolution being countered?

-Rant on.

-T

Links:

Not A Fan But

Source: interwebnet screenshot

I know there are those who try to have discourse with the other side but worst-writer is usually not one of them. But every once a once I do get caught up in the $hitstorm. More often than not, though, it’s usually clear from the get-go who/what I’m dealing with. And so. It happened recently while the better-half and I were vanlifing at a Bavarian lake. As is the case when visiting idyllic places in #Eurowasteland, there are lots of #Americants to be seen and heard. While walking Beckett the killer pug, a cute, young couple heard me scolding him with kisses and hugs.

Oh, you’re American, she said.

Only on the weekends, I responded.

What a cute pig… I mean pug, he said.

So it begins.

I especially despise moderates. I worst-mean. What the hell is a moderate? Then there are the libertarians (which are only republicans missing at least one testicle). Really can’t stand them. Independents? Well. Le’s move on.

Would you believe, dear worst-reader, that there are those who think fascism is/can be 1) left-wing and 2) inherently violent. I mean. I’ve kinda felt this over the years. Yet it always baffles me. For. Don’t you know. In worst-writer’s humble opinion. There is no such thing as a left-wing fascist. Reason? Fascism is a political ideology that serves all-forms of authoritarianism. It’s what Mussolini invented. It’s what Hitler utilised (albeit in the name of nationalism). But Stalin took it to the highest levels, although one could argue if his was really fascism. With that piece of history in mind…

Are there radical left-wingers? Sure. Do left-wingers use violence? You betcha. But do left-wingers, which include hippies, socialists (not communists), rational thinkers, (some) Dems, aspire to authoritarianism? Seriously? I know. I know. Do you have to pose that question, dear worst-writer? Indeed.

Or allow me to put this another worst-way.

Do left-wingers shoot abortion clinic doctors? Do the police kill people (mostly black people) for resisting being arrested for misdemeanour offences? Do they try and interrupt the peaceful transition of power, Jan 6, 2021?

What examples do you have of left-wingers killing people? (And don’t worry. If you don’t have an example, I do. But it’s a whole nother bucket of worst-writer worms.)

That right-wingers so casually convolute the meaning of politics and ideology can only come from a society that has lost all connection to intellect, science, history and the belief that ones own personal space is all that matters. This is especially true for those who are incapable of discerning their social, political and economic circumstances. Well…

To think that there were a few Repubs years ago in my beloved & missed #Americant that saw it all coming… wow! For. Don’t you know. Dear worst-reader. Religion is a form of totalitarianism that easily hides (its) intent. Perhaps the reason Stalin was so much more successful than Hitler or Mussolini was due to his ability to control religion. But before I get too far off worst-subject.

I die-gress.

Rant and quote on.

-T

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Goldwater

Defining Fascism: Subservience

Defining Fascism: Subservience

Extremism is the political cost of pronounced social inequality and political stagnation. -Chris Hedges, see link below

We’ve been there before, eh, dear worst-reader? Here and here a few worst-thoughts about trying to figure out Fascism. With recent elections in Italy, with the dire-straights Putin has caused with his “special operations“ in Ukraine, and as #Trumpism continues to digest in the open bowels of my beloved & missed #Americant, worst-writer may have come up with a new idear on how to define the grand ideology that is over taking the world–once again–thereby confusing the gullible and uninformed many.

Who’s your daddy, Bitch!

Obviously the election of Italy’s first female PM is to be celebrated. So let’s have one glamorous clap and bow for her. For if you’re not in the know, dear worst-reader, the clapping and the bowing must stop abruptly. Reason? When one looks under the peaking peak of this #Eurowasteland iceberg of $hit, the issue of subservience that is fascism weighs and floats über-heavy. Which begs the worst-question: is she really the afterbirth of Il Duce? Worst-writer supposes… time will tell.

So what is Fascism? Worst-writer’s newest definition of Fascism stems mostly out of what Putin is doing to Ukraine–but it also relates to what just happened in Italy. With that in worst-mind, one cannot disregard who/what Italy just elected to run its $hitshow. Again. The open digestive track that is post #Trumpism #Americant reeks.

Mussolini is accredited with being the first leader to employ Fascism as a form of governance. Keep in mind, dear worst-reader, Fascism is and will always be the only solution to what right wing extremists fear most. What they fear most is The State controlling what they perceived to be THEIR wealth. This is how the poor, the down-trodden, the confused middle-classes are so easily wound-up with conspiracy theories, the hate of migrants, racism, etc. It’s the delusion of trickle-down wealth, working your way to success, the lie of a good life. It folds and comforts the mindless masses and opium derived ideologies. Mussolini and his capitalists enablers latched on to the hate and bigotry and thereby offered a counter-offensive to the rise of Marxist communism that was overwhelming #Eurowasteland at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century. Capitalists and their heirs never forgot (even to this day) the beheading and culling of hereditary privilege that was/is monarchs and/or inherited wealth since the French Revolution. Btw, inherited wealth and privilege is the foundation upon which overt political power exists. That’s why Fascism, together with Authoritarianism, ALWAYS includes violence. It runs the $hitshow with a heavy hammer, baby.

Remember who/what Putin is fighting? That’s right. According to Putin the Russians are fighting against Ukrainian Fascists. And how does Putin/Russia define Fascists? Here one has to look at the various forms of Authoritarianism around the world. Or. One has to look at what maintains, props-up, enables Authoritarianism. Of the various forms of power that rule countries and peoples, whether it’s communism (China), social market economics (Western Europe), or dictatorships (Russia, North Korea) they all rely on one simple thing when it comes to maintaining power. Surprisingly that one thing is not inherent violence. Instead. That one thing is the money.

It’s nothing new that power begets wealth and wealth begets… you get the worst-picture. The thing to keep in mind when trying to worst-understand Fascism is the who and the what the money is subservient to. And that’s the worst-ticket, dear worst-reader: Subservience. Putin’s anger toward Ukraine isn’t so much about NATO expansion or even Russian speaking people in Ukraine. It is about Ukraine’s ability to do what it wants with its own wealth within its own borders. Hence, when Russia wants/needs to export energy via ship or pipeline, the ONLY way it can export it, it HAS to go through Ukraine. Ukraine has every right to negotiate terms and conditions for those transactions. Hence, hence, Crimea was the first to be annexed because Ukraine refused to take a subservient role to Russia as it tried to dictate terms of its oil exports. Perhaps this is where the lines begin to cross when defining all forms of Authoritarianism. Take for example China. China has taken big steps in exercising its Authoritarianism since the 2008 crash which has put the world in a perpetual state of economic discombobulation. Isn’t Jack Ma an example of how the Chinese government forces (wealth) subservience?

Of course, if you’re asking: how bout #Americant in this worst-definition (equation) of Fascism (Authoritarianism)? Yeah, that’s a great worst-question. Worst-writer’s answer? Simple. #Americant has built its Fascism around the idear that The State is subservient to wealth. The difference to Russia or China here is a fine line, IMHO, because Putin has personally profited from his hate of Fascism. That is: Putin controls the wealth. In worst-fact, the realpolitic of Authoritarianism is universal. The only question that remains is: who’s your daddy?

#Americant capitalists are given a chance to pay their share to politicians who in turn maintain capitalist profits. This may or mayn’t be a contradiction–to maintaining both wealth and power of a nation-state and/or calling it Fascist. Unlike China or Russia, #Americant has a kind of symbiosis between the rich and the poor, the powerful and the powerless, the HAVES and HAVENOTS, etc. This may or mayn’t be known as the grand delusion of the middle class(es) and that symbiosis is currently being tried & tested like never before. Compared to others, though, #Americant is still quite functional–with or without the likes of former prez pee-pee-hair–including his masses of delusional nitwits who couldn’t define Fascism if it came up from behind and tickled their genitals with the tongue of a porn star whispering the word Antifa.

Indeed. #Americant has not only won the Cold War of idears but it’s also able to hide the truths of subservience. Considering how the world has been slow in responding to this ill, and as blatant Fascism arises once again in Italy, maybe things aren’t all that bad. Wait. What? Did worst-writer just worst-write something optimistic? Well. Don’t get your panties in a bundle, dear worst-reader. Remember. I just like typing–especially when most of what I worst-type probably doesn’t make much sense. And so. Are you as excited as I am for my next definition of Fascism?

Rant on.

-T

Links:

Sympathy For The Devil? No Thank You

Source: interwebnet screenshot

Check out this article, dear worst-reader. Then check out this one. Anything come to mind after giving these articles a thought or three? No? Ok. Let’s give it a worst-writer thought, shall we? First….

“A lot of these defendants… they’re all fucking short-bus people,” Albert Watkins told Talking Points Memo. “These are people with brain damage, they’re fucking retarded… But they’re our brothers, our sisters, our neighbors, our coworkers—they’re part of our country. These aren’t bad people, they don’t have prior criminal history. Fuck, they were subjected to four-plus years of goddamn propaganda the likes of which the world has not seen since fucking Hitler.”

Source: see link below

The above quote is from a lawyer defending the Q-poopi-shaman from the Jan 6 underachiever insurrection. Obviously the lawyer knows what he’s talking about. Then again, by adding the BS that these people are our brothers and sisters, blah, blah, blah, does ring of sympathy fishing. Am I wrong. #Nomatter. My point is this: there is a reason the judicial system in my beloved & missed #Americant is setup the way it is. That reason is none other than enabling some to get away with crimes while others… Well. Only so many can be allowed to get away with crimes. And so. In this case, because so many–74 million?–who voted for former prez pee-pee-hair, don’t need to be convinced that these people are innocent and are fighting for a higher cause, there’s little doubt in worst-writer’s mind that these crimes will either be forgotten by the judicial or, at the least, diluted to the point of meaninglessness. Now. Don’t get me wrong, dear worst-reader. I get why participants in the $hitshow, i.e. the lawyer quoted above, wants to paint these people as “good” people, people who have no criminal record, etc. The problem with this sort of sympathy-fishing, though, means that the true, underlying danger of what motivates these people is washed over.

What is washed over? Check out the second article, dear worst-reader. And bear with me as I stretch a bit. The president of Belarus, a big fan and confidant and boot licker of Putin, ordered/forced a commercial jet, with a Russian MIG, to land under false pretence so that someone could be forced off the plane. And it’ll be no surprise that the person forced off the plane will end up being a political prisoner. Now. I know I’m stretching here. But is there, could there be a connection between the levels/layers of right-wing bat$hittery irregardless of it being underachieving insurrectionists in #Americant or Putin owned former Soviet Satellites, e.g. Belarus? Should I have included a link in this worst-post about what the Philippine authoritarian ruler is up to with things like telling police to shoot first and question later? And let’s not even get into the epic infringement on the rules and regulations of commercial airliners flying over boarders. Put another way, what is the end game of right-wingers and where do their actions and deeds begin? Fascism, maybe? And on that note, I die-gress.

Rant on.

-T

Links:

Oh Well vs Orwell

Source: screenshot from the interwebnets

And let’s never forget, dear worst-reader. It can happen here. Or. Put another worst-way: Oh well. You fcuked. I mean. You had a chance. As in. In the last forty years, you didn’t really have to move the country so far to the right (of politics). Then again, as far as a country of collective stupid goes–that would allow #Americant to go so far to the right–Bill Maher says it best: there’s simply too much STUPID out there. With that in mind, I finally got around to reading George Orwell’s review of Hitler’s Mein Kampf from, like, 1940.

George Orwell:

Fascism and Nazism are psychologically far sounder than any hedonistic conception of life. The same is probably true of Stalin’s militarised version of Socialism. All three of the great dictators have enhanced their power by imposing intolerable burdens on their peoples. Whereas Socialism, and even capitalism in a more grudging way, have said to people “I offer you a good time,” Hitler has said to them “I offer you struggle, danger and death,” and as a result a whole nation flings itself at his feet.

The three dictators Orwell refers to, of course, are Stalin, Mussolini and Hitler. And just so we’re on the same wave length, Stalin is militarised socialism, Mussolini is fascism and Hitler is Nazism. The thing is, I came across this review in my quest to figure out the difference between Fascism and Nazism. As I’ve attempted to point out here, even though to some it may seem like splitting hairs, I believe the difference between the two are quite relevant in also understanding the current political situation regarding my beloved & missed united mistakes of #Americant.

Or maybe not.

Link to Orwell’s review is below.

Rant on.

-T

Links: https://archive.org/details/ReviewKampf/mode/2up

What Is Fascism?

Pic source: screenshot from the interwebnets

So. Like. I’m sitting in the corner at the mall, a parking lot, a small table in a rainbow coloured sprinkles restaurant and Grasshopper walks up to me and asks: Dude, what is a fascism? (Yes, the question is posed just like that.)

Well, Grasshopper, I respond, it’s like this. Do you remember olden times when people were actually rational about their days and deeds and were extremely concerned about where they stuck their genitals? That’s right, those days are long gone–if they ever existed. But those days–or day–are somehow real, don’t you know. Anywho. In those days something interesting happened to the petty and the perturbed and the ones that would lead to #Trump, post Hitler, Mussolini, etc. The threat that was human existence had gone too far for a few people who run the worlds. But perhaps I’m getting ahead of ourselves.

In the beginning there was talk of communism. Let’s say we’re dealing with the mid 19th century. Karl Marx was the first to actually philosophise about the re-invention of a new & improved feudalism post the French Revolution. The French Revolution, btw, was the first attempt at ridding the world of not just feudalism but really, really useless kings and queens. Back to Marx. Marx’s philosophising, don’t you know, lead a whole bunch of people to question why they had so little after doing so much and few and fewer people had so much after doing so little. And so. A whole bunch of people organised and both pissed-off and scared those few people… a whole lot. In order to counter the many people that were organising, a few of the few and fewer thought about getting organised themselves. The many were the communists and the few and fewer would eventually become the fascists. The fascists would then fight and fight and slaughter the many so that, well, the few and fewer could just keep having more and more. Oh. And let’s not forget. Other than in Russia and France, those f’n fascists saved the rest of those arsehole kings and fcuking queens. Get it? (And enough of the italics.)

So the thing to remember, Grasshopper, is this: There would be no fascism if there were no communism. There would still be feudalism, though. Get it? And if I may just throw this little tangent in there which is perhaps for another worst-post: we would now have Neo-feudalism.

But I die-gress, baby.

In other worst-words, fascism is communisms counter revolution. The thing that holds both communism and fascism together–that makes them cousins, if you will–is authoritarianism. That is, the will of the few over the will of the many–in the most brutal way. And if you don’t like it, I’ll slap you arse, you useless-eating biatch. Get it?

To make things even more complicated, one can also put it like this: Capitalists also found a way to organise so that they could counter Communism, i.e. the revolution that so many were joining back in the day. The Capitalists turned to the privileged classes–from which the middle classes would eventually spring (rentier, neo-feudalism?)–among their ranks who would in-turn turn against the less privileged, i.e. the poor. The privileged classes gladly accepted the Capitalists as determiners of (their) fate as they also laughed and spit on the poor who would be controlled by government bureaucracy, the police state, right-wing media (set free by Ronald Reagan’s fight against the FCC Fairness doctrine), etc. And so. The poor simply became the breeders of more mindless and indoctrinated canon fodder–by the likes of Rush Limbaugh, faux newz, etc. And now you have #Trump. Get it?

Let me be clear about one more thing before I end this worst-post. Nazis are not necessarily fascists. Although Nazis employ fascists tactics (brown shirts, SS, propaganda, etc.), the true fascists that allied forced would defeat in WW2 were Italians and before that Franco’s Spain. I’m not trying to diminish the evils of Nazism here, though. Nazis were (and still are!) just as bad as fascists. But perhaps, when trying to understand the evils that men are capable of, sometimes it might be OK to split hairs. And don’t forget:

The Germans and Italians lost WW2 but the fascists won.

-George Carlin

A fascist is a pig in a man’s suit and who slaps you (or kills you) for disagreeing with him and there is nothing you can do about it because, well, …you love bacon?

-end-

More worst-writing on T’s attempt at understanding fascism? Try this or this or this.

Rant on.

-T

Link that better describes Fascism:

Priceless Statue Fascist Glory

 

Homeland bound. Homeland waning. Homeland unwanted visit–but also not a voluntary one. Although this was/is my normal off-season time of travel to the Homeland, I thought it better that I let it go this year and jaunt over the Atlantic early next year instead. Reason for change of travel-mind? Yea, could have something to do with family. Family? And so. Now I’m wondering if the word family has taken on the same superficiality as “hero”. Oh. The thoughts churned while traveling home. Nomatter. There are indeed more impending things to worstwrite about.

Took a tour of the Virginia state capital yesterday and made a massive (personal) discovery. While an elderly southern bell provided us with all the obligatory knowledge-bits about where we were and what we were looking at, I found myself facing, according to our tour guide, “the most priceless statue in the United States”. As the southern bell detailed George Washington’s experience of having a plaster caste of his face being made by the French sculpture Jean Antoinne Houdon, my third eye got caught on… the thing Washington was leaning on. At first I let my thoughts pass and even joined the group of geriatric tourists in another chamber so as not to miss any knowledge bits. But the statue of GW was in the rotunda and with each chamber that was presented to us, I had to pass this curiosity. I think there were four chambers all-together but after the second one I skipped the group and remained in the rotunda. I couldn’t take my eyes off the object that GW was leaning on. When an employee of the building passed by me I stopped him and asked what the object was. The man searched his mind but couldn’t come up with the name of what it’s called. Then he explained–in a normal, non-southern voice:

Oh that. You know. I can’t remember the name of it. But it’s when you take a stick and break it in half. Then you take the two halves, put them together and break them again. You then take the four quarters, put them together, break them again. Eventually, sir, you can no longer break them.

And the object behind that, I asked him.

Oh. That. That’s a plow. (See last pic above.)

It was a moment I will take a long time to forget, dear worst-reader. In fact. Put another way: Holy shit. George Fcuking Washington is a Fascist! How do I know? Well. He is resting his left arm on a Fasces, i.e. the international symbol of Fascism. Or. Put another way. Even though this statue was sculpted in the late 18th century, long before what I consider to be the antithesis of fascism (and the reason for fascism), i.e. communism, GW is leaning on an object that symbolizes terror of another kind. Go figure, eh. Now. With that in worst-mind, allow me to traverse this brain flatulent: Irrespective of #Trump and his dipshit claim after Charlottesville that has lead to Antifa getting back in the newz, let’s see if this statue can be removed, too. Yea. On the other hand, as far as worst-writer is concerned, get rid of all symbols of hate, greed and war mongering, etc.

wiki screenshot fasces
The fascist fasces

Rant on.

-T

PS. But worst-writer, what is a fascist? Good question, worst-reader. Here or here.

 

The Red Pill Or The Blue Pill? Either Way Your Inner Fascist Drank The Kool-Aid Milkshake Galore So Keep Smiling

fasces-rainbow

For posterity’s sake, and to deal with the humungous crowds of imbicile-lites out there, I feel compelled to post Umberto Eco’s fourteen point definition of Fascism. Seriously, people (imbeciles). It’s not that complicated. More worst-posts on fascism here and here. If you’ve never read this before, be warned. It might be just like looking into a mirror–or a telescope of your nation-state-hood. I’ve added some sub-bullets in a worst-attempt to show how each applies to #americant concurrently. Good luck, suckers. -T

Umberto Eco’s 14 signs of fascism along with worst-writer’s 2cents (the sub-bullets):

  • “The Cult of Tradition”, characterised by cultural syncretism, even at the risk of internal contradiction. When all truth has already been revealed by Tradition, no new learning can occur, only further interpretation and refinement.
    • The war on science, evolution and the fact there are–seriously there are–theme parks in the US about “creationism”.
  • “The Rejection of modernism”, which views the rationalistic development of Western culture since the Enlightenment as a descent into depravity. Eco distinguishes this from a rejection of superficial technological advancement, as many fascist regimes cite their industrial potency as proof of the vitality of their system.
    • There are those who want laws that allow Christian bakery owners to discriminate against gays and refuse baking them a wedding cake.
  • “The Cult of Action for Action’s Sake”, which dictates that action is of value in itself, and should be taken without intellectual reflection. This, says Eco, is connected with anti-intellectualism and irrationalism, and often manifests in attacks on modern culture and science.
    • Climate change denial and the industry behind that denial that denigrates the scientific community.
  • “Disagreement Is Treason” – Fascism devalues intellectual discourse and critical reasoning as barriers to action, as well as out of fear that such analysis will expose the contradictions embodied in a syncretistic faith.
    • The way the DOJ is threatening potential whistelblowers; the harsh sentencing of Chelsea Manning (thank goodness for Obama’s clemency!); pardon Edward Snowden.
  • “Fear of Difference”, which fascism seeks to exploit and exacerbate, often in the form of racism or an appeal against foreigners and immigrants.
    • Blacks, immigrants, the poor, LGBTQ, etc.
  • “Appeal to a Frustrated Middle Class”, fearing economic pressure from the demands and aspirations of lower social groups
    • Blacks, immigrants, the poor, LGBTQ, etc.
  • “Obsession with a Plot” and the hyping-up of an enemy threat. This often combines an appeal to xenophobia with a fear of disloyalty and sabotage from marginalised groups living within the society (such as the German elite’s ‘fear’ of the 1930s Jewish populace’s businesses and well-doings; see also anti-Semitism). Eco also cites Pat Robertson’s book The New World Order as a prominent example of a plot obsession.
    • Conspiracy theorists have gone mainstream with the election of #Trump (see Alex Jones–if you can stomach it).
  • Fascist societies rhetorically cast their enemies as “at the same time too strong and too weak.” On the one hand, fascists play up the power of certain disfavoured elites to encourage in their followers a sense of grievance and humiliation. On the other hand, fascist leaders point to the decadence of those elites as proof of their ultimate feebleness in the face of an overwhelming popular will.
  • “Pacifism is Trafficking with the Enemy” because “Life is Permanent Warfare” – there must always be an enemy to fight. Both fascist Germany under Hitler and Italy under Mussolini worked first to organise and clean up their respective countries and then build the war machines that they later intended to and did use, despite Germany being under restrictions of the Versailles treaty to NOT build a military force. This principle leads to a fundamental contradiction within fascism: the incompatibility of ultimate triumph with perpetual war.
    • Permanent warfare. Nuff said.
  • “Contempt for the Weak”, which is uncomfortably married to a chauvinistic popular elitism, in which every member of society is superior to outsiders by virtue of belonging to the in-group. Eco sees in these attitudes the root of a deep tension in the fundamentally hierarchical structure of fascist polities, as they encourage leaders to despise their underlings, up to the ultimate Leader who holds the whole country in contempt for having allowed him to overtake it by force.
    • Demonising the poor that make their way to America from South/Middle America to earn a dollar or two a day while picking a countries fcuking tomatoes and avocados, etc.
  • “Everybody is Educated to Become a Hero”, which leads to the embrace of a cult of death. As Eco observes, “[t]he Ur-Fascist hero is impatient to die. In his impatience, he more frequently sends other people to death.”
    • Shame #americant has ruined the word hero.
  • “Machismo”, which sublimates the difficult work of permanent war and heroism into the sexual sphere. Fascists thus hold “both disdain for women and intolerance and condemnation of nonstandard sexual habits, from chastity to homosexuality.”
    • Pussy be grabbed, eh.
  • “Selective Populism” – The People, conceived monolithically, have a Common Will, distinct from and superior to the viewpoint of any individual. As no mass of people can ever be truly unanimous, the Leader holds himself out as the interpreter of the popular will (though truly he dictates it). Fascists use this concept to delegitimise democratic institutions they accuse of “no longer represent[ing] the Voice of the People.”
    • What used to be propaganda is now FAKE NEWS.
  • “Newspeak” – Fascism employs and promotes an impoverished vocabulary in order to limit critical reasoning.
    • Alt-right, alt-left, etc.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Definitions_of_fascism#Umberto_Eco

Email From An Old Friend Or How To Fight The Nuance Of Innate Hate Run Amok While Consuming To Survive

mob with torches
The mob after the monster it created. Political metaphor?

Below is a shocking, nuanced-filled email exchange with an old friend. Unfortunately, even though I wish otherwise, there’s not much I can do about what is really going on back in my beloved #americant–that can lead to such an email. I am not only an expat but I’m also no longer a believer. Indeed. I have long-since learned that even the Nazi salute is an American invention. Consider that next time you hear the Pledge of Allegiance–from whence things came. And while you’re at it, have a look at the Bellamy Salute. The good news is, we Americans copied the salute, too… from the bat$hit Romans. But I digress. And so. Here’s a worst-question: how deep is the damage (or is it rot) in the soul of #americant that would lead torch wielding nutjobs, as though they were hunting a Frankenstein’s Monster, through the streets of Charlottesville, VA, this past weekend? And another worst-question(s): is the quilt of my beloved #americant held together by fibres of hate? Where the fcuk do these a$$holes come from? Who are their parents, who are the mothers that would fcuk men to make these stupid white people–in 2017? Oh wait. I know exactly who they are. I was raised amongst them. And so. For those who still sympathise with the result of last years election, way to go suckers. But I bet you still haven’t woke up to how badly you’ve been played. Wow.

The nuanced email. Note the aggression towards things that are not rightwing–which is where any aggression should be right now.

Hi Tom, §Well isn’t the news fun? Hippies and Right Wingnuts clash at the prestigious campus of the University of Virginia. What a fitting location for a nice Sunday morning clash. Why aren’t these folks in church? Haha. §At the same time it is really stupid that the Righteous and Self-defined Politically Correct Left go running around the country removing statues and the like. WTF? We used to rail against rewriting history. Now these fuckers just want to outright deny it. Obama bought so heavily into this BS that the only thing anybody can remember him doing in his last year was forcing the nation to allow transsexuals to use whatever bathroom they want… Really? WFT is POTUS doing telling states such a thing and since when are there even enough transsexuals to make a blip in demographics to justify such a move…? §The Left are acting like idiots with their esoteric BS and this is inciting the right, understandably.  At some point they both look like fascist. People forget that fascism can come from the left or right… §Anyhoo, how was your recent visit to the Baltic sea?

And here’s my response email.

Dear Old Friend, §I’m a bit surprised at your tone regarding history and Charlottesville. The removal of statues that represent treason (the fucking south and their dumbass civil war), slave trade and, frankly, the stupidity of white people, have no place on publicly owned property. Put it anywhere you want on private property, btw. It’s really no different than secularism and the fact that the ten commandments have no place on the walls or state monuments or state houses either. And. Yes. I’m all for taking “In God We Trust” off of our fiat (fake?) money, too. $Charlottesville is just another example of how the elites, i.e. the owners of the United States (of which there are few), is playing Americans. And Americans are responding accordingly. The country has been so dumbed-down and enamoured with stupidity that it was only a matter of time, after electing a tried and true fascist to the white house, that moronic white supremacists would then seek out there day of reckoning post the first black president. I’m only surprised it took till now to happen. Btw, is there any connection between the stupid white man that wrote that 10 page manifesto against women as computer engineers and all the stupid white men that can’t get laid so they wear swastikas and raise their hands in a Hitler salute? Of course, not unlike most people who think they are supreme, ultimately the only thing these guys show the world is how they are just a bunch of under-achievers. America… totally lead by underachievers? §And heed this, Dear Old Friend: The Germans lost WW2 but the fascists won. (That’s from George Carlin!) §By-the-buy. There is no such thing as a left fascist. Don’t allow yourself to be confused by all the propaganda (fake?) news you read, watch or listen to. FYI, fascism is a response by capitalism to everything that lead to the Russian Revolution of 1917. Fascism is an alternative authoritarian system propped up by capitalists. Hitler was a national socialist that would never deny fascism. Mussolini was a tried and true fascist, as was Franco of Spain. You can have left authoritarianism, which is often the case in South America and, perhaps, even certain parts of Europe and Asia. But fascism is always from the right. §You’re welcome. §Hang in there. Good luck. Yours.

Rant onwards, suckers.
-T

Hey Kids! Your Future Is Being Predicted Right Now. Get It While You Can. #Fascism Game Play Galore

next to last supper from ubisoft far cry
pic is from Ubisoft; it’s called: “next to last supper”; how appropriate

What do you recall from reading Jules Verne and George Orwell, Mr. Worstwriter?

I’m so glad you asked, dear worst-reader.

I remember from both those writers how my future was being predicted. Indeed. Even though I didn’t read much when I was kid, by the time I got out of the waste-of-time that is #americant suburban-hell highschool, I was reading like a mad man. Verne and Orwell were, to me, similar writers–even though they wrote completely different stuff. Both men were writing about worlds that didn’t actually exist but unlike other forms of fiction that I consumed, their worlds were at least based on something that felt as though it could be real. And so. When I started traveling with jet airplanes, Verne’s world came true. When I started getting my ass kicked by corporatists, aka fascists, Orwell’s world came true.

Hop skip and jump to the now.

As far as I’m concerned there hasn’t been much future-telling from generations after Orwell and Verne. Why is that? My worst-guess is, the future that was told and we’re now living in is also an end-game. What Orwell and Verne didn’t or couldn’t know is that when their worlds came true, there was then nothing left after that. Or was/is there? Enter the magic world of virtual game play. Have a playstation, xbox, gamer-PC? How ’bout a nintendo or a sega? Heck, break out that old iphone or even your old zune. Computerised gaming is here, baby. And it’s doing more than competing with movies, turntables, radio-hour and a good fcuking book. In fact, my guess is, computerised gaming is better than reading. How do I worst-guess that? Easy. Where are the kids–like when I was young–who know-it-all?

And no. Millennials don’t know it all. (If they did then books would be more popular than all their krappy pop music!)

Would you believe dear worst-reader that gaming has finally come full circle? I mean, it’s come full-circle like Verne (with his then sci-fi predictions) and Orwell (with his prediction of stupid people voting and faux newz taking over the airwaves) have come full circle. Although their predictions are a bit early for my taste, what the fcuk do I care? I live for convenience–and my highschool wish of being financially independent came true before my mid-40s. And so. At my age I can gladly lean back on my wooden la-z-boy and laugh my ass off as the morons that play the game, suck up to the game, get fcuked by the game. Why? It’s as though we’ve reached a point where reality has been tuned and manipulated by great literature and by those who never read it. On top of that, it’s also been tuned and manipulated by fcuking cartoons. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha…

Now get this.

The newest addtion to the Far Cry computer game franchise takes place in my beloved #americant. And not just any place in #americant. As though it was a premonition, the recent WWE asskicking of a reporter by a nutjob republican bully running for Congress…. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha… Far Cry, the computer game, is set in the same place, with the same local mentality, with the same, the same, the same… #americant. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha. I mean, it’s perfect. Ha. Ha. Ha. Where Orwell’s world could work in Bangkok as well as Moscow, Far Cry’s newest story line can ONLY work in Montana. For that we can thank all those techi a$$holes in the only industry doing anything at any price. Ha. Ha. Ha. Gulp. Sip. Burp.

Short pause.

Not only are we living better through chemicals but consuming to survive seems to be working out pretty well, too. Good luck with your future. And don’t forget, find a way to continue voting conservatives into office because for the last 50 yrs they’ve given you what you’ve got. And now you can even play them in a computer game… Ha. Ha. Ha… It’s certainly better than reading about what predicts your future… Ha. Ha. Ha.

Burp.

Rant on.

-T

Link that motivated this post:

Her “Deplorables” Are Alive And Well Or You’re A Fascist And Don’t Know It Yet

big lebowski mug in face.gif
Just a GIF I found on the interwebnets. Pretty much covers the fascist issue. Or?

Update: Always remember, dear worst-reader, when all else fails in your quest to fail-upwards, violence always wins. And so. Let’s give those deplorables a hand. They win. Again. Again. Again. (Thank you Bill & Hillary Clinton!)

Hi-Larry-Us, dear worst-reader. The first thought that came into my worst-mind upon hearing the news that another batsh*t republican utilised his/the meathead as part of communicating idears–or in this case his will upon others–was whether or not Hillary was there to witness it. I mean, this is literally what she meant when she called all those republican nutbags (including coward libertarians) “deplorables”. Or was she talking about those republicans that can’t formulate a sentence, drag their knuckles or listen/believe too much faux newz?

At this point, I suppose, the question of formulating a sentence or physically forcing your political will on someone else is mute. But do we (liberals) feel bad for the Guardian reporter that got WWE slammed last night in Montana? I mean, think about that. A reporter that works for a thoughtful news organisation gets his ass handed to him because he doesn’t realise he’s facing the living manifestation of…

My way or the highway!

Btw. Where were all these gutsy reporters when the ghost of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan irked their way into the tip of Trump’s penis giving him the itch Melania can’t scratch? That’s right, dear worst-reader. There is no telling where this level of fascist behaviour is gonna go or where it can hide before being revealed–en masse. The only thing that matters is it’s here and you’re part of it.

Good luck suckers.

Link that motivated this post:

Rant on.

-t

Fascism: The New Rainbow Coalition

fasces-rainbow

So I’m sitting at a bar, nursing an Obstler. I can’t figure out if my drink tastes like peach or pears. And that really confuses me when I’m on one of them special self-medicating evenings. Btw, for the longest time when I was a child I never really understood the difference between peaches and pears. Of course, obviously, both look different and they even taste different, but to me, while youthfully contemplating fruit, there was so much more of a difference between pears and oranges that trying to figure peaches and pears was just too much. Which brings me back to the subject at hand–i.e. steering gallantly away from my subpar intellectual youth. And so. Like I said. While nursing a drink at a local pub a man and a woman near me were arguing about politics. And not just any politics. They were arguing about grabbing pussy-politics, i.e. fascism–which means, in short, they were talking about my beloved #Americant. The thing that made the argument interesting to my ears, though, was the fact that the woman was defending #Trump. According to emancipated-slash-feminist Euro-babes, Trump’s boy-talk while exiting a bus wasn’t such a big deal. Obviously it’s gonna take #Eurwastelanders a bit longer to get over Trumpism and I suppose many a pub, bar, kneipe, drinking dump will see conversations like this one en masse. Or maybe not. Which is fine by me on account these confused, tribal people (Eurowastelanders) are a hoot to behold while they discuss pussy-politics. Seriously. Europeans are clueless to politics these days, especially real politics. (For those who get it… pun intended!) Seriously. The only thing Europeans can do is buy stuff, pay taxes and take in war torn refugees because of wars of oil, etc. Anywho–before I get too far off subject yet again…

Almost finished with my drink and about to pay, the man next to me who was gayly arguing with his counterpart reached around and said to me: can you define fascism?

How do you know I’m American, I said to him.

He then pointed to the bartender to give me another drink–on him. Not one to refuse the kindness of strangers, I gulped down the remainder of my drink and had a long look at the woman my new friend was drinking and arguing with. I said to myself: I’d have a gooh with that philly.

My new drink arrived. Obviously my benefactor was a friend of the bartender because the drink was definitely a double. I took a sip, stopped goo-goo eying the mans arguing counterpart and then said: are you sure you want to talk to me about this stuff? Besides, I continued, Europeans don’t know politics anymore. It’s been kinda beat out of you, don’t you know. Except, of course, maybe the French. Yeah, the French know politics a bit. But you Germans… (gulp, gulp, gulp; the Obstler was starting to have an effect.)

Fascists are just authoritarian capitalist, right, the woman said.

No, they are political extremist, racists, bigots, they are the riffraff that behave in any manor that would facilitate their day-dream of rags to riches, my Obstler benefactor said.

As the only American in the room, it was time I took control.

Well, my fellow comrades, Freunde, federalists, I’ve actually given Fascism a thought or three during my years as an expat on the continent. Without turning over all the rocks we’ve politically lined our shores with (from under which rare jumping oysters thrive), allow me to put it this way. It’s really quite simple. Fascism is nothing more than a political answer to communism. If you want to define fascism you can read all the scholarly and academic writings about it or you can just look up communism, then try to understand what went on in the former Soviet Union, and what’s now going on in China and North Korea, among other countries, and then simply find the polar opposite.

The polar opposite, the woman asked.

Well, almost the polar opposite I said taking another swig from my Obstler. Let me put it another simple way. Fascism is the answer to post 1917 communism. There would be no fascism without communism. Communism came first, never forget that. Fascism is the only way for capitalists to save their own greed souls when humans turn to social collectives. What we have now with America’s new Trumpism is simply another colour, another version of Fascisms many faces–or as an old friend of my mine once called it: the rainbow coalition of greed mongers.

My phone. My editor from LA was calling. So I gulped my drinking benefactors drink, smiled at the Euro-babe he was arguing with and left.

Not a moment too soon.

Rant on.

-t

Fascist State vs Fascist Society

smoking fascism

Why is it, dear worst-reader, that no one can actually just come out and say it? I really don’t get it. Is it because no one really knows what it is or have forgotten what it is, which makes saying it impossible? Or is it because it’s already been done, that is, it’s already been defeated and therefore cannot be reborn, so, again, it’s not worth saying? Nomatter. Here it goes. I’m worst-saying it: we are living in fascism. With that in mind, let’s try to worst-define it, shall we. For I have found that defining fascism takes a bit of effort. Oh my.

Fascism was first used in the totalitarian right-wing nationalist regime of Mussolini in Italy (1922–43); the Nazis in Germany and Franco in Spain were also Fascist. Fascism tends to include a belief in the supremacy of one national or ethnic group, a contempt for democracy, an insistence on obedience to a powerful leader, and a strong demagogic approach. -a dictionary somewhere

Is that really a definition for fascism? Sounds kinda lame to me. But perhaps there’s more to just defining a word or an idear. I mean, can you define green? As we all know, like life, political systems evolve. Is it possible, like a virus or a gene, that this political system evolved so that it could survive even though it was defeated in 1945? Wait. Who/what was defeated in 1945? One of my favourite quotes regarding fascism is by the comedian George Carlin:

The Germans lost the war but fascism won.

And then there’s Umberto Eco’s definition(s) of fascism where he simply outlines fourteen ways of identifying it. In light of what’s happening in America since the invention of the right-wing propaganda network faux newz, I particularly like Eco’s definition where he  clearly states that a fascist speaks newspeak: “fascism employs and promotes an impoverished vocabulary in order to limit critical reasoning.”

Pretty scary stuff, eh worst-reader? The good thing is, well, at least we did defeat the dictators that latched on to this political ideology in 1945. The bad news is, fascism–like any living organism–has evolved. Boy has it evolved! In fact, it is so alive & well that it takes a trained, honed, precise academic eye to see it. Or maybe not. And so. I ask/answer the question: do we live in a fascist state? (Sarcasm on.) Long live the fascist society. (Sarcasm off.)

Below a published academic paper that I recently came across that blew my mind. Not one time is fascist or fascism mentioned in this paper. Yet after reading it I couldn’t help but dry-wipe my face, take a deep breath and then sigh with remorse contradicted by relief. Indeed. The fascist-states of Italy, Germany and Japan were beaten to a pulp by 1945. But ultimately the political ideology that gave the world the political leaders of those countries survived. I don’t know if I should applaud or throw myself off a building because this is so obvious–yet no one can speaks its name. Something is hiding in plain sight, dear worst-reader. And what is made very clear in the paper is that after studying 1,779 policy issues throughout the American political system, and I quote:

Analysis indicates that economic elites and organised groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on U.S. government policy while average citizens and mass-based interest groups have little or no independent influence.

That is obvious, right? I mean, of course that happens. Of course economic elites and organised groups represents business interests and influence government policy. It happens everyday. It’s been happening since… a long time. It’s like breathing. Right?

With your indulgence, dear worst-reader, it’s now time for Tommi’s, aka worst-writer’s definition of fascism. Fascism was the answer to communism. Fearing the almost miraculous Bolshevik revolution that did its best to reinvent the French Revolution on Russian soil, European capitalists quickly saw the potential of the downfall of the Tsars and the rise of political ideology that was very threatening–to capitalism. The answer to this was/is simple: align nationalism with business. These two elements of society would govern everything in their own best interests and do so with dictators. And we all know what happened to those dictators.

Mussolini 2nd from left.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benito_Mussolini

But I must say, George Carlin really got it right. This political system has evolved beyond belief. In fact, it’s evolved so well that no one is even capable of speaking its name. At least THEY can’t speak its name in academic papers published in academic journals that are read by elite academics–and worst-writer. And so. With that in worst-mind, we are not living in a fascist state. No. That was defeated. (Sarcasm on.) Long live the fascist society.

Link:

Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups and Average Citizens | Princeton.edu (pdf)

Good luck suckers. Rant on. -Tommi

Book vs Mirror

American_FascistsAmerican Fascist by Chris Hedges

After reading numerous Christopher Hitchens books, delving in various online resources featuring his firebrand contrarian POV, I realized something profound when he died. 1) The man scared the beejeezus out of me. 2) Not only is he the smartest and most well-read person I’ve ever experienced, but I quickly realized that there’ll be no one to replace him anytime soon. So unique is The Hitch. How sad, eh? Still. Look for someone to replace him I did. Sofar Chris Hedges is the only one I’ve found. But don’t get me wrong. These two authors are not comparable nor are they compatible. Chris Hedges isn’t even a contrarian. They are also not polar opposites. That said, I don’t want to get into Hitchens. More on him here and here. This post is about The Hedge.

Just finished American Fascist. Long time on my reading list; short effort to get through it. Hedges brilliantly chronicles the rise of what can only be considered uniquely American: Religious fanaticism in the name of a branded deity has reached preposterous proportions. As usual it all begins with two things mating to be one–and ever since I was a kid life was all about these two things. The first, of course, is money. Money is everything in America. There really is nothing else. There is no patriotism, there is no pride, there is no god, there is only your ability to earn and your ability to spend. Every aspect of American human-ness, if you will, is based on money. All American interaction with other humans evolves around money. And the list could go on. I hope that part of the worst-message is clear. So let’s move on.

The other thing that permeates the American experience is religion. In fact, you can practically exchange money for religion and vice versa. Hence the two are the same. Which means that when Americans prey, they don’t really prey to a god but instead to money. Without money religion would be nothing–without both America would probably be a utopia. (Big probably, eh.) In fact, if one of the two were absent, it would almost be a utopia. But here we are. We are stuck with both and that seems to be great. Reason? Money and religion result in a death society where you are either in or you are simply NOT. This is the culmination of the great American experiment. The irony of it all is that because of what religion has done to America, its demise and downfall is welcomed. Arms are open at this moment to the so-called god-fearing who pay all the respect they can muster along with paying all the money they can conjure to a lie and they love the death and destruction that go along with it. Indeed. America is pretty much nothing more today than a death cult with open biblical arms of promised and purchased redemption. From the religious fanaticism that gives us “christian” TV networks and talk radio and mega-churches to the political arena that is now nothing but a freak-show that thrives on human apathy which seems to be a fuel to its fire. But I’m getting way off-base here.

American Fascist is a pretty good read. At the least it motivates one to think–if one is so inclined–about the ills of fanatical religion. Even though I found myself skipping over all the parts that detailed Hedges experiences in whatever church or sermon, the parts where he writes his thoughts about it all are quite compelling. His voice is staunch and steadfast. He makes you believe that he knows what he’s talking about even though he is obviously a believer–and not only in god but in the US. Alone his life experience as a journalist but schooled in religion give him a unique armament to pose logical arguments to help one battle the demon that is American’t religious fervor. Hence, for my taste–bent from reading so much Hitchens–he could be a bit more contrarian. But read him more I will. And with that I digress.

Rant on.

-Tommi