My neighbour wrote to me when I pointed out to him the parallels between Nazi thought and RSS : 'What Fascism are the secularists talking about?'
I wrote back to him : Since you asked, here is a primer on what Fascism is :
1. Fascism seeks to unify a nation under the banner of racial or CULTURAL PURITY as a method of weeding out an imagined WEAKNESS. This is its FIRST characteristic. There are often references to a glorious past – whether it is real, exaggerated or mythical. See here too.
This should remind you of the Hindu Right exhorting Hindus to weed out their weaknesses by going back to the Hindu Right’s singular (false) version of Hinduism.
2. A SECOND feature of Fascism is that it makes EXTRAVAGANT PROMISES TO GET BACK the lost pride of a nation, or lost lands.
Like the drum beating by the Hindu right that making a Ram Temple at Ayodhya is the top most challenge for India that they will address - above any other of rising hunger, lack of jobs or returns to farmers from farming, etc.
3. Fascism needs to EXCLUDE SOME PARTS OF SOCIETY as undesirable. This is its THIRD characteristic. The majority of a region is then asked to unite to defend themselves against these others. See here and here too.
Hitler presented Jews as not being Aryan, and the Hindu Right presents Muslims and Christians as not belonging to the soil of India. Dalits and Tribals are not accepted on equal terms either. False stories are spread about all the groups that the Hindu Right wants to exclude from the mainstream of Indian society.
4. Fascism involves a FOURTH characteristic - it requires its core support base to be FEARFUL OF THE ‘OTHER’, based on lies. See here too.The 'other' is then forced into ghettos, and finally, into Camps.
Think of the endless lies told to you about Muslims, and other stories on how reservations for Dalits and Tribals will destroy our society. See how the Hindu neighbourhoods frown upon Muslims amidst them, and they end up in ghettos.
5. The FIFTH feature of Fascism is that Nationalism – that is, pride for one’s country, is distorted and manipulated to show to the population that THE ACTIONS OF THE RULERS ARE ALWAYS CORRECT. See here and here too.
Modi shows himself always above all reproach. But he has done lots to damage our country however - things that were widely criticized. Has he apologized for them - the mass killings his Gujarat Government presided over, or demonetization or beating up Dalits in the name of cow protection ?
6. The SIXTH characteristic of Fascism is to characterize democratic decision making as ‘weak’ and ‘slow’, calling instead for one CHARISMATIC LEADER TO TAKE ALL THE DECISIONS FOR THE COUNTRY. See here and here too.
Remind you of someone ?
7. The SEVENTH feature of Fascism is Totalitarianism – THE TOTAL CONTROL OF A SOCIETY and its people. Education, the arts, civil society organizations are all made to fall in line with the vision of the ruling party. Citizens are expected to have faith in a SINGLE ruling party, often personified by one person.
Remind you of someone and something ?
8. The EIGHTH feature of Fascism is intense SUPPORT FOR VIOLENCE TO ACHIEVE POLITICAL OBJECTIVES (see here and here too). Censorship and propaganda are routinely deployed to re-fashion society in line with the vision of a single political party. Severe mass inequality is often a result of Fascism.
Horrific stories flood our press about the violence deployed by the Hindu Right frequently against minorities. Here is just one of them. Here is another and another.
9. The NINTH feature of Fascism is the RAISING OF PRIVATE MILITIAS (civilians trained to use arms and combat techniques) which are then deployed for political ends of the entity to whom they owe allegiance, often using force and violence.
Hitler had his Brownshirts, Mussolini the Blackshirts, and RSS has its Shakhas.
10. The TENTH feature of Fascism is PARTICIPATION IN ELECTIONS TO BEGIN WITH, until using intimidation and violence in part, the Fascists are able to gain absolute majorities. After some years of so-called legitimate rule, THE SUPREME LEADER THEN DECLARES HIMSELF DICTATOR (Hitler lasted in this position for 12 years, and Mussolini for 18 years).
The BJP won small electoral victories to begin with, but has kept up an atmosphere of violence in the country when not in power. BJP’s trolls are now calling for Modi to be a Dictator !
11. The ELEVENTH characteristic of Fascist Governments is that they are FAR-RIGHT IN THEIR ORIENTATION but back some socialist policies such as spending on large-scale infrastructure, like roads.
12. The TWELFTH feature of Fascism is that they FEEL NO NEED TO BE CONSISTENT IN THEIR POLICIES. They will espouse whatever they need to, to obtain and consolidate power. They also espouse opposite things to different constituencies.
Like the BJP and their Right Wing friends have been shown to say something else to Muslims and something else to Hindus.
13. The THIRTEENTH feature of Fascim is REWARDING OF SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES – but only those it considers as SERVING THE ‘NATIONAL’ INTEREST. In fact, Mussolini is quoted as saying, “Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power."
So enterprises of Muslims and Dalits connected to meat and the leather industry can be seriously hurt, while those funding BJP like the Adanis and Ambanis can be rewarded continuously by tweaking the rules.
I wrote back to him : Since you asked, here is a primer on what Fascism is :
1. Fascism seeks to unify a nation under the banner of racial or CULTURAL PURITY as a method of weeding out an imagined WEAKNESS. This is its FIRST characteristic. There are often references to a glorious past – whether it is real, exaggerated or mythical. See here too.
This should remind you of the Hindu Right exhorting Hindus to weed out their weaknesses by going back to the Hindu Right’s singular (false) version of Hinduism.
2. A SECOND feature of Fascism is that it makes EXTRAVAGANT PROMISES TO GET BACK the lost pride of a nation, or lost lands.
Like the drum beating by the Hindu right that making a Ram Temple at Ayodhya is the top most challenge for India that they will address - above any other of rising hunger, lack of jobs or returns to farmers from farming, etc.
3. Fascism needs to EXCLUDE SOME PARTS OF SOCIETY as undesirable. This is its THIRD characteristic. The majority of a region is then asked to unite to defend themselves against these others. See here and here too.
Hitler presented Jews as not being Aryan, and the Hindu Right presents Muslims and Christians as not belonging to the soil of India. Dalits and Tribals are not accepted on equal terms either. False stories are spread about all the groups that the Hindu Right wants to exclude from the mainstream of Indian society.
4. Fascism involves a FOURTH characteristic - it requires its core support base to be FEARFUL OF THE ‘OTHER’, based on lies. See here too.The 'other' is then forced into ghettos, and finally, into Camps.
Think of the endless lies told to you about Muslims, and other stories on how reservations for Dalits and Tribals will destroy our society. See how the Hindu neighbourhoods frown upon Muslims amidst them, and they end up in ghettos.
5. The FIFTH feature of Fascism is that Nationalism – that is, pride for one’s country, is distorted and manipulated to show to the population that THE ACTIONS OF THE RULERS ARE ALWAYS CORRECT. See here and here too.
Modi shows himself always above all reproach. But he has done lots to damage our country however - things that were widely criticized. Has he apologized for them - the mass killings his Gujarat Government presided over, or demonetization or beating up Dalits in the name of cow protection ?
6. The SIXTH characteristic of Fascism is to characterize democratic decision making as ‘weak’ and ‘slow’, calling instead for one CHARISMATIC LEADER TO TAKE ALL THE DECISIONS FOR THE COUNTRY. See here and here too.
Remind you of someone ?
7. The SEVENTH feature of Fascism is Totalitarianism – THE TOTAL CONTROL OF A SOCIETY and its people. Education, the arts, civil society organizations are all made to fall in line with the vision of the ruling party. Citizens are expected to have faith in a SINGLE ruling party, often personified by one person.
Remind you of someone and something ?
8. The EIGHTH feature of Fascism is intense SUPPORT FOR VIOLENCE TO ACHIEVE POLITICAL OBJECTIVES (see here and here too). Censorship and propaganda are routinely deployed to re-fashion society in line with the vision of a single political party. Severe mass inequality is often a result of Fascism.
Horrific stories flood our press about the violence deployed by the Hindu Right frequently against minorities. Here is just one of them. Here is another and another.
9. The NINTH feature of Fascism is the RAISING OF PRIVATE MILITIAS (civilians trained to use arms and combat techniques) which are then deployed for political ends of the entity to whom they owe allegiance, often using force and violence.
Hitler had his Brownshirts, Mussolini the Blackshirts, and RSS has its Shakhas.
10. The TENTH feature of Fascism is PARTICIPATION IN ELECTIONS TO BEGIN WITH, until using intimidation and violence in part, the Fascists are able to gain absolute majorities. After some years of so-called legitimate rule, THE SUPREME LEADER THEN DECLARES HIMSELF DICTATOR (Hitler lasted in this position for 12 years, and Mussolini for 18 years).
The BJP won small electoral victories to begin with, but has kept up an atmosphere of violence in the country when not in power. BJP’s trolls are now calling for Modi to be a Dictator !
11. The ELEVENTH characteristic of Fascist Governments is that they are FAR-RIGHT IN THEIR ORIENTATION but back some socialist policies such as spending on large-scale infrastructure, like roads.
12. The TWELFTH feature of Fascism is that they FEEL NO NEED TO BE CONSISTENT IN THEIR POLICIES. They will espouse whatever they need to, to obtain and consolidate power. They also espouse opposite things to different constituencies.
Like the BJP and their Right Wing friends have been shown to say something else to Muslims and something else to Hindus.
13. The THIRTEENTH feature of Fascim is REWARDING OF SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES – but only those it considers as SERVING THE ‘NATIONAL’ INTEREST. In fact, Mussolini is quoted as saying, “Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power."
So enterprises of Muslims and Dalits connected to meat and the leather industry can be seriously hurt, while those funding BJP like the Adanis and Ambanis can be rewarded continuously by tweaking the rules.
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