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> "fascism" which is about the establishment of an ethnic monoculture Fascism comes from the Italian (and Latin) word fascism. Mussolini talked little about a

> "fascism" which is about the establishment of an ethnic monoculture Fascism comes from the Italian (and Latin) word fascism. Mussolini talked little about an ethnic monoculture - in fact there were even some prominent Jewish fascists before German influence over Italy began to increase. Also Chomsky never used the word fascism, fascist etc. here

mjburgess 8y ago
Ah. For some reason I remembered 'fascism' rather than 'totalitarianism' however the former is an example of the latter. Totalitarianism is just as bad. A totalitarian system is, by definition, total -- reaching, by centralized force and authority, into the political, economic, cultural, etc. There is no centralized power dictating "work" as our culture, our politics, etc. To call "work" totalitarian is somewhat helpfully revealing of the common mistake ideologues make: narrativizing the world. Turning systems into stories, forces into people. There is no person dictating work, so there is no totalitarianism. To think as if there were is to turn society into a conspiracy. One may as well call gravity totalitarian. We make economic promises to each other, and from this arises work.
dragonwriter 8y ago
> Fascism comes from the Italian (and Latin) word fascism. No, it comes from the Italian “fascismo” which ultimately derives from the Latin “fasces" for a particular symbol of the authority of Roman Republican and Imperial magistrates. > Mussolini talked little about an ethnic monoculture - in fact there were even some prominent Jewish fascists before German influence over Italy began to increase. Mussolini was talking about Fascism being about the needs of the “Aryan and Mediterranean race” in 1921, before the Nazis had power in Germany much less influence on he Italian fascists (the influence ran more the other way that early on.)

mjburgess 8y ago

Ah. For some reason I remembered 'fascism' rather than 'totalitarianism' however the former is an example of the latter. Totalitarianism is just as bad. A totalitarian system is, by definition, total -- reaching, by centralized force and authority, into the political, economic, cultural, etc. There is no centralized power dictating "work" as our culture, our politics, etc. To call "work" totalitarian is somewhat helpfully revealing of the common mistake ideologues make: narrativizing the world. Turning systems into stories, forces into people. There is no person dictating work, so there is no totalitarianism. To think as if there were is to turn society into a conspiracy. One may as well call gravity totalitarian. We make economic promises to each other, and from this arises work.

dragonwriter 8y ago

> Fascism comes from the Italian (and Latin) word fascism. No, it comes from the Italian “fascismo” which ultimately derives from the Latin “fasces" for a particular symbol of the authority of Roman Republican and Imperial magistrates. > Mussolini talked little about an ethnic monoculture - in fact there were even some prominent Jewish fascists before German influence over Italy began to increase. Mussolini was talking about Fascism being about the needs of the “Aryan and Mediterranean race” in 1921, before the Nazis had power in Germany much less influence on he Italian fascists (the influence ran more the other way that early on.)