6 ms·

"Fascism" is used today to refer to "bad thing I don't like". It's a mistake to interpret diction literally. Yes, it would be lovely if people used the word "

"Fascism" is used today to refer to "bad thing I don't like". It's a mistake to interpret diction literally. Yes, it would be lovely if people used the word "fascism" to refer to right-wing, ultra-nationalist, authoritarian political movements. But that's not how people use words and the ship has long since sailed on that particular word. According to George Orwell "fascism" has a been a synonym for "bully" since 1944 - http://orwell.ru/library/articles/As_I_Please/english/efasc http://orwell.ru/library/articles/As_I_Please/english/efasc

hunter23 7y ago
Ok, I guess I am out of the loop on the meaning of fascism. However, even if I substitute the word "bullying" the statement doesn't make sense to me: "Google employees protesting the makeup of the AI Ethics council appeared like the closest thing to bullying in the USA that I have ever witnessed" I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm splitting hairs, but I genuinely don't understand what the OP is trying to stay in that statement. Is he saying Google employee's protesting of the AI board is the worst example of bullying they have seen?
- cwperkins 7y ago
  Sorry I left for a few minutes. I don’t agree with Kay Cole James on any issue socially. My read on the situation though is that, by not recommending a viable alternative. I read that as Googlers saying they are not open to have conservative viewpoints on the council, hence them disbanding. That forcible suppression of an opposition viewpoint instead of coming to the table together to debate differences when crafting policy, I see as having elements of Fascism.
  - stcredzero 7y ago
    That forcible suppression of an opposition viewpoint instead of coming to the table together to debate differences when crafting policy, I see as having elements of Fascism. It's certainly authoritarian.
    - wolco 7y ago
      They have become what they protested against; closed mindedness. Animal farm all over again.
  - geofft 7y ago
    > That forcible suppression of an opposition viewpoint instead of coming to the table together to debate differences when crafting policy, I see as having elements of Fascism. Do you see Orwell literally taking up arms in the Spanish Civil War against his ideological opponents instead of debating them—especially when he wasn't even Spanish himself—as having elements of fascism, too?
- leftyted 7y ago
  The OP is trying to say: "Google employees protesting the makeup of the AI Ethics council is disgraceful"
geofft 7y ago
Orwell fought against the fascists in the Spanish Civil War, and found his side being called fascist by the Stalinists. I suspect he was more hoping to return the word to meaning something (he quite passionately cared about fighting fascism) than encouraging its misuse.
- stcredzero 7y ago
  Much of that time shaped George Orwell's later writings. All of the weird, anti-truth tendencies of The State were references to things done by Franco's Spain, the UK, and the Stalinists. The erasure and rewriting of the past. The use of blatant propaganda. Getting their own ranks to deny the simple truth before them. To George Orwell, the Fascists, the Stalinists, and the corrupt and Machiavellian parts of the British government were all part and parcel of the same evil and corruption.
jerkstate 7y ago
I encourage you to go read the contents of the original Fascist Manifesto, then come back and tell me that fascism is a right-wing ideology: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascist_Manifesto https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascist_Manifesto
- dang 7y ago
  Could you please stop using HN for ideological battle? https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

hunter23 7y ago

Ok, I guess I am out of the loop on the meaning of fascism. However, even if I substitute the word "bullying" the statement doesn't make sense to me: "Google employees protesting the makeup of the AI Ethics council appeared like the closest thing to bullying in the USA that I have ever witnessed" I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm splitting hairs, but I genuinely don't understand what the OP is trying to stay in that statement. Is he saying Google employee's protesting of the AI board is the worst example of bullying they have seen?

cwperkins 7y ago
Sorry I left for a few minutes. I don’t agree with Kay Cole James on any issue socially. My read on the situation though is that, by not recommending a viable alternative. I read that as Googlers saying they are not open to have conservative viewpoints on the council, hence them disbanding. That forcible suppression of an opposition viewpoint instead of coming to the table together to debate differences when crafting policy, I see as having elements of Fascism.
- stcredzero 7y ago
  That forcible suppression of an opposition viewpoint instead of coming to the table together to debate differences when crafting policy, I see as having elements of Fascism. It's certainly authoritarian.
  - wolco 7y ago
    They have become what they protested against; closed mindedness. Animal farm all over again.
- geofft 7y ago
  > That forcible suppression of an opposition viewpoint instead of coming to the table together to debate differences when crafting policy, I see as having elements of Fascism. Do you see Orwell literally taking up arms in the Spanish Civil War against his ideological opponents instead of debating them—especially when he wasn't even Spanish himself—as having elements of fascism, too?
leftyted 7y ago
The OP is trying to say: "Google employees protesting the makeup of the AI Ethics council is disgraceful"

geofft 7y ago

Orwell fought against the fascists in the Spanish Civil War, and found his side being called fascist by the Stalinists. I suspect he was more hoping to return the word to meaning something (he quite passionately cared about fighting fascism) than encouraging its misuse.

stcredzero 7y ago
Much of that time shaped George Orwell's later writings. All of the weird, anti-truth tendencies of The State were references to things done by Franco's Spain, the UK, and the Stalinists. The erasure and rewriting of the past. The use of blatant propaganda. Getting their own ranks to deny the simple truth before them. To George Orwell, the Fascists, the Stalinists, and the corrupt and Machiavellian parts of the British government were all part and parcel of the same evil and corruption.

jerkstate 7y ago

I encourage you to go read the contents of the original Fascist Manifesto, then come back and tell me that fascism is a right-wing ideology: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascist_Manifesto https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascist_Manifesto

dang 7y ago
Could you please stop using HN for ideological battle? https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html