4 ms·
Fascism puts a heavy emphasis on aesthetics
by dlev_pika 7mo ago
Fascism puts a heavy emphasis on aesthetics
- navane 7mo agoThey're better at selling ideas than having fleshed out ideas. One could say they sell before they build.
- octopoc 7mo agoHow do you square that with Germany’s miraculous economic recovery pre WII? Obviously they were doing something right. It took every other major power on the planet to take them down.
- navane 7mo agoBecause there was no off ramp. War economy never has. It looks great while it's going though. Year Military Spending (billions of RM) % of GDP 1933 0.7 1.0% 1934 4.0 5.1% 1935 5.5 7.0% 1936 10.3 12.2% 1937 11.5 12.7% 1938 17.2 17.2% 1939 38.0 23.0% Did they build their military to go to war? Or were they force to go to war as the nature of their economy forced them?
- bilbo0s 7mo agoItalian fascists did have fashion forward uniforms. So did the German Nazis back then now I think about it. Maybe there is something with cult-like thinking, fascist or not, where the aesthetics seduces more people into wanting to be a part of it all?
- hermitcrab 7mo agoNo doubt the smart uniforms, the rallies, the flags, the songs etc were a factor in many young men joining the SS.
- deleted 7mo ago[deleted]
- energy123 7mo agoThey like purity. Purity of the body (fitness and lifestyle) and purity of society (regimentation, conformity, single race, single ideology, single sexuality, standardized architecture). It's neurological. They feel emotional disgust if the regimentation isn't there.
- rsynnott 7mo agoOh, it was 100% marketing. It's not just fascists, either; totalitarian regimes _in general_ tend to be very keen on this sort of thing.
- jjgreen 7mo agoNot always https://www.indy100.com/politics/rain-epler-haircut-estonia-politician https://www.indy100.com/politics/rain-epler-haircut-estonia-...
- rsynnott 7mo agoThey're usually not good at hair, for whatever reason. There's Hitler, of course, but also look at just about any American far-right figure these days for some _truly_ unhinged facial hair. Offhand, the only totalitarian I can think of who seemed to put in a particular effort on hair is Stalin. But in general, stylish clothes, mad hair seems to be the rule.
- scarecrowbob 7mo agoThere's a bit of writing in that direction if you're curious. I like Benjamin quite a but and have gotten a lot out of his thinking. Here's the wiki-level entry to it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aestheticization_of_politics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aestheticization_of_politics